English-language biography of Atatürk’s wife Latife hits shelves

ISTANBUL

Latife Hanım stands with Atatürk. Her biography, ‘Madam Atatürk,’ written by İpek Çalışlar, is now available in English.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is hailed as one of the most charismatic political leaders of the 20th century, but little is known today about his one and only wife, Latife Hanım.

English readers, however, will now have a better chance to learn about the famous figure following the translation of İpek Çalışlar’s biography, titled “Madam Atatürk.” The book is also available as an e-book on Amazon. 

Translated by Feyza Howell, it was previously translated into Arabic, Bulgarian, Tamil, Albanian and German.

A multilingual intellectual educated at the Sorbonne, Latife’s marriage to Atatürk in 1923 set her apart from her contemporaries, raising her to the pinnacle of political power. She played a central role in the creation of a modern and secular Turkey and campaigned tirelessly for women’s right to vote.

Throughout her marriage, Latife stood beside her husband and acted as his interpreter, promoter and diplomatic aide. However, after only two years of marriage, Atatürk divorced Latife and she soon disappeared from public life.

She was shunned, blamed for the failure of the marriage and portrayed as a sharp-tongued, quarrelsome woman who had strained Atatürk’s nerves. Latife spent the rest of her life in seclusion.

In the first biography written on Latife Hanım, Çalışlar recounts the life of an exceptional and courageous woman, who lived through a remarkable period in Turkish history.