Cervantes and the Turkish Mediterranean is a work written by José Manuel Lucía Megías that examines the impact of Cervantes’ five-year captivity in the Mediterranean, particularly in Ottoman territories, on his life and works. It was published by Dergâh Publications in October 2024 as part of the History series. The translation was prepared by Dr. Nesrin Karavar.
Subject
The book focuses on Cervantes' period of captivity in Algiers following the Battle of Lepanto (1571). The author evaluates the contribution of these years to Cervantes’ intellectual development and literary production within the context of the Ottoman-Mediterranean sultanate. The work also addresses topics such as Cervantes’ representation of the “Turkish Other,” Mediterranean trade routes, and piracy.
Themes
- Intercultural Impact: The reflections of Cervantes' experiences in the Mediterranean on his works are examined.
- Captivity and Identity: The literary expression of an individual’s changing perception is described through Ottoman-Mediterranean rituals.
- Literary Representations: The ways in which the image of the “Turk” is processed in Cervantes' writings are explored.
- Spatial History: Analyses of the strategic, economic, and cultural nature of the 16th-century Mediterranean are presented.
Narration and Style
Megías approaches Cervantes’ biography from a historical and cultural perspective, conveying the narrative through documentary and academic methods. The translation by Nesrin Karavar has been rendered into Turkish with a fluid and accessible language. As a text that references research, the book can also be used in an academic setting.
