Pierre Loti is the Best view point of the golden horn I A Lover of ISTANBUL: PIERRE LOTİ ( Part I )

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We made this video during holiday on August 2022.

Julien Viaud, the French author who is also known as Pierre Loti (1850-1923), was a traveler who was in love with Istanbul. From Japan to Senegal, India to China, USA to Iran, Loti, a marine officer, traveled around the world. He was introduced to the Ottoman realms for the first time when he visited İzmir in 1870, Six years later, in 1876, he reached a turning point in his life: he arrived in the capital of the Ottoman State. He was on a mission on Le Gladiateur, the patrol ship of the French Embassy. After this time, Istanbul became an inseparable part of Loti’s life. Between 1876 and 1919, Loti went to Istanbul many times, simply because he fell in love with this fascinating city. His first encounter with the city was in Beyoğlu, and over time this relationship became a way of life experience, taking place between Bosphorus and Eyüp. Due to this life he was able to observe the Ottoman people, the Muslim lifestyle, the daily life of people, the politics and economics of the time. All of those observations and memories gave fruit to two novels: Aziyadé (1879), a love story between Istanbul and Thessaloniki, and Les Desenchantées (1906), a book about harem life and women whose freedom was restricted in the Ottoman State. La Turquie Agonisante (1913) was a criticism of the political attitudes of Western countries towards the Ottoman State during the Balkan Wars. In the work Suprèmes Visions d’Orient (1921), Loti defended Turkey’s rights against European countries.

A traveler cannot help but remain a foreigner to cities that fascinate them; they are an observer from outside and remain a guest. If they want to observe from within, they need to enter inside that particular city. This is the point that makes Pierre Loti different from Gérard de Nerval, Théophile Gautier (other travelers and lovers of Istanbul). Loti learnt how to be a local in a society to which he was a stranger, and because of this he partly managed to blend in life in Istanbul. He did not just get to know the cosmopolitan life of Istanbul, but also had local friendships. Loti ceased to be a stranger as he became well-acquainted with deep-rooted social relationships and neighborhoods with different characteristics. With all of these efforts, Loti managed not to be just a “stranger” in Istanbul. He was a marine officer on duty, yet frequently he wore a fez, as well as the regular clothes of Istanbul’s ordinary people, and wandered around the city. He loved to live in Eyüp, smoke water pipes in Beyazıt-Süleymaniye and socialize not just with the upper class, but also with the middle class. He wanted to get to know all the people, and thus he learned Turkish.

Julien Viaud, penulis Prancis yang juga dikenal sebagai Pierre Loti (1850-1923), adalah seorang musafir yang jatuh cinta dengan Istanbul. Dari Jepang ke Senegal, India ke Cina, AS ke Iran, Loti, seorang perwira angkatan laut, berkeliling dunia. Dia diperkenalkan ke kerajaan Ottoman untuk pertama kalinya ketika dia mengunjungi İzmir pada tahun 1870. Enam tahun kemudian, pada tahun 1876, dia mencapai titik balik dalam hidupnya: dia tiba di ibu kota Negara Ottoman. Dia sedang dalam misi di Le Gladiateur, kapal patroli Kedutaan Besar Prancis. Setelah itu, Istanbul menjadi bagian tak terpisahkan dari kehidupan Loti. Antara tahun 1876 dan 1919, Loti pergi ke Istanbul berkali-kali, hanya karena dia jatuh cinta pada kota yang menakjubkan ini. Pertemuan pertamanya dengan kota itu terjadi di Beyoğlu, dan seiring waktu hubungan ini menjadi pengalaman hidup, terjadi antara Bosphorus dan Eyüp. Karena kehidupan ini ia dapat mengamati orang-orang Ottoman, gaya hidup Muslim, kehidupan sehari-hari masyarakat, politik dan ekonomi saat itu. Semua pengamatan dan ingatan itu membuahkan dua novel: Aziyadé (1879), sebuah kisah cinta antara Istanbul dan Thessaloniki, dan Les Desenchantées (1906), sebuah buku tentang kehidupan harem dan wanita yang kebebasannya dibatasi di Negara Ottoman. La Turquie Agonisante (1913) adalah sebuah kritik terhadap sikap politik negara-negara Barat terhadap Negara Utsmaniyah selama Perang Balkan. Dalam karya Suprèmes Visions d'Orient (1921), Loti membela hak Turki melawan negara-negara Eropa.

Seorang musafir tidak bisa tidak tetap menjadi orang asing di kota-kota yang mempesona mereka; mereka adalah pengamat dari luar dan tetap menjadi tamu. Jika mereka ingin mengamati dari dalam, mereka harus masuk ke dalam kota itu. Inilah poin yang membuat Pierre Loti berbeda dengan Gérard de Nerval, Théophile Gautier (pelancong dan pecinta Istanbul lainnya). Loti belajar bagaimana menjadi orang lokal dalam masyarakat di mana dia adalah orang asing, dan karena itu dia sebagian berhasil berbaur dengan kehidupan di Istanbul. Menarik bukan, jangan lupa ikutin kisah berikutnya di Part 2 ya guys, SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, COMMENT , SHARE dan aktifkan bell notifcationnya jadi bisa liat terus video kita. Makasih dan enjoy!