Bliss

by Zülfü Livaneli

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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277	13	95,583	(3.76)	10
Already an international bestseller, this lyrical and moving story embodies the sweep and contradictions of modern Turkey. In a rural Turkish village, young Meryem is raped by her uncle, a sheikh in a dervish order. Outcast for shaming her family, she is locked in the cellar, where she is expected to kill herself. But she is defiant. Her commando cousin, Cemal, with whom she grew up, has returned a hero from fighting terrorists in the mountains. It is he who is chosen to execute his cousin outside the town, telling her he is going to "take her to Istanbul." In Istanbul, a media celebrity professor named Irfan leaves his wife and charters a boat to sail the Aegean. By chance, these three fugitives cross paths and embark on a journey that shows what unexpected things can happen in the space between wounded people.… (more)

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English (11) German (2) All languages (13)

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Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all)

Wird in der Türkei gehypt, aber ich finde das Buch "Serenade für Nadja" des Autors wesentlich besser. Das Thema von Glückseligkeit ist zwar spannend, das Buch beginnt auch gut, doch dann wird es über weite Strecken langatmig und am Ende verläuft die Handlung viel zu schnell und kommt (im Vergleich zum Hauptteil) mit viel zu vielen Wendungen daher. Schade. (

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NavidL | Oct 18, 2022 |

Interesting story combining issues facing eastern, less cosmopolitan Turks and western more cosmopolitan Turks. All are finding themselves in different ways on their own journeys which come together. I liked this. (

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Lylee | Apr 3, 2016 |

A book read for book club -- I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise, but am glad to have read it. First half was very slow build-up; I simply counldn't get "into" the book and feel for the Meryam, though upon reading the summary, I thought empathisizing with Meryam would be easy. It wasn't until the three characters finally joined together (half-way through) that the book grabbed my attention and made me want to keep reading. Interesting to read of two kinds of muslims -- the extremist muslim and the honorable muslim. The first half of the book earns a 3-star (potential unrealized). The second half of the book earns a 4.25 star (potential finally realized). (

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olongbourn | Mar 1, 2015 |

I struggled with this book, but during the discussion with the book club, the watching of the movie, and the dinner with the author, I saw it in a better light. Still, as a rating, 2 stars is right for me. (

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anitatally | Jan 26, 2015 |

Meryem, a young Turkish girl is raped by her uncle. That same uncle sentences her to death for dishonoring the family.

It is her cousin Cemal, her uncle's son, who is ordered to take her to Istanbul and carry out the sentence. Cemal begins to feel a crisis of conscience.

So begins their journey where they meet with a professor from Istanbul who is expriencing a life crisis of his own. The three form a shaky alliance, each searching for a safe harbor from the demons that plague them.

Livaneli wove together many facets of Turkish life so beautifully. He seems to write with deep insight about the many cultures and religious groups which form Turkey, as well as Turkey's history and politics.

I found this to be a moving story. I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Turkey. (

)

bookwoman247 | Feb 2, 2013 |

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▾Other authors

» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Livaneli, Zülfü	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Fromm, Cidem Aksoy	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Riemann, Wolfgang	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Award (Finalist – Fiction – 2006)

Grand Prix Littéraire de Saint-Emilion Pomerol Fronsac (?, ?)

Notable Lists

Around the world in 80 books (Turkey)

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Canonical title

Bliss

Original title

Mutluluk

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Meryem

Important places

Van region, Turkey

Istanbul, Turkey

Important events

Related movies

Mutluluk (2007 | IMDb)

Epigraph

Dedication

First words

Meryem schlief den Schlaf einer Siebzehnjährigen - ein Schlummer, tief wie der Van-See.

Quotations

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

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Original language

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▾Book descriptions

Already an international bestseller, this lyrical and moving story embodies the sweep and contradictions of modern Turkey. In a rural Turkish village, young Meryem is raped by her uncle, a sheikh in a dervish order. Outcast for shaming her family, she is locked in the cellar, where she is expected to kill herself. But she is defiant. Her commando cousin, Cemal, with whom she grew up, has returned a hero from fighting terrorists in the mountains. It is he who is chosen to execute his cousin outside the town, telling her he is going to "take her to Istanbul." In Istanbul, a media celebrity professor named Irfan leaves his wife and charters a boat to sail the Aegean. By chance, these three fugitives cross paths and embark on a journey that shows what unexpected things can happen in the space between wounded people.

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