The intense autobiography of a cosmopolitan Jew born in Istanbul at the beginning of the 20th century, a time when people from all over the world were converging upon the city, enticed by the allure and diversity of its cultural milieu. The flavour and perfume of this vibrant metropolis pervades the account of his lively youth during which he was educated at local German and English schools.
He went on to travel throughout Europe during the 1920s settling in Vienna and later in Italy. With the advent of World War II,
Victor moved to London and was engaged by the British Intelligence Corps, where his undercover work took him back again to Istanbul and also to Cairo. The contrasts of these years of espionage and his fulfilling familial life as an antiques dealer in Milan are recounted in this engaging memoir in which the author's broad-minded and cultivated humanity radiates through every page.
The intense autobiography of a cosmopolitan Jew born in Istanbul at the beginning of the 20th century, a time when people from all over the world were converging upon the city, enticed by the allure and diversity of its cultural milieu. The flavour and perfume of this vibrant metropolis pervades the account of his lively youth during which he was educated at local German and English schools.
He went on to travel throughout Europe during the 1920s settling in Vienna and later in Italy. With the advent of World War II,
Victor moved to London and was engaged by the British Intelligence Corps, where his undercover work took him back again to Istanbul and also to Cairo. The contrasts of these years of espionage and his fulfilling familial life as an antiques dealer in Milan are recounted in this engaging memoir in which the author's broad-minded and cultivated humanity radiates through every page.