Prisoner of the Infidels: The Memoir of an Ottoman Muslim in Seventeenth-Century Europe

— —

Osman of Timisoara Giancarlo Casale

Prisoner of the Infidels

The Memoir of an Ottoman Muslim in Seventeenth-Century Europe

Osman of Timisoara, Giancarlo Casale

$31.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

University of California Press
07 September 2021

Literature: history & criticism; Travel & holiday

Series: World Literature in Translation

Victor Hugo meets Papillon in this effervescent memoir of war, slavery, and self-discovery, told with aplomb and humor in its first English translation.

A pioneering work of Ottoman Turkish literature, Prisoner of the Infidels brings the seventeenth-century memoir of Osman Agha of Timişoara—slave, adventurer, and diplomat—into English for the first time. The sweeping story of Osman’s life begins upon his capture and subsequent enslavement during the Ottoman–Habsburg Wars. Adrift in a landscape far from his home and traded from one master to another, Osman tells a tale of indignation and betrayal but also of wonder and resilience, punctuated with queer trysts, back-alley knife fights, and elaborate ruses to regain his freedom.

Throughout his adventures, Osman is forced to come to terms with his personhood and sense of belonging: What does it mean to be alone in a foreign realm and treated as subhuman chattel, yet surrounded by those who see him as an object of exotic desire or even genuine affection? Through his eyes, we are treated to an intimate view of seventeenth-century Europe from the singular perspective of an insider/outsider, who by the end his account can no longer reckon the boundary between Islam and Christendom, between the land of his capture and the land of his birth, or even between slavery and redemption.

By: Osman of Timisoara
Edited by: Giancarlo Casale
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 197mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 227g
ISBN: 9780520383395
ISBN 10: 0520383397
Series: World Literature in Translation
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 07 September 2021
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Giancarlo Casale is Chair of Early Modern Mediterranean History at the European University Institute and Associate Professor of History at the University of Minnesota.

Reviews for Prisoner of the Infidels: The Memoir of an Ottoman Muslim in Seventeenth-Century Europe

Brilliantly edited and introduced by Giancarlo Casale. . . . Osman's eye-opening reflections on the dilemmas of difference and identity make this a story curiously of our time. * Times Literary Supplement * An excellent, lively English translation by Giancarlo Casale. * The Times * Elegantly presented and scrupulously edited by Casale. . . . The reader should undertake this trip into time and place with Osman for both his exploits and his learning. * Middle East Quarterly * Readers will enjoy the combination of Casale's erudition and Osman Aga's straightforward but exciting story. * Asian Review of Books * With an intimacy that recalls Ibn Battuta...Prisoner of the Infidels provides a useful and entertaining window into 17th-century Europe and the Ottoman-Habsburg wars. This memoir reveals a depth, nuance, and grittiness that standard historical accounts cannot hope to convey. It centers the human experience, covering everything from mosquito bites to separations from, and reunions with, family. * Reading Religion *