Summary of The Life of Ismail Ferik Pasha
“The Life of Ismail Ferik Pasha” is a historical novel set in Crete and Egypt during Greece’s 19th-century war of independence against the Ottoman Empire. The novel follows the journey of a young Cretan boy who is captured by the Ottomans and transported to Egypt as a slave. He is forced to take over the religion and culture of his captors and becomes Ismail Ferik Pasha, the Minster of War for Ottoman Egypt. Nearly fifty years after his capture, he returns to Crete commanding 20.000 Egyptian troops to suppress the Cretan uprising of 1866. This rebellion is supported by his brother Antonios Papadakis, who was also taken prisoner, but escaped and became a prosperous Greek merchant and benefactor.
Reasons to read The Life of Ismail Ferik Pasha
“The Life of Ismail Ferik Pasha” is a short and engaging historical novel based on true events. It sheds light on a lesser-known chapter of Greek history through the life of an extraordinary historical figure. The protagonist’s internal conflict between his role as an Ottoman general and his allegiance to his native Crete, and his attempts to reconcile with his Greek brother, give the novel an interesting sense of suspense. Rhea Galanaki, a prominent contemporary Greek writer, has received many literary awards, including the Greek State Prize for Literature twice (for her novel “Eleni, or Nobody”, and for her short story “An Almost Blue Hand”). Her novel “The Life of Ismail Ferik Pasha” was the first Greek novel to be included in the Unesco Collection of Representative Works.
Setting: Greece (Crete, Lasithi) & Egypt
Original title: Ο βίος του Ισμαήλ Φερίκ Πασά
Year of publication: 1989
Nr of pages: 166
