A Breath Of Istanbul

Aret Vartanyan

Within these pages, we experience Istanbul life,the “you and me” that is this place's heartbeat. Around us swirl the amazing colors of many rainbows and dozens of scents. Here the Istanbulites-Armenian, Greek, Kurdish, Jew, Alawite, Christian, the rich, the poor, the conservative, the marginal-all bear witness to Istanbul's many-faceted selves. This novel of hope is a small reflection of what some people call “utopia” and is foremost a story about living in harmony.

Lose yourself in İstanbul's streets while wandering with me as we explore you, me, our lives, our loves, our unfulfilled feelings and wishes, our dreams, fears, hopes, loneliness, struggles, and the daily ups and downs of our fellow millennials. The meaning of İstanbul, Turkey, and the world is “you” for me. They are all “me” and “us.” That's the only reality I believe in.

Nothing no work of art or music will ever be able to fill and nourish your soul as İstanbul does. No scents will ever burn themselves into your memories like the ones in İstanbul. No wisdom except that which you find here will ever seem that real(istic) to you.

I have taken a deep breath of İstanbul. All of its life-affirming air I have to share with you has been exhaled into these pages.