Bitter Lemons of Cyprus

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Bitter Lemons of Cyprus is Lawrence Durrell’s unique account of his time in Cyprus, during the 1950s Enosis movement for freedom of the island from British colonial rule.

Bellapais Journal; Bitter Memories of a Love Affair With Cyprus Bellapais Journal; Bitter Memories of a Love Affair With Cyprus

But even this gets topped (in my eyes at least) when the author does not see the irony in the fact that his friend Antonis is grateful that his son will be off to get educated in England, rather than join the insurrection against the British.

Turks didn't impose their culture, language and religion upon others forcibly –unlike British- just because they'd assumed what they had was not worthy of imposing? Israeli commanders, according to today's New York Times, admit that people have been shot and houses destroyed unjustifiably, but claim that overall they have been judicious in their use of force. If you want to learn more about Cyprus (the British Perspective won't ruin the experience that much) this is a nice place to start, and the description of Cyprus' landscapes and nature are idyllic/romantic; need to stop writing.

Bitter Lemons of Cyprus: Life on a Mediterranean Island Bitter Lemons of Cyprus: Life on a Mediterranean Island

I didn’t see that at all, I was given a picture of a man who sympathised with, who loved spending time with and wished he could have done more to help the Cypriot people who were his friends, whether peasant of bar tender, carpenter or government worker.While the book starts out a light-hearted memoir not unlike Under the Tuscan sun--expat moves in and begins renovating a house surrounded by local colorful characters--the book eventually turns a bit darker.

Bitter Lemons of Cyprus by Lawrence Durrell | Goodreads

One of the first schools in Cyprus open in 1812 (under Ottoman rule) in the capital, Nicosia, the Pancyprian Gymnasium.Kitabın siyaseten eleştirilecek yanları olabilir, var da, Durrell’in pozisyonu kolonyel bulunabilir, tek yanlı bir bakış denebilir… Ama bu kitabı bir politik tarih çalışması gibi değil de, adaya içten bir sevgi duyan bir yabancının hisleri ve izlenimleri gibi okumak lazım bence. Unfortunately for the Turks, Durrell's attitudes are still held by the majority of Europeans in the current day. Or the never ending troubles in the Middle East today, largely caused by Rule Britannica's meddling.