Book description
Set against the backdrop of the collapsing Ottoman Empire, the
Gallipoli campaign and the subsequent bitter struggle between Greeks
and Turks, Birds Without Wings traces the fortunes of one small
community in south-west Anatolia - a town in which Christian and
Muslim lives and traditions have co-existed peacefully for centuries.
When war is declared and the outside world intrudes, the twin
scourges of religion and nationalism lead to forced marches and
massacres, and the peaceful fabric of life is destroyed. Birds
Without Wings is a novel about the personal and political costs
of war, and about love: between men and women; between friends;
between those who are driven to be enemies; and between Philothei, a
Christian girl of legendary beauty, and Ibrahim the Goatherd, who has
courted her since infancy. Epic in sweep, intoxicating in its sensual
detail, it is an enchanting masterpiece.
Louis de Bernières is the best-selling author of
Captain
Corelli's Mandolin
. His most recent novels are
Birds Without Wings and A Partisan's Daughter
.
