Podcast: Turkey Book Talk, Remembering The Sweet Side Of Istanbul

Whenever Turkey comes up as a topic; it is always about a crisis these days. Adding to the string of political crises now is the impending economic crisis with free fall of the Turkish lira against the U.S. dollar.

This podcast by expat journalist William Armstrong is one of the episodes of the "Turkey Book Talk" podcast series, in which Armstrong converses with a selected guest about a book, a report; basically any fiction or non-fiction literary work. 

There is certainly a nostalgic tint to all of these podcast series; once upon a time, not so long ago, Turkey and most of all Istanbul was a such an intellectual hub for the region in general. And all the glowing aspects of cultural renaissance has just vanished; leaving behind this nostalgic "once upon a time" sentiment.

In this episode of the "Turkey Book Talk", the sense of nostalgia doubles for me, as Armstrong talks about Sevgi Soysal-one of the most well-known female authors of Turkey who passed away in the mid-70's at a very young age. She also happens to be my aunt. 

Sevgi Soysal memory reminds one of other "worse times" of Turkey, as she herself suffered from coups, political turmoil in the 1970's. Yet, there are always creative sources budding amidst misfortunes thundering on intellectuals based in Turkey. Another expat, Amy Sprangler's literary agency and her zestful devotion to her work reminds one that there is always "hope" even in the worst of the times-in Turkey and beyond.

There is already another new episode of the Turkey Book Talk; this time it is about Turkey-Russia relations and Armstrong debates the issue with academic Dimitar Bechev.  Bechev, affiliated with the think-tank Atlantic Council, describes the Turkey-Russia relations as "rich in history, ambivalent and rich in nuance, blending fierce competition with cooperation."

This "richness in nuance" is also a specific quality of Turkey's intellectual history, just as the Turkey Book Talk reminds us in these bleak and fierce days.