In September 1730 Istanbul rose against Sultan Achmed III, who had shrunk from fighting the advancing Persians. Jókai builds his novel around the ringleader, Halil Patrona, a poor Albanian sailor turned pedlar, following his rise among the Janissaries, the slave-girl Gül-Bejáze, the intrigues of the palace and the storm of rebellion.
A colourful Ottoman historical romance by Hungary’s greatest novelist, in R. Nisbet Bain’s translation. Download the free EPUB.