5 comments about The Maze.

1. one feels the desert's choke.....the town's hope, yet the sea does not deliver. a good easy read..if you put it down and pick it back up....latter...you will not miss a beat.



2. I read this for my book group, and like the other seven members who read it, found it to be a floridly written and somewhat interesting work that never seems to go anywhere. Part One of the book finds a Greek army unit wandering lost in the Anatolian desert at the tail end of the Greco-Turkish war of 1919-22. (One of the book's minor flaws is that other than a three sentence prologue, it doesn't give the reader any context for what the Greek army is doing in Turkey.) In any event, we meet only a few members of this dispirited unit, who are wandering in circles in the desert in their attempt to evade the Turkish army and make it to the sea, where they will be evacuated. At the head of this ship of fools is Brigadier Nestor, who hides from the world in his books of ancient mythology and vials of morphine. Meanwhile, Major Porfirio, the number two in command, wages a secret Communist propaganda campaign to little effect. Then there is the priest, who left his small parish to pursue his vision of being Apostle to the Anatolians, and is slowly going mad. The bulk of the wandering is shown through their eyes, although a Corporal, the Medic, and a downed pilot also play minor roles. For these first 140 pages, not a lot happens. The unit wanders a few miles a day, they start running low on food and water, and that's about it.
   
   Part Two begins in a local village, and introduces its cast of stock characters. There's the buffoonish mayor who's literally gotten fat off his office. His fiancee, the sophisticated foreign courtesan stuck in this dreary backwater. The schoolmaster, and the shopkeeper, neither of whom make much of an impression, an alcoholic newspaper correspondent, and finally a maidservant and a gardener who emerge as the only two people to really find happiness. The Greek soldiers manage to make it our of the desert and arrive at this town, shaking up the established order. Which makes it sound more exciting than it actually isómake no mistake, this is a slow novel. Events do build up to a fairly tragic climax which never feels fully paid off or legitimate, or even climactic, and the brief epilogue ends things on much more of a whimper than a bang. The overall effect one walks away with is that Karnezis has stiched together a series of unsubtle character studies revolving around the frailty and pitfalls of belief and what it takes to be happy in life.
   
   The writing is a bit of a mixed bag, which at times is very atmospheric, and at times too baroque and overdone. In the same vein, some of the similes are quite nice, but they frequently misfire and occur far too often. Although, it has to be acknowledged that it's quite impressive writing for someone who is writing in their second language. Characters rarely feel alive, and few have distinct voices. There are some nice moments of humor mixed in, gentle comic touches that provide a welcome change from the general defeated tone. Also scattered in are references to Greek mythology, which are footnoted and laboriously explained. There are no doubt, a number of biblical references mixed in as well, but as someone who never read the Bible, they passed me by. On the whole, it's not bad, just not that great, and I would hesitate to recommend it to others.



3. I really enjoyed the maze, so much I even contemplated giving it 5 stars instead of 4. It is a beautifully written book, very descriptive and pretty straight on the mark with its history.
   
   My only qualm with the book is that Greek names were not used for the Greek army stuck in Asia Minor, which I found quite odd...and it gets off to a slow start till the army enters the town. At times I thought are they going to wander the desert forever?
   
   Overall I would completely recommend this book, especially to any fans of historic fiction.



4. I cannot figure out why this book was on the shortlist for the 2004 Whitbread First Novel Award. The use of big words and teacher pleaser descriptions was forced and did not come across as natural. The characters were not well developed. I felt the author was either making an attempt at existential thought or else just couldn't come up with much of a plot. Every mention of a Greek mythological story or person was referenced in footnotes regardless of common knowledge (for many readers) of the most famous ones. How many times can an author use the word clandestine without the word loosing its charm?



