LOOKING FOR OSMAN: One Man's Travels Through the Paradox of Modern Turkey

By Eric Lawlor

Inspired by the romantic Orientalists of the nineteenth century Eric Lawlor went to Turkey in search of exotic splendor: the fez; a luxurious massage; and the likes of Osman, a legendary knave and con man. What he found is a country in which he fez has been banned since the 1920s, the baths are as brutal as police interrogations, and rogues like Osman have given way to young professionals seeking Turkish entry into the European Economic Community.

But in the process of looking for Osman, Eric Lawlor has given us a book of splendid observation and delicious humor -- and a Turkey in which bazaars still hum amid the newness and Mohammed's footprints are still on display. As attuned to the eccentricities of his fellow Western travelers as he is to the oddities of his hosts, Eric Lawlor is a wonderful guide. And Looking for Osman is a pungent and poetic exploration of a country that surpasses all our notions of the exotic.

Vintage Departures (First Edition: 1993)