Atatuerk

Reviews / Votes

"[F]resh and concise ..."-- New Yorker "[T]his intellectual biography is a significant achievement, and indispensable for anyone seeking to understand the roots of modern Turkey."-- Times Higher Education "Atatrk does not lack for biographers, most of whose books are adulatory, but none has so thoroughly brought to life the ideological climate that molded the man as has Hanioglu. And few have presented Atatrk with such objectivity."-- Foreign Affairs "In this timely and brilliantly articulated book, Hanioglu reaffirms the need for an intimate understanding of historical context in biographical research... This rich and exhaustively researched study is indispensible for academics and students of Turkish and Middle Eastern studies alike. It is the definitive biography of Atatrk and an instant classic in the field."--Douglas H. Garrison, Digest of Middle East Studies "Cutting through years of writings filled with admiration for this charismatic leader and a popular sentiment close to hero worship, Hanio?lu performs a skillful analysis, focusing on the ideas and intellectual movements that shaped the statesman, rather than recounting Atatrk's personal life... Hanioglu does a stellar job highlighting the scientific trends Atatrk used to validate his Turkish national ideal."-- Library Journal "Hanioglu has prepared a concise, compelling biography of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatrk. He examines the political and intellectual movements that influenced Atatrk from his early school years until his death in 1938, along with the implementation of their ideas, which led to the development of the Republic of Turkey... This work provides the essential intellectual framework to understand Ataturk and the enormity of his accomplishments."-- Choice "M. Skr Hanioglu probes the bold and pragmatic mind of Atatrk in his new book... Hanioglu provides us with a fresh way to look at Atatrk."-- Saudi Gazette "Professor Skr Hanioglu ... combines elegance and meticulousness in Atatrk."--Andrew Mango, Literary Review "Professor Hanioglu's study, based on meticulous research of primary sources, deals with the social setting and intellectual sources that shaped the ideas that have directed Ataturk's actions and policies. The book not only helps demythologize Ataturk, it also provides a most valuable contribution to a better understanding of the state he founded... Ataturk is indispensable reading for anyone who wishes to understand Turkey's politics."--Sahin Alpay, Today's Zaman "M. Skr Hanioglu's latest book, Atatrk: An Intellectual Biography, is probably the best book on Atatrk's legacy and his historic role... Hanioglu managed to combine both impartiality and immediate access to Turkish sources to produce a classic."--Herkl Millas, Today's Zaman "This book has the potential to inspire a new period of much needed assessment of Atatrk's thought, work and legacy."--Rifat Kandiyoti, Political Quarterly "This book breaks new ground in seeking to determine what Ataturk's reforms actually meant for their creator instead of trying to fit together his policies into a coherent doctrine called Ataturkism, as others have done. It is an important addition to the literature on the republic that Ataturk sought to define, and was determined to create."--Clement Dodd, Journal of Islamic Studies "This book is aimed less at historians of the Ottoman Empire or of Turkey than at a wider public. It is a fine work of synthesis, fully accessible to non-specialists, which takes account of the complexity of the transitional period between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey. Hanioglu's line of argument is perfectly clear and his account is easy to follow."--Cllia Delbarre, booksandideas.net "By setting [Ataturk's] remarkable achievements within their historical context, Mr Hanioglu has not only done him a service, he has also provided the reader a better understanding of the contradictions of the fascinating country that is modern Turkey."--Kanika Datta, Business Standard "Professor Hanioglu has developed a well-informed and in-depth theoretical account, perhaps the most successful so far, of the ideological elements that shaped the ideas and mindset of Mustafa Kemal (later Ataturk). Although readers may be tempted to pass over yet another Ataturk biography, I would urge them to read this one... [T]he present study will undoubtedly become an indispensable tool to historians of modern Turkey. It will be widely consulted by anyone seeking to understand not only the historical roots of modern Turkey, but also the present conditions in that society. Professor Hanioglu's essential biography places Ataturk firmly within his historical and intellectual contexts, offering to the public a solid, well-written and comprehensive study."--Nikos Christofis, New Middle Eastern Studies