5. 
   Set during the 1919-22 Greek-Ottoman war in Asia Minor, the story follows the retreat of a defeated Greek battalion accross the Anatolian desert to the sea and their brief but profoundly changing occupation of a small town previously isolated from the war.
   The book is semi comic semi tragic in style, and Karnezis builds up each character (including a dog and a bathtub!) with histories that-although amusing-tend to pad out the thin plot rather than add to it. This makes for enjoyable reading,but ultimately 'The Maze' falls short of being really satisfying.
   It has been feted as a fable on how war corrupts and changes everything in its path,but in reality never it never really moves away from being anything other than a good story.But if you want heavy reading, there's plenty to be found,so enjoy this for what it is !

5 comments about Smyrna 1922: The Destruction of a City.

1. Great book, that explains how the Turks torched the beautiful city of Smyrna in retaliation against the Greeks, Armenians and the other Christian minorities. It all took part from the Turkish leader Kemal Attaturk who is venerated in Turkey but is seen as a murderer in other nations. G The book begins by describing the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian Genocide and other Ottoman destructions.
   Great book!!! A must read.



2. This book has been popular, because no one independently checked the statements in the book. Many of the facts came from the papers of Admiral Mark Bristol, USN, in the National Archives. To that extent, the book is accurate. However, Ms. Housepian is an Armenian hater of Turks, and she created some "history" when she wrote the book. I know, because I have boxes of original documents left by the man she credits with the rescue, Asa K. Jennings, my Grandfather. His assistant was my Father, Asa W. Jennings. Ms.Housepian does Armenians, Greeks, Jews, and Turks a disservice by not sticking to the truth. This is not a scholarly work. The best book written on the disaster of Smyrna is Ships of Mercy by Christos Papoutsy. That book contains some of the many original records of the events, and is a must read for anyone interested in Smyrna, Greece, and the Greek, Armenian and Jewish people. Roger Jennings



3. Well written. It respects the history of what happened although it is a very sad story which fact we knew before hand. Well done.



4. Smyrna burning, 14 Americans missing, 1000 massacred as Turks fire city...
   A creditable account of one of the most critical period in the early postwar history of World War 1 in the Middle East, an epic of human tragedy. A pertinent and valuable document on the Asia Minor catastrophe.
   There are enough information about Smyrna's culture and heritage before the destruction. I was impressed how the minorities were so safe and prosperous during the centuries before they had the equal rights. "The finest city in Asia" according to Strabo. Although an earthquake destroyed Smyrna it was Marcus Aurelious who built it again and soon Smyrna with her school of philosophy, her library and her orators rivalled ancient Ephesus. It was under Byzantine rule that Smyrna first estmblished her character as a commercial gateway. After lots of destructions and rebuiltings, Smyrna finally survived and turned to be one of the greatest cities in Asia Minor.
   There are many details about Smyrna's history from then on until the destruction, many testimonies from the protagonists and quite important analysis.
   And then 9th September came... The great fire that consummed the then predominatory Greek city of Smyrna. The author did her best in order to describe the Ataturks city ablaze after a celebratory orgy of plunder rape and massacre of the Christian inhabitants. There are so many details about the fire and there is a remarkable narrative for all those facts.
   As George Horton said: "
   only the destruction of Carthage by the Romans could compare to the finale of Smyrna in the extent of its horror, savagery, and human suffering. One of the keenest impressions which I brought away with me from Smyrna was a feeling of shame that I belonged to the human race."
   I was totally impressed by that book which is an authoritative piece of research s vivid as a novel.
   A meticulously docuented tragedy which recaptures the flavour and richness of Smyrna in itsprime.
   And finally came the Laussane Treaty in 1923 and the great exchange of populations...
   In fact, it was what I was looking for before I started reading that book: to find out all the details about the destruction and the reasons that led the Turks to do such a disaster. I think that new generations will find it quite informative and very explanatory.
   The survivors of Smyrna fire have the advantage of a more profound insight. And my father in law is one of them.



