Madam Ataturk

Born in Istanbul in 1947, Ipek Çalislar is a journalist and writer. She has worked at the prestigious daily Cumhuriyet for twelve years and has served on the boards of KA-DER, the Association for the Support and Training of Women Candidates, and PEN Turkey. Çalislar was tried in Turkey for 'insulting the memory of Kemal Atatürk' with this biography but was later acquitted. Her first literary work, Madam Atatürk is a bestseller in Turkey and has been translated into eleven languages.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is hailed as one of the most charismatic political leaders of the twentieth century, but little is known today about his one and only wife, Latife Hanm.

A multilingual intellectual educated at the Sorbonne, Latife's marriage to Atatürk in 1923 set her apart from her contemporaries, raising her to the pinnacle of political power. She played a central role in the creation of a modern and secular Turkey and campaigned tirelessly for women's right to vote. Throughout her marriage, Latife stood beside her husband and acted as his interpreter, promoter and diplomatic aide. She even twice risked her own life to save his.

However, after only two years of marriage, Atatürk divorced Latife and she soon disappeared from public life. She was shunned, blamed for the failure of the marriage and portrayed as a sharp-tongued, quarrelsome woman who had strained Atatürk's nerves. Latife spent the rest of her life in seclusion.

In the first biography to be written on Latife Hanm, pek Çallar recounts the life of an exceptional and courageous woman, well ahead of her time, who lived through a remarkable period in Turkish history.

New in paperback, the first biography to be written on Latife Hanm, an exceptional and courageous woman, well ahead of her time, who lived through a remarkable period in Turkish history.

IntroductionTranslator's NoteGlossary1. Meeting2. Latife's Family3. The Occupation of Izmir, Latife's Hometown4. Love Springs from the Ashes of the Great Fire5. Mustafa Kemal Pasa Proposes6. Waiting for the Wedding7. Zübeyde Hanim, the Mother-in-Law8. A Purebred Arabian as an Engagement Present9. 'Get ready; we're getting married!'10. Honeymoon11. Arrival in Ankara, the Nationalist Base12. The Bride Who Came to the Garrison13. Latife Entertains the Foreign Press at Çankaya14. Touring the Country Together15. The 'Impertinent' Bride Who Wears Spurs16. Bullet Holes in Latife's Clothes17. Latife Wants to Stand for Parliament18. Life at the Residence19. The Proclamation of the Republic20. The Groom Has a Heart Attack21. Latife Shields Her Husband with Her Own Body22. Latife Prepares the State Protocol23. Women of the Time24. The Women's Movement and Latife25. Fikriye: The Former Consort Comes Back26. Kick-starting the Economy27. Autumn Tour28. Days of Opposition29. Was It a Love Match?30. Divorce31. Reverberations32. Separation33. Tears in Mustafa Kemal's Blue Eyes34. Latife Supports the Second Party35. A Unique Surname from Atatürk36. The Campaign of Vilification37. Latife Hides Her Illness38. Guarding the History of the Republic in Her SafeAppendix I: Two Obituaries in the Foreign PressAppendix II: An Obituary in the Turkish PressBiographical NotesAcknowledgementsNotesBibliographyIndex