Diana Darke on Abu Chaker and the modern history of Syria

from Turkey Book Talk · host William Armstrong

Diana Darke on “The Merchant of Syria: A History of Survival” (Hurst). The book traces the life of Abu Chaker, a textile merchant from Homs who lived from 1921 to 2013, in parallel with the story of the modern history of Syria - examining the social, cultural and political context that shaped him. It also touches on the emergence of the ongoing war, which Darke herself witnessed as she was living in a historical courtyard house in Damascus’ old town until a few years ago. Become a Turkey Book Talk member to support the podcast, getting full transcripts (in English and Turkish) of every interview upon publication, transcripts of the entire Turkey Book Talk archive (in English), and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

What this episode covers

Diana Darke on “The Merchant of Syria: A History of Survival” (Hurst), which tells the story of the life of Abu Chaker, a textile merchant from Homs who lived from 1921 to 2013. The book traces Abu Chaker’s life in parallel with the story of the modern history of Syria, examining the social, cultural and political context that shaped him. It also touches on the emergence of the ongoing war in Syria, which Darke herself witnessed as she was living in a historical courtyard house in Damascus’ old town until a few years ago. Become a Turkey Book Talk member to support the podcast, getting full transcripts (in English and Turkish) of every interview upon publication, transcripts of the entire Turkey Book Talk archive (in English), and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2998854

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Diana Darke on Abu Chaker and the modern history of Syria

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This episode is 31 minutes long.

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This episode was published on April 2, 2018.

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