5. Admittly, I did not read the entire book. I had to stop to get a shovel, that's how thick "it" was coming out from this vile woman's book of lies! My paternal granduncle was there!! He lost many of his family members and friends to the mass slaughter committed against the Turks by the Armenians and Greek soldiers, just before the arrival of Ataturk's Army. He recounted how he, and what was left of his family and friends, had to move quickly from one place to another. They all knew what would happen to them if they were captured by the Armenians and/or Greek soldiers. What little food they could find kept them alive (most food supplies had already been destroyed by the Armenians and Greek soldiers). They found what shelter they could in destroyed homes or buildings. They witnessed first hand the horrible atrocities committed by the Armenians and Greek soldiers against Turks and other Moslems. Captured Armenians and Greek soldiers later admitted to committing various atrocities targeting Turks, as well as confessing to starting the fires! They said that when the Turkish Army was approaching, how they quickly tried to change their clothes to blend in with the rest of the Turkish civillians. Too bad they were identified by people (such as my granduncle) who saw what they had done, and couldn't escape! The Fire Chief of Izmir is documented as stating that the fires were started by Armenians and Greeks! These were also witnessed by the U.S. sailors and Admiral Mark Bristol, whose ships were anchored just off shore. Why would Turks burn down their own city just before the arrival of Ataturk and the Turkish Army? How convinient that the author never seems to mention any of this in her book!
   
   As I said, I never bothered to finish reading the rest of this bilge. So, if she somehow redeams herself and admits to the truth somewhere in the book, then I owe her an apology. But we've all seen this type of propaganda and Armenian/Greek lies for over a century. They always have some excuse (e.g. ancestoral lands) to portray themselves as the poor, innocent victims. They love to play the "religion card" every chance they can get! Oh, the poor Christians were always persecuted by the evil Turks or other Moslems (try looking at some of the Near East Relief posters of WWI to get an idea of the biased, one-sidedness of the whole thing). They won't mention how they were the pawns (puppets) of the very Christian nations that they received their armaments and supplies from (e.g. the British and Russians), so that these nations could expand their colonialistic aspirations, irregardless of whom it destroyed! So I ask all you readers out there...step into our shoes for a moment, then ask yourselves this question...Is this justice, or is it JUST US?!!!

No comments about Smoldering Smyrna.

No comments about The Greek Media in World War I and its Aftermath: The Athenian Press on the Asia Minor Campaign (International Library of War Studies).

5 comments about Ionian Vision: Greece in Asia Minor, 1919-1922.

1. As a Turk if you are interested in the other side of the story this is the perfect book which has most of the missing pieces of the puzzle. You have to consider the fact that the author used to be the British ambassador to Greece and he shares the same prejudices about the Ottoman minorities with the other Western intellectuals. Under these circumstances his work is a really neat and unbiased account of the facts of the era.



2. I started reading this book on a lark and quickly became enthralled with it. It explores a subject I have previously only vaguely heard about, the Greek "Asia-Minor catastrophe", which led to the expulsion from Turkey of 1.2 million Greek Christians, many of whose ancestors had lived in Asia Minor for the millenia since the Hellenistic era.

   The Greeks, egged on by the British, who had promised them "valuable territorial consideration" for their allegiance to the victorious allies in World War I, occupied - pursuant to the Treaty of Sevres - the region of Asia Minor surrounding the ancient Greek city of Smyrna on the Aegean Sea. The ostensible reason for this occupation was to protect the largely Greek population of Smyrna from the rise of Turkish nationalism associated with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. However, underlying the expansion to Smyrna was the dream of uniting all of the millions of Greeks living under foreign powers (from Cyprus to Rhodes to Smyrna to Constantinople and the Black Sea region of Pontus) into the Greek nation. This idea of a resurrected "Greater Greece" was appealing as well to many European Hellenophiles, particularly the British.

