Kurt Seyit & Shura - by Nermin Besmen

The book that inspired a fascinating TV series, now shown on Netflix, and which continues to delight millions of viewers around the world. An instant bestseller since its release in 1992, Nermin Bezmen's novel Kurt Seyit & Shura is a classic of contemporary Turkish literature, a romantic drama set against the backdrop of the decline of the Russian Empire and the First World War. Bezmen tells the story of a couple who experience forbidden love as they flee the wave of devastation caused by the Bolshevik revolution. Granddaughter of Kurt Seyit, the wolf, who sought refuge in the already weakened Ottoman Empire, the author tells the real story that has been translated into twelve languages. Kurt Seyit is the son of a wealthy Crimean nobleman and an elegant first lieutenant in the imperial guard. Wounded on the Carpathian front and later sought by the Bolsheviks, he makes a daring escape across the Black Sea. Too proud to accept payment for a shipment of weapons he delivers to the nationalists, Seyit faces years of struggle to start a new life in the Turkish republic rising from the ashes of the decaying Ottoman empire. All he has is his dignity and his love. Shura is the beautiful, innocent girl, enchanted by Tchaikovsky's music and the bright lights of Moscow, who falls in love with Seyit when she is just fifteen. A potential victim in the Bolsheviks' crosshairs due to her family's wealth and social standing, she is determined to follow her heart and accompany Seyit on his perilous escape across the Black Sea.