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Birds Without Wings

  • Louis de Bernières

4.33

6 ratings

Birds Without Wings is a novel by Louis de Bernières, written in 2004. Narrated by various characters, it tells the tragic love story of Philothei and Ibrahim. It also chronicles the rise of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the 'Father of the Turkish Nation'. The overarching theme of the story covers the impact of religious intolerance, over-zealous nationalism, and the war that often results. The characters are unwittingly caught up in historical tides outside of their control.

The book's title is taken from a saying by one of the characters, Iskander the Potter, "Man is a bird without wings, and a bird is a man without sorrows." The book includes a vivid and detailed description of the horrors of life in the trenches during World War I. Some of the characters are also present in the author's earlier novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

Genres

  • Historical Fiction
  • Historical Romance
  • History
  • Social conditions
  • Fiction
  • Fathers and sons
  • Relations
  • Christianity
  • Soldiers
  • City and town life
  • Islam
  • interfaith relations
  • World War, 1914-1918 in fiction
  • Fathers and sons in fiction
  • City and town life in fiction
  • Islam in fiction
  • Turkey in fiction
  • Soldiers in fiction
  • World War, 1914-1918 -- Turkey -- Fiction.
  • World War, 1914-1918
  • Large type books
  • Fiction, historical
  • Fiction, religious
  • Fiction, war & military
  • Fathers and sons, fiction
  • World war, 1914-1918, fiction
  • Turkey, fiction
  • Fiction, historical, general
  • Romans, nouvelles
  • Christianisme
  • Vie urbaine
  • Pères et fils
  • Bevölkerung
  • Feindschaft
  • Griechisch-Türkischer Krieg
  • Kleinstadt
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About the author

  • Louis de Bernières

    born 1954

    4.39

    28 ratings · 42 works

Editions

  • Edition cover

    2. Auflage

    Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag

    2006-06

  • Edition cover

    [1. Auflage]

    Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag

    2006-06

  • Edition cover

    Altin Kitaplar, Altn Kitaplar

    Nov 03, 2007

  • Edition cover

    printing (18)

    Vintage Books

    2009?

Edition cover

Tweede druk

De Arbeiderspers

2004-10

  • Edition cover

    printing (15)

    Vintage Books

    2016?

  • Edition cover

    S. Fischer

    2005

  • Edition cover

    Mercure de France

    Feb 21, 2006

  • Edition cover

    Vintage Canada Edition

    Vintage Canada

    2005

  • Edition cover

    printing (1)

    Secker & Warburg

    2004

  • Edition cover

    1st Vintage International ed.

    Vintage International

    2005

  • Edition cover

    Vintage Canada ed.

    Vintage Canada

    2005

  • Edition cover

    1st ed. (2)

    A.A. Knopf Canada

    2004

  • Edition cover

    1st large print ed. (1)

    Random House Large Print

    2004

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    1st American ed.

    Alfred A. Knopf

    2004

  • Edition cover

    Penguin Random House

    2014

  • Edition cover

    Penguin Random House

    2011

  • Edition cover

    Penguin Random House

    2004

  • Edition cover

    Penguin Random House

    2004

  • Edition cover

    Penguin Random House

    2005

  • Edition cover

    Penguin Random House

    2014

  • Edition cover

    Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

    2007

  • Edition cover

    Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

    2005

  • Edition cover

    Grijalbo Mondadori Sa

    April 2006

  • Edition cover

    Secker & Warburg

    2004

  • Edition cover

    Random House Audiobooks

    2004