Ates Orga – författare

This is a series of biographies of great composers which present the subjects against a social background of their times. Each book draws on personal letters and recollections, engravings, paintings - and - where they exist - photographs, to build up a complete picture of the composer's life.

This new biography is a fascinating account of the period in which Chopin lived, and the way in which the political scene helped shape his music. The important people and places in the composer''s life are brought vividly to life by the use of contemporary engraving, paintings and lithographs. The author has made extensive use of contemporary accounts, letters and notebooks, and reproduces little known caricatures drawn by Chopin. This is an ideal book for the music lover who has no specialist knowledge. At the same time it will prove a valuable source of original material for students and professionals looking for fresh insights into Chopin''s music.

Istanbul, capital of two great empires, confluence of Asia and Europe, has called forth poetry throughout her long history, from paupers and sultans, natives and visitors alike. When Mehmed the Conqueror first wandered through the ruins of the Byzantine palace, it was with the words of the Persian poet Ferdowsi on his lips: "The spider spins his web in the Palace of the Caesars/An owl hoots in the towers of Afrasiyab". Since then the silhouette of thousand-year-old domes and tapering minarets, the sunsets reflected nightly in a thousand palace windows and the bustle of her markets have inspired Sultan Suleyman, W B Yeats and Nazim Hikmet, amongst others, to salute one of the world's most remarkable cities.