SMH: Treading the tortuous path to modern Turkey

Treading the tortuous path to modern Turkey


Turkish writer Ipek Calislar in Istanbul. Her latest book, Latife Hanim (Mrs Latife), about the life of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's wife Latife has led to a a court case against the author in Turkey.

But in a country that reveres Ataturk's memory, where children begin the school day by chanting, "O great Ataturk", an anecdote in Calislar's book led to her prosecution for "insulting Ataturk". It might also have endangered her safety.

Her story says much about modern Turkey: its human rights abuses and its rising nationalism, mixed with the hope that it is moving towards full democracy, as last Sunday's election tentatively suggests. Her story also shows that in Turkey, the past is never past.

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