A presentation by Sevim Kebeli, visiting scholar at the UCLA Department of English
Thursday, May 19, 201611:00 AM - 1:00 PM
11372 Bunche Hall
Abdülhak Hamid (1852–1937) spent more than twenty years of his life in Bombay (1883-85) and London (1885–94 and 1897–1912) and was the first Ottoman diplomat and author who made India and the British Empire a frequently visited topic in his literary and biographical works. Abdülhak Hamid’s memoirs present us not only with a lively portrayal of the late Victorian London but also with significant details about the historical, social, cultural and even political aspects of the city and its inhabitants. While Hamid’s observations on London and its social structure form the foreground of his memoirs, the British Empire with its imperial and colonial history provides its backdrop. In my talk, I will discuss Hamid’s perception of and interaction with the British metropolis by focusing on his memoirs and letters.