Defne Suman Reads from The Silence of Scheherazade
From Damian Barr’s Literary Salon Podcast
Damian Barr’s Literary Salon tempts the world’s best writers to read exclusively from their latest greatest works and share their own personal stories. Star guests include Jojo Moyes, John Waters, Yaa Gyasi, Mary Beard, Diana Athill and Louis de Bernières—all in front of a live audience at leading glamorous locations world-wide. Our London home is the Savoy. Suave Salonnière Damian Barr is your host.
This week’s episode is a delight for anyone who loves to learn about historical events through the lens of fiction. Author Defne Suman brilliantly evokes the sprawling multicultural city of Smyrna through the lives of four families during the early 20th century as the Ottoman Empire is on the brink of collapse.
In the first English edition of The Silence of Scheherazade, the writing is utterly beautiful—the sign of not only a talented author, but a skilled translator as well. The story spans 17 years and transports us from the scents of fig and sycamore, and the cries of street hawkers selling their wares, to the heavy smell of kerosene and smoke as the city and its people are engulfed in flames…
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This podcast is produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman. To listen to the rest of the episode, as well as the whole archive of Damian Barr’s Literary Salon, subscribe and listen on iTunes or wherever else you find your favorite podcasts.