   What happened to wreck the dream of a "Greater Greece" - a Greek state incorporating the predominantly Greek regions of the former Ottoman Empire (perhaps even including Constantinople) - is immensely complicated, but an oversimplified explanation is as follows: After the Greek political party which had championed the Smyrna/Greater Greece cause lost the election, and the British (who favored the losing party and were in any event seeking an accomodation with the Turks) withdrew all economic and military support for the operation, the Greek army was gradually forced to abandon Asia Minor, leading to the uprooting of the Greek populations of all parts of Turkey, who were "exchanged" for much of the Turkish populace of Greece, in perhaps the largest internationally-sanctioned "ethnic cleansing" in modern history. The ensuing economic and sociological catastrophe devastated Greece, reducing the country to virtually a Third World status from which it did not emerge for generations, and cast a pall over its politics through the late 20th century. It has also left the Greeks with a profound sense of betrayal by Britain.

   Llewellyn Smith, formerly British ambassador to the Hellenic Republic, has written a reasoned and balanced account of the forces underlying the catastrophe. His writing style is entertaining, and he includes fascinating insights into the Byzantine deal-making which occurred behind the scenes, and which involved not only the fascinating post-WWI leaders of Greece and the other allied countries, but also the glamorous Greek international jet-set of the time, whose wealth, influence and entree in British society was ultimately of no avail, but whose occasional appearances lend the story some romantic appeal.

   Ionian Vision is a worthwhile book for anyone with an interest in history. The story is particularly relevant in light of the present situation in the Baltic countries, where the Christian versus Muslim ethnic rivalries left over from the Ottoman Empire are still turning neighbor against neighbor and destroying nations.




3. I started reading this book on a lark and quickly became enthralled with it. It explores a subject I have previously only vaguely heard about, the Greek "Asia-Minor catastrophe", which led to the expulsion from Turkey of 1.2 million Greek Christians, many of whose ancestors had lived in Asia Minor for the millenia since the Hellenistic era.

   The Greeks, egged on by the British, who had promised them "valuable territorial consideration" for their allegiance to the victorious allies in World War I, occupied - pursuant to the Treaty of Sevres - the region of Asia Minor surrounding the ancient Greek city of Smyrna on the Aegean Sea. The ostensible reason for this occupation was to protect the largely Greek population of Smyrna from the rise of Turkish nationalism associated with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. However, underlying the expansion to Smyrna was the dream of uniting all of the millions of Greeks living under foreign powers (from Cyprus to Rhodes to Smyrna to Constantinople and the Black Sea region of Pontus) into the Greek nation. This idea of a resurrected "Greater Greece" was appealing as well to many European Philhellenes, particularly in Britain.

   What happened to wreck the dream of a "Greater Greece" - a Greek state incorporating the predominantly Greek regions of the former Ottoman Empire (perhaps even including Constantinople) - is immensely complicated, but an oversimplified explanation is as follows: After the Greek political party which had championed the Smyrna/Greater Greece cause lost the election, and the British (who favored the losing party and were in any event seeking an accomodation with the Turks) withdrew all economic and military support for the operation, the Greek army was gradually forced to abandon Asia Minor, leading to the uprooting of the Greek populations of all parts of Turkey, who were "exchanged" for much of the Turkish populace of Greece, in perhaps the largest internationally-sanctioned "ethnic cleansing" in modern history. The ensuing economic and sociological catastrophe devastated Greece, reducing the country to virtually a Third World status from which it did not emerge for generations, and cast a pall over its politics through the late 20th century. It has also left the Greeks with a profound sense of betrayal by Britain.

   Llewellyn Smith, formerly British ambassador to the Hellenic Republic, has written a reasoned and balanced account of the forces underlying the catastrophe. His writing style is entertaining, and he includes fascinating insights into the Byzantine deal-making which occurred behind the scenes, and which involved not only the fascinating post-WWI leaders of Greece and the other allied countries, but also the glamorous Greek international jet-set of the time, whose wealth, influence and entree in British society was ultimately of no avail, but whose occasional appearances lend the story some romantic appeal.

   Ionian Vision is a worthwhile book for anyone with an interest in history. The story is particularly relevant in light of the present situation in the Baltic countries, where the Christian versus Muslim ethnic rivalries left over from the Ottoman Empire are still turning neighbor against neighbor and destroying nations.




