A GREAT GROUP READS SELECTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 RUNCIMAN AWARD
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD
An American-born traveler to one of Istanbul's oldest communities receives an unexpected welcome in this heartwarming and romantic debut
Fanis is at the center of a dwindling yet stubbornly proud community of Rum, Greek Orthodox Christians, who have lived in Istanbul for centuries.
When Daphne, the American-born niece of an old friend, arrives in the city in search of her roots, she is met with a hearty welcome. Fanis is smitten by the beautiful and aloof outsider, who, despite the age difference, reminds him of the fiancee he lost in the 1955 pogrom.
Kosmas, a master pastry chef on the lookout for a good Rum wife, also falls instantly for Daphne. She is intrigued by him, but can she love him in return? Or will a family secret, deeply rooted in the painful history of the city itself, threaten their chances?
This story of love, hopeful beginnings, and ancient traditions introduces a sparkling new literary voice sure to transport and entertain.
A GREAT GROUP READS SELECTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 RUNCIMAN AWARD
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD
An American-born traveler to one of Istanbul's oldest communities receives an unexpected welcome in this heartwarming and romantic debut
Fanis is at the center of a dwindling yet stubbornly proud community of Rum, Greek Orthodox Christians, who have lived in Istanbul for centuries.
When Daphne, the American-born niece of an old friend, arrives in the city in search of her roots, she is met with a hearty welcome. Fanis is smitten by the beautiful and aloof outsider, who, despite the age difference, reminds him of the fiancee he lost in the 1955 pogrom.
Kosmas, a master pastry chef on the lookout for a good Rum wife, also falls instantly for Daphne. She is intrigued by him, but can she love him in return? Or will a family secret, deeply rooted in the painful history of the city itself, threaten their chances?
This story of love, hopeful beginnings, and ancient traditions introduces a sparkling new literary voice sure to transport and entertain.
Nektaria Anastasiadou is the 2019 winner of the Zografeios Agon, a Greek-language literary award founded in 19th-century Constantinople. Her debut novel, A Recipe for Daphne, was shortlisted for the 2022 Runciman Award and longlisted for the 2022 Dublin Literary Award. It was also a finalist with an Honorable Mention in the 2022 Eric Hoffer Book Award and a 2021 Women’s National Book Association Great Group Read. Anastasiadou’s short stories have appeared in various literary journals, including The Markaz Review and the Greek magazine Hartis. She lives in Istanbul.
"A Recipe for Daphne sheds courageous light on the lives of the
Greek Orthodox Christian communities of Istanbul, including the
memory of the horrific 1955 pogrom."—Elif Shafak, The New York
Times
"A delicious debut . . . . In weaving together a delightful
present-day romantic drama with a more profound narrative about
reckoning with and making peace with the past, A Recipe for Daphne
proves deeply satisfying.” —The Washington Post
"An astonishing debut novel, extraordinarily accomplished."—Peter
Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads
"A meditation on identity and the scars of history. Through her
rich characters, the Rum people's painful history over the last
century also comes to light."—NPR's The World
"A unique work that re-imagines histories, inverts narratives and
engages in the subtleties of human identity, without ever losing
the lightness and gracefulness of its touch, or indeed the aroma of
the culinary delicacies it evokes, A Recipe For Daphne is a
ground-breaking, multifaceted novel that begs to be re-read
innumerable times."—Neos Kosmos
"Anastasiadou's skillful blending of the ghosts of the historical
past with the joys of living in present-day Istanbul sets this
novel apart from everything else that Greeks, Jews and others have
written about life in the erstwhile cosmopolitan port cities of the
Eastern Mediterranean." —Alexander Kitroeff, Pappas Post
“The pages of Anastasiadou’s novel shimmer with the romance of
Istanbul, and her vivid prose evokes its magical melange."—The
Markaz Review
"I read this charming, shrewd and enlightening first novel in two
compulsive sittings, fascinated by how an entirely different slice
of Istanbul opened up within the pages. A Recipe for Daphne is a
delight from start to finish."—Caroline Eden, author of Black
Sea
"Award winner Anastasiadou successfully blends romantic
machinations among a group of Greek Orthodox Christians in Istanbul
with a keen portrait of a community . . . Good reading for
all."—Library Journal
"Redemptive, powerful." —Chicago Review of Books
"A Recipe for Daphne is a delightful novel about finding home in
foreign places."—Foreword Reviews
"An extraordinary examination of identity and belonging."—Arab
News
"A delightful tale that combines the tragic secrets of the past
with hopes for the future."—Duvar English
"Charming"—AramcoWorld
"When I finished I immediately wanted to demand the sequel because
I missed Anastasiadou's endearing people, and her fascinating city,
so much."—Alison Jean Lester, author of Lilian on Life
"An exquisite novel set among the last remnants and proud carriers
of the ancient forgotten culture of Byzantium . . . Full of humor
and compassion, playfulness and fascinating insights." —Rana
Haddad, author of The Unexpected Love Objects of Dunya Noor
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