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Fifteen-year-old Meryem lives in a rural village in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. Her simple, conventional way of life changes dramatically after her uncle, a sheikh in a dervish order, rapes her—and condemns her to death for shaming the family. Asked to carry out the “honor killing” is his son Cemal, a commando in the Turkish army. So begins a long, mystifying voyage for Meryem as her shell-shocked cousin ushers her to the shining metropolis of Istanbul where another troubled soul, the Harvard-educated professor Irfan, embarks on his own journey of transformation—one that catapults him into the heart of Meryem and Cemal’s conflict. The crossed-paths and interwoven destinies of these three characters makes for an affecting, by turns brutal and life-affirming portrayal of traditional and modern-day Turkey that no reader will soon forget. “Livaneli is an essential force in Turkey’s musical, cultural, and political scene.”
--Orhan Pamuk, Nobel Prize Winner and author of Snow
“Bliss is eye-opening and deeply moving.”
--Kirkus Reviews (starred)
“Compelling [for] American readers …hard to put down.”
--The Cleveland Plain Dealer
“With lush scenes of Turkish life and nuanced depictions of the [characters’] inner lives. . .a convergence of lost, likable souls.”
--Entertainment Weekly O. Z. Livaneli, one of Turkey’s most prominent authors, is also an accomplished composer, and previously served as an elected member of the Turkish Parliament. For more information about his background and books,visit his website at livaneli.net.
Finalist for the 2006 Discover Award, Fiction
The paths of three characters converge to illustrate, perhaps too patly, the conflicts of contemporary Turkey. Raped by her uncle, the sheikh, 15-year-old villager Meryem has shamed her family. To save the family name, Cemal, the sheikh's son, a soldier home from his tour fighting Kurds in the Gabar Mountains, is ordered by his father to take Meryem to Istanbul and to murder her. When Cemal and Meryem reach Istanbul, they are shocked by the cosmopolitan city, full of women wearing low-cut blouses and children who disobey their parents. Cemal falters at the moment of decision and, instead of murdering Meryem, travels with her to the seaside, where they encounter Irfan, a successful Istanbul professor who, plagued by insomnia and anxiety, has fled his cushy life to set sail in the Aegean Sea. Irfan offers them jobs on his boat and forges a tenuous mentorship with Meryem, but Cemal, whose psychological torment is richly captured early in the book, is soon reduced to a glowering presence. Livaneli, a former exile who was elected to Turkey's Parliament in 2002, takes great pains to reveal his country's complex culture, but the result often reads like a cautionary fable. Readers should prepare themselves for heavy-handed allegory. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
More Reviews and RecommendationsOne of Turkey's most prominent and popular authors, as well as an accomplished musician and composer, O. Z. Livaneli was held under military detention during the coup of 1971 and lived in exile for eight years. He was later elected to Turkey's Parliament in 2002 and became one of the founders of the Turkish-Kurdish peace movement, in addition to his considerable creative accomplishments.
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April 09, 2008: I found this book very boring. It goes on and on and never really gets to any conclusion. I am not sure what the point was.
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April 17, 2007: Zulfu Livaneli did a wonderful job with this novel. With his three main characters, Meryem, Camel and Dr. Irfan Kurudal he allows the reader to acquire an accurate perception of how different life can be in modern Turkey. Bliss in the American title. It is entitled 'Mutluluk' in most other countries. There is also movie that just came out, but it is in Turkish. Bliss is Middle Eastern Fiction that portrays real controversies 'such as honor killings' in a made-up story. This novel was named Book of the Month in Italy of March 2007. Bliss opens the world's eyes to important problems in Turkey today: women's rights and religion. I am interested in hearing what other authors will have to say about 'Bliis' in the future.