4. This book tells a rarely told story about one of the greatest human catastrophes of the 20th century - the destruction in 1922 of the Greek Community in Asia Minor by the Ottoman Turks. The story of the destruction of a community which had lived in the West Coast of today's Turkey since before the time of Homer. I say, "rarely told" because it is story that is indeed "rarely told" to anyone who is not Greek or Turkish. The author, Michael Llewellyn Smith, does an extraordinary and, I might add, well- balanced job in telling this fascinating story to the English-speaking world.

   In a gripping narrative, coupled with unequalled scholarship and detail, this book tells the tragic story of Greece's ill-fated dream for a "Greater Greece" - the Greek Irredentist Passion of the early twentieth century - and the fascinating characters, English, Greek and Turkish (among others) who played profound roles in shaping of this story. The dream of a joint Anglo-Greek Entente in the eastern Mediterranean - a dream shared by Prime Minister Lloyd George of England and Eleftherios Venizelos of Greece, which ended on the bloody and burnt quays of Smyrna in 1922 and haunts the psyche of every Greek to this very day.

   To all readers who are interested in the history of 20th-century Greece, this book ,along with Mark Mazower's "Inside Hitler's Greece", is required reading.

   As an aside, in the paperback edition, on page 31, there is a description of some "ethnic cleansing" committed by the Turks on "Old Phocea" - "a seaside town of about 9000 inhabitants, in June 1914". As I read the description, my heart began to beat rapidly. My father - aged seven months at the time - was one of those who survived. I suppose I am here to write these few words, all these many years later, because he did, in fact, survive.

   Lovers of well written and accurate history will love this book!




5. For most Hellenes and many Orthodox-Church followers the Asia Minor Catastrophe is only second to the Fall of Constantinople. The description of an event of such an historic dimension is by itself a riveting story even to a party that is rather unfamiliar with the larger episodes that surround it. This by no means reduces the quality of unrivalled research and scholarship displayed by the author. The enthralling text itself is written using a conventional yet fine diplomatic style that is most enjoyable.

   This book, together with other historic references to this calamity, clearly shows that the involvement of the Great Powers in Asia Minor was turned out to be of paramount significance in influencing the events of that period. Furthermore, this `involvement', as often it is the case with history, it has continued for many years, indeed up to the modern times, to cast its inexorable shadow to the future of an area that, for millennia, has been an integral part of the cradle of the Western civilisation.

   The main criticism is that it is rather surprising that such a detailed, well-presented and balanced piece of work, dedicated in describing the Minor Asia disaster itself, does not include further information pertinent to what it is largely considered to be as the highlight of this affair: the Destruction of Smyrna. Indeed, it feels rather appropriate that a whole chapter should have been dedicated to this particular event not just in order to commemorate the magnitude of human loss and drama that took place but, equally as important, to throw more light as to the reason(s) why such an important and vibrant Mediterranean port should be totally left to the menace of an avenging army.

   In the period from mid 1921 to the day when Smyrna was destroyed what was the position of the Americans? Furthermore, was there ever a point during the aforementioned period where the British government, unequivocally, made it `crystal clear' to the Greeks that no aid of any sort will be forthcoming?

   Finally, are there any plans for the book to be translated in other languages such as Greek, Turkish, French etc?

No comments about The Greek-Turkish War 1919-23.

1 comments about Heirs Of The Greek Catastrophe: The Social Life of Asia Minor Refugees in Piraeus.

1. Hirschon's book gives an account of the social life of the Asia Minor refugees. As a student of the classics I was impressed by the parallels with ancient Greek culture (although I won't make any grand claims about continuity over the millenia because I don't know very much about the intermediate history). A very good book if you're interested in learning about the traditional Greek lifestyle. Challenges the notion that urban/modern life and traditional/religious life are necessarily opposed. Because the population of Greece was so radically increased by the influx of refugees from Asia Minor (which destroyed continuity of Greek inhabitation of Asia Minor going back to antiquity) it is one of the most important events in modern Greek history. One of the strongest points of the book, I think, is the extensive quoting of phrases Hirschon heard uttered by the people on the street, often with the modern greek alongside her translation. These little sayings give a lot of insight into how the refugees made sense of their world, and are often pithy and enjoyable in their own right.

