Ottoman Historians
Volume 4 of the series “Osmanische Geschichtsschreiber” can now be found in our open access repository MENAdoc. The full title is: “Der Gefangene der Giauren: die abenteuerlichen Schicksale des Dolmetschers ‘Osman Ağa aus Temeschwar, von ihm selbst erzählt”(1).
The book was published in 1962 and translated, introduced and explained by Richard Franz Kreutel and Otto Spies.
Extract from the Cover Text
“Self-biographies belong to the rarities of Ottoman literature. The memoirs of the interpreter ‘Osman Ağa have a special significance among them. They present an extraordinarily vivid picture of the culture and customs of the hard-fought area between Vienna and Timisoara from 1688 to 1717 (conquest of Belgrade by Prince Eugene). […]”
1) The prisoner of the Giaurs: the adventurous fates of the interpreter ‘Osman Ağa from Timisoara, told by himself