A Gentleman of Old Times: Ibnülemin Mahmud Kemâl Kemâlü'l-Kemâl

A Gentleman of Old Times: Ibnülemin Mahmud Kemâl Kemâlü'l-Kemâl

Hüseyin Vassaf's Kemâlü'l-Kemâl, written about his great biographer and friend Ibnülemin, is a significant work in many respects, a valuable monograph very well constructed around the person and the period. The book has six main sections: 1. His private life, 2. His religious life, 3. His scholarly life, 4. His literary life, 5. His social life, and finally 6. His political life. Some of the information about Ibnülemin's father, Mehmet Emin Pasha, and his brother, Ahmet Tevfik Bey, in the first section, was written directly by Ibnülemin himself. The author, who knew the family intimately, skillfully completes this picture. The valuable information provided about the Master's circle, upbringing, asceticism, library, archive, working style, antique items, and mansion are firsthand accounts that complete the portrait. In his religious life, Ibnülemin's connection to the Khalidi Naqshbandi order is quite prominent. The sections concerning Ibnülemin's official duties, his upbringing in the bureaucracy, and his administrative life also constitute an analysis of the period; they contain many important pieces of information, interpretations, and observations regarding institutions, individuals, and the forms of relationships in high-ranking state offices, the style of patronage, the methods of training officials, administrative techniques, human resources, and internal rivalries. In particular, the information about the three Grand Viziers of the time—Said Pasha, Cevat Pasha, Said Halim Pasha—as well as Ali Emiri and Mahmud Esad Seydişehri, is information that would be difficult to replace with other sources. There is no doubt that these sections emerged as a result of long and planned conversations between two friends. The book contains a wealth of material regarding the portrait of Ibn al-Min as a writer, artist, and cultural figure; his peculiarities, meticulousness, occasional quarrelsomeness, wit, mischievousness, gatherings, human relations, and lifestyle.

Series: Contemporary Turkish Thought

 Dimensions: 16.5 x 23.5 cm

 Number of Pages: 334

 ISBN: 978-975-995-297-6

 Publication Year: March 2009

 4th Edition - October 2017

 Prepared by: İsmail Kara, Fatih M. Şeker