2 comments about Ships of Mercy: The True Story of the Rescue of the Greeks, Smyrna, September 1922.

1. Over the years a number of books have been written about the great tragedy that occurred in Smyrna, Turkey, in 1922. Christos Papoutsy has written the most accurate account of what actually occurred during those 11 days when 350,000 Greeks, Armenians and Jews were saved by the force of one hunchback American YMCA field secretary, Asa K. Jennings, my Grandfather. I have copies of the radio messages, reports, photos, letters and more, some of which appear in Ships of Mercy. Anyone interested in Smyrna, or modern Greek history should read Ships of Mercy. This book is a great contribution to the Greek people and to truth. Roger Jennings



2. I found very little new information in this book. There are plenty of photocopied letters between the author and various archival sources with minimal interest to the reader, often used references to older books by eyewitnesses of the Smyrna disaster, some nice photographs but few if any answers to the remaining questions around the role of the Allied forces that partook in that tragic chapter of Turkish and Greek history...
   I suppose that readers not familiar with the general history of the 1919-1922 ill-fated Greek occupation of Smyrna can be confused by this book; there are many better written and more informative books about Smyrna.

5 comments about Twice a Stranger: The Mass Expulsions that Forged Modern Greece and Turkey.

1. The sadness of this book is personal. I had a mother who was evicted from her part of the world in Western Greece into Anatolia, and I know she was twice a stranger in her new homeland. Her birthplace erased from the maps, she wanted to go see it again. Never did.
   
   I don't like to read depressing books about insolvable problems in the Middle East, but this one is very timely. The only solution in Iraq will be just such a separation of the factions into several independent areas. So the more things change, the more religious hatreds cause pain and loss to true believers.



2. This was a very powerful book for me as a foreigner living in Turkey. It's easy to take one side or another in thinking about the past. I can either embrace the typical Turkish line that makes the Turkish revolution look like 100% bravery and honor. Or I can secretly accept the demonization of Turks that I often hear from foreign authors and press whenever they talk about Turkey's behavior toward Armenians or Greeks. This book puts me right where I want to be; namely in a place where I can understand the context of what happened and hear the heartbreaking stories of families on both sides of this terrible period. The book also does a good job of showing this book's relevance for today.
   
   While reading it, I was shocked to learn how many peoples' lives around me were shaped by the events described here. This really isn't ancient history. And these stories must not die. I'm glad that some of them got written down here.



3. As previous reviewers have rightly said this could only be written by a foreigner (Non Turk or Greek) The author also has the benefit of neither being over simplistic or arrogant. The chapters read neatly into both sides of the religious divide and their own personal experiences with the population exchange which saw Muslim living in Greece deported to Turkey and Greeks living in Anatolia to Greece.
   
   The book covers the various experiences of the two communities in the aftermath of the Turkish war of independence such as the Greeks of present day Ayvalik who wrongly thought their good relations with their Turkish neighbours and non participation in the war would prevent their exchange or the Greeks of Cappadocia who likewise thought their peaceful coexistence would spare them to the Greeks near the Black Sea who actively supported the Russians and had formed irregular gangs to fight the Turks. The Muslims of Salonika who had once been a successful community, well established and diverse, the rural Muslims of Northern Greece who neither had the means nor the willingness to leave their homeland (Where many of them were Greek converts to Islam) and the Muslims of the Greek Isles who so many years later lament the leaving of their ancestral homes.
   
   This book does answer a fair few questions. Only a few years back there was a Turkish model who married a Greek (At one point claiming she had converted to Christianity claiming she was descended from Greeks who had converted to Islam. Then there are the stories I have heard myself of Greeks who converted to Islam rather than leave their native Turkey during the population exchange.
   
