Ataturk: A Biography of Mustafa Kemal, Father of Modern Turkey [Paperback]

Patrick Balfour Kinross (Author), Lord Kinross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1992

The recent events in the Persian Gulf have made it clearer than ever that understanding the history of the Middle East is essential if a solution is to be found for its problems today. The story of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is an important and enthralling part of that history. 6 maps.

Product Details

• Paperback: 615 pages
• Publisher: Quill; 1ST edition (January 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688112838
• ISBN-13: 978-0688112837
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 2.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #810,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( A ) > Ataturk

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What you need to know about the making of the Turkish nation, August 7, 1999

By 

[e-mail] Gonzalo Madrigal (San Jose, Costa Rica) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ataturk: A Biography of Mustafa Kemal, Father of Modern Turkey (Paperback)

Found by chance in a small bookstore this is one of the best books I have ever read. Finely written, it will give you all the detail you need to understand the last days of the Ottoman Empire and the birth of the Turkish Nation. Even if you are not that interested in the subject it will draw you into the fascinating detail of the life of a truly extraordinary man in extraordinary times. Buy it...you will enjoy it without being able to put it away.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Novelesque; a triumph in style, December 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ataturk: A Biography of Mustafa Kemal, Father of Modern Turkey (Paperback)

Kinross approached this biography in a very unconventional manner, and the gamble paid off. Often historical subjects like Ataturk can reach into the "heavy reading" column with complicated military, social, diplomatic and political explanations. But Kinross gambles by trusting the intelligence of the reader, and depends more on conveying the strong, abrasive character of Ataturk than on the intricit, deeply-calculated broad social mechanics that surrounded him. You will walk away knowing in-depth the end of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of the Turkish Republic while getting a clear insight into the character of Ataturk: his strengths and his shortcomings. As time goes by, it is more and more important to understand Kemalism and the course of secularization and modernization in the East.

The diagrams of the battle-fields on a mile scale were extremely helpful: for those, like me, who aren't adept at reading and understanding military strategies, Kinross gives you an introductory course. For the first time, I felt like I actually *knew* what happened in some important battles.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent biography of a great leader, September 29, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Ataturk: A Biography of Mustafa Kemal, Father of Modern Turkey (Paperback)

It is not common that you find an objective and well written biography of a great personality. Kinross shows great skill in in showing the strengths and weaknesses of Ataturk and the reforms accomplished by him with that eras background. If you want to know about Ataturk and also the foundation of a modern nation from the ruins of Ottoman Empire, this is one book you must read. Evrim Icoz