[JAPAN THROUGH THE EYES OF FRENCH ORIENTALIST / OTTOMAN EDITION] Japonya seyahatnamesi [i.e., Travels to Japan]. Translator by M. Safvet

LOTI, [PIERRE] [LOUIS MARIE-JULIAN VIAUD], (1850-1923).

Matbaa-yi Ebüzziya, Istanbul, AH 1309 = [1892].

Contemporary brown half calf. 12mo. (14,5 x 10,5 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 4, 408, 4 p. Spine repaired with still lacking pieces, slight stains on pages. Overall, a good copy.

The first and only Ottoman Turkish edition of Loti's first-hand account of Japan. It includes his travel memoirs from 1885 when he sailed aboard the French frigate “Triomphante” and stayed in Nagasaki, followed by port calls in Kobe and Yokohama. This visit to Japan resulted in two works that once again hover between narrative and travelogue: "Madame Chrysanthème" (Madam Okiku) (1887) and "Japoneries d’Automne" (Autumn Japaneries) (1889).

From an early age, Pierre Loti had a longing for the sea and distant lands. In 1867, he joined the École navale (French Naval Academy) and spent the next 40 years of his life in the military. As a naval officer, he visited many countries around the world and wrote exotic novels and travelogues based on his experiences. In 1879, he published his first novel, "Aziyadé" (also known as "Constantinople"), followed by "Le Mariage de Loti" (1880) and "Le Roman d’un spahi" (1881).

Özege 9762., As of April 2024, only three institutional copies are located in OCLC: 14395552 (UCLA) & 1319426747 (Orient-Institut Istanbul).