Atatürk biographer Andrew Mango dies

ISTANBUL

Mango is best known for his works on Atatürk, including the book “Atatürk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey” (1999), which is widely heralded as one of the most important works on the country’s founder and first president. DHA Photo

British author Andrew Mango, who is well-known for his works on Turkey and the Turkish Republic’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, has died at the age of 88.

British Ambassador to Turkey Richard Moore confirmed the death on his Twitter account. “Sad to hear of the death last night of the great Andrew Mango, biographer of Ataturk and UK doyen of Turkish studies,” Moore tweeted. “He was enormously kind to me earlier in my career. We will all miss his erudition and humanity.”

Mango is best known for his works on Atatürk, including the book “Atatürk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey” (1999), which is widely heralded as one of the most important works on the country’s founder and first president.

Born in 1926 Istanbul to an Anglo-Russian family, Mango moved to Ankara in his early twenties to work as a press officer at the British Embassy. He moved to the United Kingdom in 1947, but continued to work on Turkey. He joined the BBC in London and worked there until his retirement in 1986.

His other books include “Turkey” (1968), “Discovering Turkey” (1971), “Turkey: The Challenge of a New Role” (1994), “The Turks Today” (2004), “Turkey and the War on Terrorism” (2005) and “From the Sultan to Atatürk – Turkey” (2009).