Istanbul. Secrets, Stories and Legends

In the new book of the "Genius of Place" series, Corrado Augias – an Italian journalist, TV presenter, politician, and writer, offers a view of Istanbul beyond its grand facade and seeks to understand it through the secrets, stories, and destinies of its famous natives, starting with its founder – the Byzantine Emperor Constantine 

The dust jacket reveals a map of Istanbul from the 17th century on the engraving by Jaspar de Isaac "View of Constantinople"

This book about Istanbul is written by Corrado Augias, a resident of another "eternal city" – Rome. A writer, journalist, knight of the orders "For Services to the Italian Republic" and the French Legion of Honor, author of books translated into many languages about Paris, London, New York, and of course, Rome. Drawing parallels with his native Rome, the author tells the reader the history of Istanbul and its inhabitants in a light, lively language, revealing their secrets.

For Corrado Augias, it was important not only to talk about different places and events in the history of Istanbul but also to convey the special atmosphere of the city, for which Orhan Pamuk resorts to the Turkish word "hüzün" – which can be translated as "melancholy," "sorrow," "bitterness," or, with a certain degree of inaccuracy, as "melancholia"... Unnecessary regrets about an era that can never be returned are both a consequence and a cause of the city's decline. These reflections allow for yet another rapprochement between Istanbul and Rome – two unforgettable glorious cities that have lost their former glory, the author believes.

"In my books about Paris, Rome, and other cities, I have narrated about places that are well known and dear to me, which I have been connected to for various reasons. I have traveled to Istanbul many times, and this city has amazed me, revealing new and new facets of itself – I was drawn to the picturesque corners that have survived there, the mysterious nature of its inhabitants, I felt the allure of this city, which is explained not only by its rich heritage of the past but also by the modern chaos, dirty streets, exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke, disorder, garbage, half-ruined buildings, and a constant balancing act between two worlds and the attempts to make a choice (which is never made) in favor of one of them – it is no coincidence that Istanbul has been stuck in a civilizational trap in search of self-definition for centuries."