| Nurbanu Sultana: The end of an era Contributor(s): Garbolas, Alexander (Author) |
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ISBN: ISBN-13: 9798566949376 Publisher: Independently Published OUR PRICE: $18.99 Product Type: Paperback Published: November 2020 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Collections | Middle Eastern |
| Physical Information: 0.99" H x 6.69" W x 9.61" (1.70 lbs) 490 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This book is devoted to the life and acts of Nurbanu Sultana. The word "Sultana" is a useful addition to the English language based on a contemporary Greek word of that era. It replaces the formal word "Sultan" which is traditionally used in English literature for both female and male genders as in Turkish there is no gender distinction. The old term can create an unacceptable confusion of sexes and authorities to an English speaking audience that distinguishes King from Queen, Lord from Lady, Prince from Princess or President from First Lady. Since very little is known and historically proven about the lives of the Sultanas, the author can let his imagination free to roam where only hints and suspicions are available related to sexual preferences of the main heroes. It's a bold effort to better explain to the reader the historical events and especially the weakening of male vigor among the Ottoman Sultans after the death of Selim I in 1520 that gradually led to the informal establishment of the Women's Sultanate, as this transfer of power has been named by many notable historians. This turbulent period began after Selim's I death with the creation of the title Valide Sultana by his widow Hafsa Hatun, and further enhanced by Hurrem Sultana. The Woman's Sultanate was firmly instituted by Nurbanu Sultana, when her son Sultan Murad III was raised to the throne of Osman after the mysterious death of his father Selim II, the last remaining son of Suleiman the Magnificent. In the existing historic texts of the Ottoman Era there are many historic details about the deeds of Sultan Selim II, but very few words for Nurbanu Sultana, as for any other legal wife or odalisque of an Ottoman Sultan, because it was considered a sin to disclose details about the life of women in any harem. For this reason very little is known also about how she died, only a date; thus the fertile imagination of an author can have greater freedom to better explain how the existing historical evidence corroborates with the heroes' characters. Even less information is known on how the most attractive women of the Ottoman Empire looked like, as it was forbidden in Islam to depict parts of the human body. The mystery of how a Sultana lived is even denser, because even though the Sultans and other officials were depicted in a variety of actions in many Ottoman miniatures, no such miniature exists about how real Sultanas in the Seraglio Harem looked or lived, but only precious few of female slaves used as courtiers, prostitutes or dancers to keep in absolute darkness this portion of Oriental Mystery. In terms of actual paintings, many abstract creations of western, mainly Italians, exist, but very few are distinct enough to be considered sufficiently genuine to give us a fair representation of the Sultan's manliness and vigor or the looks of the Ottoman nobility with female gender. These are issues that have to be guessed from their curriculum vitae, even though guesses may lead to grave errors. This is the reason why when the author writes a historical novel, he includes a summary of the major historical events people consider reliable enough, and then starts exposing his heroes' deeds that maybe real or fictitious. In the very end of each historical novel the author also includes a list of the most important dates, as the passage of Time explains many historic events, as the faults of a generation become lessons of the next. A list of relevant references is also included, when they are considered reliable enough, since recently, as popular TV series recently proliferate, there is a tendency to idealize or libel heroes according to the political aims of the TV producers or national dreams. Other historical evidences the author has managed to find are included in the text, if he considers critical for a logical composition of the plot. Of course, what looks logical to an author may be illogical to a reader, and this is what poetic freedom is all about. |