Madonna in a Fur Coat

The legendary Turkish writer Sabahattin Ali became a late triumphant discovery for European literature. In his works, he explored the issues of cultural and ethnic relationships through the lives of ordinary people, quickly gaining the affection of the literary bohemia.... «Madonna in a Fur Coat» — a poignant «Remarquean» love story of Raif Effendi — a scion of a wealthy Ottoman family who, by the will of fate, turned into a minor clerk, and the German artist Maria. The action of the novel unfolds in the 1920s in Berlin and Ankara, and its atmosphere is reminiscent of the pre-war novels of Erich Maria Remarque. A significant part of the novel is the story of Raif Effendi's life in Turkey and Germany, the twists and turns of his love for the German artist Maria Puder, his spiritual quests and torments. The hero's life in Europe plays out against the backdrop of a masterfully depicted Germany in the period following its defeat in World War I.