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The Fall of Constantinople
has sold over half a million copies in Japan, where the author,
Nanami Shiono, is a household name in popular history. Currently
residing in Rome, Shiono stands out as a flamboyant citizen of
the world, taking on such subjects as the collapse of the Byzantine
Empire (The Fall of Constantinople) and a 15-volume history
of the Roman Empire (Tale of the Romans) with superior
narrative and historical acuity. She has been described as a “masculine
writer” and “creative historian” comparable
to Stephen Ambrose and Ken Burns in scope, depth and popularity.
The story of an empire begins
the way history always does – with the end. Through the
eyes of a Venetian doctor, Genoan monks, Greek sailors and love-lorn
assistants, we witness the battle of two monarchs – Sultan
Mehmed the Second, despotic leader of the Ottoman Empire, and
Emperor Constantine, revered as much as he was feared. |
“Reading
Nanami Shiono’s historical tales is like uncovering brilliant
stories in an ancient scroll.”
–Gendai Weekly
“With
extreme literary prowess and a major subject, Shiono vividly recalls
a historically unique battle of empires.”
–East Asian Economy Weekly
“Shiono
has a talent for weaving the thoughts of diverse
characters into a credible narrative [and] depict[ing],
in elegant prose, the decisive moments of the battle...
A well-paced and entertaining insight into
the fall of a city and the various political and
religious forces that contributed to its decline.”
––The International Herald Tribune |
