Looking for Osman [Paperback]

Eric Lawlor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 1993

Inspired by the romantic Orientalists of the nineteenth century Eric Lawlor went to Turkey in search of exotic splendor: the fez; a luxurious massage; and the likes of Osman, a legendary knave and con man. What he found is a country in which he fez has been banned since the 1920s, the baths are as brutal as police interrogations, and rogues like Osman have given way to young professionals seeking Turkish entry into the European Economic Community.

But in the process of looking for Osman, Eric Lawlor has given us a book of splendid observation and delicious humor -- and a Turkey m which bazaars still hum amid the newness and Mohammed's footprints are still on display. As attuned to the eccentricities of his fellow Western travelers as he is to the oddities of his hosts, Eric Lawlor is a wonderful guide. And Looking for Osman is a pungent and poetic exploration of a country that surpasses all our notions of the exotic.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Determined to follow the trails of other famous writer-explorers--including Herman Melville, Eliot Warburton and Joseph Brodsky--Lawlor ( In Bolivia ) is at once clever and sensitive as he guides the reader through modern Turkey. Embarking alone from Istanbul, where mosques and McDonald's dwell in uneasy proximity, he depicts Turkey, long the embattled crossroads of Moslem and Christian civilizations, as a nation of many cultures forced together in a struggle to reconcile a stubborn past with an impatient future. Lawlor makes this dichotomy clear through his quest for the title character, Osman. A rogue con man of popular ancient legend whose actual existence may itself be a ruse, Osman is, by his very nature, elusive to westerners because he, in the words of the author's Turkish friend, " . . . belongs to a past the country would like to forget." Lawlor possesses the skill to describe the exotic without need to draw western parallels to establish context with his readers. Additionally, in a type of book where the author is nominally the star, he appears comfortable in allowing his subject to dominate the work.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Lawlor travels "to explore the elsewhere--the anywhere but here." He visits Istanbul and learns of the mythical rogue Osman, a survivor of the Old Turkey constantly battling the modern Turkey of Ataturk and his successors. With anecdotes and constant quotes from earlier travelers, Lawlor ( In Bolivia , LJ 11/15/89) provides an entertaining tale as he goes by ferry, bus, and car across Anatolia, meeting Turks and tourists in circumstances only veteran travelers can fully appreciate. The book is a vivid and witty depiction of one man's impressions, from bathhouse to bazaar, from bustling cities to windswept plains, of a country trying for decades, but failing, to be modern.
- William R. Smith, Johns Hopkins Univ. Lib., Baltimore
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 213 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st edition (March 2, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679738223
• ISBN-13: 978-0679738220
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,133,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars boring, May 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Looking for Osman (Paperback)

As a foreign living in Turkey I can say that this book is one of the most boring ones dealing with Turkey. The writer makes a few mistakes in the book, he claims, for example, that Kurdish language is banned in Turkey. The book seems to be written in 1993. Kurdish wasn't banned then anymore. Yes, Kurdish language has been banned, but not during this decade and it is not banned anymore. In Istanbul Kurdish language study books are being sold at bookstores and one can hear Kurdish being spoken every day. For me, this was very surprising, totally the opposite what Western media says. Anyhow, the book also made a few stupid generalisations about Turkish women. The book was fairly naive and shows that the writer has a very scarce knowledge on any Meditarrenean culture. I must admit that I do not think that it reflects the reality of Turkey at all. It is totally from another planet than the Turkey I live in.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 Stars for a Light Read, June 22, 2004

By 

Fork Lift (Ottawa, ON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Looking for Osman (Paperback)

I have never been to Turkey, i may never go either. But, i found this book in my new home and decided to read it. I had no expectations. And it turned out to be a nice read. It's the kind of book you pick up and read when youre hitting the sack, or just lying around the house.

The author brings you through several different parts of Turkey and gives you a glimpse of what the culture is like. It is a very personal account of his trip through the country, and i always find things like that pretty interesting.

I recommend it, if you can find it for free, hidden away in a house youve just moved into.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining but sometimes harsh view of Turkey, September 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Looking for Osman (Paperback)

Lawlor did a lot of research, and he writes well, but sometimes I found myself cringing at his behavior among the Turks, at his seeming lack of empathy, and at the snap judgments he occasionally makes about his host country and its people. I also got the impression that he did not spend all that much time there, not enough time to merit the authority to write a whole book. Still, some of the scrapes he gets himself into are edifying and funny. I sense that he means no ill will, and that the harshness I perceived was unintentional. Overall, for a more sensitive, richly researched portrait of Turkey today and yesterday, I recommend Mary Lee Settle's "Turkish Reflections."