12 h 5 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 12 h 5 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A city rises from the sea, then draws you into steep lanes, vast mosques and crowded bazaars.
In Constantinople, French poet and critic Théophile Gautier explores the Ottoman capital, now called Istanbul. His journey begins on the water, where the city first appears to him as a picture. Ashore, he walks through Galata and Pera, taking in rough paving, crowded boats and porters carrying astonishing loads. He comes not as a diplomat or scholar, but with a painter's eye.
Gautier moves from Hagia Sophia to the covered bazaar, where lanes and vaulted halls give each trade its place. He watches the sultan's procession to Friday prayer and rides on the Bosphorus. Along the way, dogs, coffee, costumes and crowds catch his sharp, often funny attention. His account offers a poet's impressions rather than a strict history.
What you’ll discover
- A city approached by sea See how the arrival by water shapes Gautier's first view of the Ottoman capital.
- Life in the steep lanes Follow his walks through Galata and Pera, among merchants, porters and crowded boats.
- Mosques and public ceremony Explore Hagia Sophia and watch soldiers, officials and richly harnessed horses gather for Friday prayer.
- The bazaar's vivid maze Enter covered lanes and vaulted halls where Gautier's love of color finds its fullest expression.
- Quiet beyond the crowds Cross to Scutari, where cypress trees and leaning tombstones offer a quieter scene.
Who will love it
For readers who love cities, vivid description and nineteenth-century travel writing, and anyone planning a visit to Istanbul. Gautier’s walks, mosque visits, bazaars and boat rides offer a poet’s view of the Ottoman capital.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The city rises from the sea
- The streets are a daily show
- The mosques are the heart of the city
- The bazaars turn trade into theater
- Ceremonies and dervishes draw him in
- Cemeteries, water and a poet's view
Formats and delivery
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- Audiobook
- 12 h 5 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Constantinople
by Théophile Gautier · 1853
Gautier arrives by sea and explores the Ottoman capital, capturing its mosques, bazaars and waterfronts in color.
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In short
Constantinople is a travel book by the French poet and critic Théophile Gautier. He visited the Ottoman capital in 1852 and wrote up his weeks there for French readers.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The city rises from the sea
Gautier reaches Constantinople by water, and the book makes much of that approach. For him the city is first of all a picture. Domes, slender minarets, cypress trees and wooden houses climb the hills above the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. He compares the sight to a theater set, and he is almost afraid it will fall apart when he steps ashore.
He is a writer trained among painters, and he reads a view the way an artist reads a canvas. He notes the color of the water, the haze of morning, the gleam of lead roofs and gilded tips. Light matters more to him than facts. He says again and again that words are poor tools beside a brush, and then he uses them with great skill anyway.
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What is Constantinople by Théophile Gautier about?
It is an account of Gautier's visit to the Ottoman capital in 1852. He describes its streets, mosques, bazaars, ceremonies, cemeteries and the Bosphorus, always with a painter's eye for color and light.
Is Gautier's Constantinople a true story?
Yes. It is a travel narrative based on his own trip to the city in 1852. Like many travel books, it is shaped by his personal taste and by the Romantic style.
Is Constantinople the same as Istanbul?
Yes. The city has been called Istanbul in everyday use for a long time, and the name became official in the twentieth century. Gautier used the name Constantinople, as did most Europeans of his day.
The author
Théophile Gautier
1811–1872 · French poet and novelist
Théophile Gautier (1811–1872) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, journalist, and critic. He was born in Tarbes and grew up in Paris. His works include the novel Mademoiselle de Maupin (1835), the poetry collection Émaux et Camées (1852), and the travel book Constantinople (1853). He died in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
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