Case Of Cem [TRADE PAPER ]

It’s 1481, and as seen from the centers of power in Rome and Venice, the cultures of Europe are under threat from the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. When the exalted Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror dies his eldest son, Bayezid, takes the throne. However, discontented factions within the Ottoman army urge Mehmed’s second son, Cem, a well-educated and experienced warrior, to oppose his brother’s ascension, setting off a ruthless power struggle and forcing Cem into long years of exile, a pawn for European powers that are struggling to maintain the order they have imposed on the continent over the course of centuries.

The Case of Cem, Vera Mutafchieva’s sprawling novel of court intrigue, maintains lasting resonance for being a personal exploration of emigration and loss as told through the historical era during which the politics of the East and West were sketched out with utter clarity. These early lines of demarcation, as voiced through Christian and Muslim emissaries, power hungry rulers, unflinching warriors, and poets, have indelibly influenced the word as we know it today.The Case of Cemis one of ten finalists for Republic of Consciousness Prize, as selected by a jury of independent booksellers.

"A brilliant and polyphonic novel in which each chapter offers a new point of view, adds a new dimension. A story told through the voices of the living and the dead. A novel that today sounds very topical in the context of contemporary writing and the European East.” —Georgi Gospodinov, Author ofTime Shelter, winner of the International Booker Prize 2023

"For reminding me how wild the novel form can be: dear publishers, translate more experimental Communist-era women writers, please!"—Kevin Brazil's list of Best Books of 2024,Granta

"The Case of Cemnarrates a nuanced vision of history along with a queer sub-plot that manló4