   The book also covers the the treaty itself in great detail and its main players.
   
   This is a fascinating book the only reason I give it 4 stars is that it does seem to drag on towards the conclusion of the book.



4. This is the story of the forced population exchanges following ten years of warfare between Greece and Turkey. It is a well balanced account, though a little dry. The introduction in particular makes heavy reading, but it picks up as it goes along.
   Perhaps the objective tone is necessary, given the human tragedies recalled. Greece, after its success in throwing off the Ottoman yoke in 1912, opportunistically joined the western allies to benefit from the final dismemberment of the Sick Man of Europe. This "little" war continued after the armistice, as Greece invaded Anatolia.
   The invasion was a disaster, and the Greeks, once close to Kemal's new capital in Ankara, were driven back to the sea. If you want a colourful account of that débacle, read Giles Milton's "Paradise Lost" Paradise Lostabout the destruction of Smyrna, once the richest port in the Levant.
   Peace was arbitrated by the US, France, Italy and Britain, notably at the Lausanne conference in 1924. None of the arbiters were disinterested, and finally Woodrow Wilson's vision of culturally unified nations prevailed.
   There was a high price to pay. The Ottoman empire had never been culturally unified, and each territory had a patchwork of ethnic minorities. The Black Sea coast of Turkey was largely Greek, in Salonika the largest minority was Jewish, Crete was about half Turkish, and so on. The price? Forced migration (mostly started even before the peace conference, at least on the Turkish side) of around 2 million Greeks and half a million Turks. The figures are still hotly disputed, and the suffering maximised or minimised according to your allegiance.
   Clark tells this story with aplomb, but also recovers fascinating slices of social history from the deportees and their descendants. Even today, nostalgia for the "old country" fills many a Greco-Turkish breast.
   The allies congratulated themselves on achieving this difficult peace. And indeed, Greece and Turkey have not seriously gone to war since. They have also, thanks to the usual massaging of the foundation myth, created two countries with a fully fledged sense of nationhood.
   However, if these were the good consequences, there were others. Some regions of Turkey had lost almost their entire commercial class. This undoubtedly contributed to the agricultural and economic stagnation of Turkey. (I would have liked a deeper analysis of the economic consequences of the peace.) Meanwhile, Greece had to welcome 2 million Greeks (many of whom spoke nothing but Turkish) while in a state of economic prostration. The effects have been long lasting: Smyrna today is Izmir, less a flourishing port than the eastern suburb of the Costa Brava.
   The creation of nations by ethnicity also had long term effects, mostly if not wholly bad. Cyprus was protected from the peace because it was a British colony. It is no longer a colony, but it is rancourously divided. The ethnic cleansing of the recent Balkan wars can also be plausibly laid at the door of the Wilson Doctrine.
   Today it is doubtful if Greece fulfills the minimum legal requirements for EU membership, as many hurdles are put in the way of non-Orthodox worship, land tenure, etc. Turkey has continued a policy of ethnic and religious purity (few Greeks remain in Istanbul, despite guarantees from Lausanne) and, suggests Clark, shows no sign of adopting today's ideals of religious and ethnic tolerance, and the separation of church and state.
   This is a fine book with important lessons for today. One of the delights of reading is to have my prejudices refuted. I never thought I'd have a good word to say for the Ottomans, but when you consider the effects of the destruction of their polis, maybe they weren't so bad after all.



5. Highly recommended. The bibliography is superb.
   
   As presented in this book, the history of the consequences, mostly unintended, of the Treaty of Lausanne help to explain a great deal of life in modern day Greece. Why do so many Greek songs, both modern and 'laika,' speak of leaving and yearning for a homeland? Why does every region of Greece call itself the 'real Greece'? Why do so many people in northern Greece speak a little Turkish and Russian...and curse so fluently? Where did the expression "O thanatos sou einai n zwn mou... (""Your death is my life..." apologies for the attempt at transcription) arise in the national soul? Can there really such a thing as an ethnic identity, in Greece and Turkey, as well as elsewhere?
   
