''Constantinople'' () is a non-fiction travelogue book by

Edmondo de Amicis Edmondo De Amicis (; 21 October 1846 – 11 March 1908) was an Italian novelist, journalist, poet, and short-story writer. His best-known book is the children's novel ''Heart''. Early career Born in Oneglia (today part of the city of Imperia), h ...

published in 1877 regarding

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, now

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Release

The first edition was published in 1877. The original work had two volumes.

Cesare Biseo Cesare Biseo (April 18, 1843 – January 25, 1909) was an Italian painter, known primarily for his orientalist scenes. Biography He was born to Giovanni Battista Biseo (1815-1865), a decorative and restorative painter from Brescia. He received ...

illustrated an 1882 edition, and Brambilla wrote that this one "will help shape the European imagination towards Istanbul, and the Orient in general." Multiple translations were derived from the Biseo version. In 2013 a new English translation by Stephen Parkin was released. A Turkish translation under the title ''İstanbul'' was published by Pegasus Yayınları.

Reception

Alberto Brambilla of

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University () is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to the Middle Ages in 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon as a constituent college of the Unive ...

wrote that the publication of the book and its reception were evidence of Amicis being "one of the best-known Italian authors abroad".Brambilla, p. 185.

Orhan Pamuk Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952; ) is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, he has sold over 13 million books in 63 languages, making him ...

has called De Amicis's work the best book written about Istanbul in the nineteenth century,Edmondo De Amicis, ''Constantinople'', Einaudi, 2007, cover. while

Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian Medieval studies, medievalist, philosopher, Semiotics, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular ...

stated that De Amicis' description of the city was the most cinematic,Edmondo De Amicis, ''Constantinople'', Einaudi, 2007, p. VI. and himself used the guide when visiting Constantinople.

Jason Goodwin Jason Goodwin (born June 1964) is an English writer and historian. Biography Goodwin attended Sussex House School and Westminster School, before studying history at Trinity College, Cambridge. Following the success of ''The Gunpowder Gardens o ...

has described the work as a real

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

''tour de force''. PD Smith of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' wrote that the book is "A wonderfully eloquent account". William Armstrong in ''

Hürriyet Daily News The ''Hürriyet Daily News'', formerly ''Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review'' and ''Turkish Daily News'', is the oldest current English-language daily in Turkey, founded in 1961. The paper was bought by the Doğan Media Group in 2001 and ...

'' called it "An orientalist bore" with "annoyingly

purple prose In literary criticism, purple prose is overly ornate prose text that may disrupt a narrative flow by drawing undesirable attention to its own extravagant style of writing, thereby diminishing the appreciation of the prose overall. Purple prose i ...

". Armstrong stated "it isn’t clear what distinguishes De Amicis’ memoir from the dozens of similar tomes written by intrepid Europeans at the time."

References

* - The document includes an extended English abstract.

Notes

External links

*
Constantinople
', 1896 English translation by Caroline Tilton, also at

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Harvard U copy
an
University of Michigan copy
*
Constantinople Volume I
', 1896 English translation by Maria Hornor Lansdale,

Merrill and Baker Merrill may refer to: Places in the United States *Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska *Merrill, Iowa * Merrill, Maine * Merrill, Michigan * Merrill, Mississippi, an unincorporated community near Lucedale in George County *Merrill, Oregon *Merrill, W ...

alternate printing by
Henry T. Coates & Co.
Alternate links at

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...

*
Constantinople Volume II
', 1896 English translation by Maria Hornor Lansdale, Henry T. Coates & Co.
Alternate links at

* {{in lang, fr
Constantinople
', translated by Mrs. J. Colombe, Hachette et Compagnie, 1878
Also at

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1877 non-fiction books Istanbul Books about the Ottoman Empire Italian travel books Orientalism Italian-language books Eastern culture Books by Edmondo De Amicis