The Last Apartment in Istanbul
Türkiye Greece

The Last Apartment in Istanbul

by Defne Suman

Identity & Belonging Historical Fiction Literary Fiction 2022

Summary

Pericles Drakos has lived his entire seventy-five years in Istanbul’s elegant Circle Building, watching the city transform around him. Once home to a thriving, multicultural community, his neighbourhood has gradually changed, its old inhabitants pushed aside by political tensions and gentrification. When the COVID-19 pandemic deepens his isolation, Pericles finds an unexpected connection with Leyla, a younger woman who moves into the building and happens to be a writer.

Drawn to Leyla, Pericles begins writing down the story of his life—not the version others remember, but the complicated truth of the man he once was. Through memories of love, jealousy, betrayal, and loss, he revisits the experiences of a Greek man living in Turkey, where political oppression and hostility have shaped both his personal history and his sense of belonging.

Spanning decades of Istanbul’s turbulent history, The Last Apartment in Istanbul is a poignant exploration of memory, identity, and the fragile coexistence of different communities. Defne Suman brings to life a city where private lives are inseparable from public history, asking what remains of a person when the world they knew disappears.

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About the author
Defne Suman
Defne Suman

Defne Suman is a Turkish novelist and essayist born in Istanbul and raised on Büyükada, an island near the city. She studied sociology at Boğaziçi University, earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. After leaving academia, she travelled extensively, volunteered in Thailand and Laos, and studied yoga and Eastern philosophy before dedicating herself to writing. Suman’s fiction explores the hidden layers of Turkish and Ottoman history, focusing on family secrets, cultural identity, exile, and the experiences of marginalised communities. Her novels often examine how political upheaval shapes private lives and how memories are passed between generations. Her notable works include The Silence of Scheherazade, At the Breakfast Table, and The Last Apartment in Istanbul. Her books have been translated into more than 30 languages. She is currently based in Athens and maintains close ties to Istanbul.

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Details
Published
2022
Author
Defne Suman