   One could read this book in search of answers to the many questions that arise on a daily basis about this infuriatingly beloved adopted homeland of mine, but I found as much food for thought in the applications of the well-intentioned actions of so many government and international political agencies today, right now, and a well-researched lesson in unintended consequences. Perhaps we can apply these concepts to the decisions we are making today in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

5 comments about Paradise Lost: Smyrna, 1922.

1. Not very interesting unless you are into history and the struggle between Islam and Christianity



2. Superbly written ( i have read it twice). The destruction of Symrna is but one of many and demonstrates what happens when Islam meets Christianity. Read Christopher Caudwell... "Reflections on the Revolution in Europe."
   I do think that our culture will force the integration and then the assimilation of the Albanians, the Pakistanis etc.



3. I am fan of Giles Milton and have enjoyed his previous books such as White Gold. This was one was a departure from the travelog writing style in that book, and I found it very difficult to remain interested. The prose and story never engaged me.
   
   As mentioned in my title, it is well researched, but it seems more like a rough first draft or a bureaucratic report than a completed book.



4. Extremely well-written, captivating and fair, this book is a must for anyone interested in the history of the region. It moves smoothly from the charmed lives of the Levantine families of Smyrna, to the events that lead to the destruction of the city. I could not put down the book, and as soon as I finished it started looking for more information on the internet.
   
   I wanted to know more about some of the actors of this tragedy, in particular Asa K. Jennings, whose role Milton describes brillantly. I was disappointed to find R. Jennings' critique, which sounds bitter and vengeful "...you didn't want my material, so I'm going to sink your book". A pity that the grandson of such a great man should be so petty. I'll also try to learn more about Latifa, Kemal's smyrniot wife, a very intriguing woman: about Rami Bey, George Horton: the Levantine families, the abominable Bristol...
   
   One of the things that Milton makes very clear, is that, less than 100 years ago, in the 20th century, the so-called "civilized nations" of Europe and the US, watched indifferently as thousands of people were massacred in cold blood. Nothing can excuse the barbarity of the Turks: there is no excuse for a human being to behave as they did. However, these events came after years of wars and hate between the two nations: so though these acts cannot be excused, they can be explained. What explanation is there for the French, British, Italian or American stance?
   
   I have many friends whose families came to Greece after the Great Catastrophe: but it is only after reading this book that I can understand and interpret the expression of pride, nostalgia and sadness on their face when they say "my family came from Smyrna"...



5. I had a difficult time reading this "book". It is so biased and incorrect, that it made me want to throw up! It's a propagandal masterpeice for Armenians and Greeks though. Where are the accounts from the U.S. sailors and the U.S. Admiral Mark Bristol, whose ship was anchored just off Izmir? All of them witnessed how Armenians and Greeks started the fires, after they looted and massacred many of the Turkish civillians! Several captured Greek soldiers and Armenians confessed and admitted their roles as to how they killed numerous Turks. My grand uncle was there and lost many of his family members and friends to the barbarism of the Armenians and the Greek soldiers! The author "claims" to have done research, but one must question just what type of "research" he did. Does he mention the documented statements by the Chief of the Fire Department of Izmir (who states unequivically that the Armenians and Greeks started the fires. Why would Turks burn down their own city just before the arrival of Ataturk and the Turkish Army?)? I never saw any mention of it anywhere! The author has fallen prey to the typical propaganda that has been coming out of the Armenian and Greek communities for years. He also convientiently fails to mention anything of significance about the mass slaughter of the Turkish people living there. Could it be that he is playing the "religion card" here in his book? Why not, the Greeks (and especially the Armenians) having been doing so for the past 100 years!! If you're a Turk or a Moslem, one must ask, after reading this excuse for literature, is this true literary ethics and sincere, hard researched investigative journalism for his book. Is this book fair in its rendition? Is it justice, or is it JUST US?