Young Turk

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Against the backdrop of Nazism, in a multi-racial Turkey giving sanctuary to many of Europe's fleeing Jews, a group of teenage friends struggles to understand events while reeling from (and relishing) the sexual and emotional discoveries of adolescence. An alluring woman initiates Mustafa and his classmates in the carnal delights of rose petal jam; Musa discovers the hard facts of reaching manhood when he is expelled from the women's baths; Bilal, a 14-year-old Jewish boy, sets off for Greece to rescue his mother's sister; and a circus orphan known only as 'Girl' falls head over heels for the new trapeze artist ... Young Turk is a novel in thirteen positions. Reminiscent of Julio Cortazar and Italo Calvino, this is a wise, craftily spun and spine-tinglingly erotic tale of love, courage and the forging of conscience. Moris Farhi was born in Turkey in 1935. He has written several novels, including Children of the Rainbow and Journey through the Wilderness (both Saqi). He is a vice-president of International PEN, and in 2001 was awarded an MBE for services to literature. He lives in London.