Erdoğan: A Graphic Biography: The Rise of Turkey's Modern Autocrat

Description

Winner, 2022 Atomium Comic Strip Prize A comprehensive graphic biography of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the authoritarian president of Turkey. One of the world&rsquo;s most divisive and controversial leaders, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has ruled over Turkey as either prime minister or president since 2003. This graphic biography sheds light on the origins of Turkey&rsquo;s most powerful man, from his youth as a budding soccer player to his years spent navigating Turkey&rsquo;s political landscape, including the founding of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001. Author Can D&uuml;ndar, a Turkish journalist and contributor to the Washington Post now living in exile in Germany, spent several years researching this book. Situated at the crossroads between Europe and Asia with a population of 84 million, Turkey is a growing economic powerhouse with a geopolitically strategic location. As its leader, the Islamic, conservative Erdoğan has had a polarizing effect on the country&rsquo;s populace; some applaud his economic and political reforms, while others decry his autocratic, iron-fisted rule which has included the jailing of opponents, the crushing of free speech and the rights of LGBTQ+ people and others, and an ongoing war waged against the country&rsquo;s Kurdish minority. Featuring compelling illustrations by Egyptian-Sudanese comic artist Anwar, the book provides a critical and dramatic context for understanding Erdoğan&rsquo;s convictions and contradictions as a demagogue for whom democracy has been merely a means to power. </p>

Tags