An Englishwoman in Angora

The book opens with a candid foreword by an Englishwoman who, in early 1923, finds herself alone as the sole British visitor permitted inside the newly formed Republic of Turkey. She reflects on the shift from the British‑favoured empire of the past to a present where she must conceal her nationality, even posing as an American to move safely through Ankara’s streets. Through her observations she sketches the uneasy but hopeful atmosphere that follows the collapse of empire and the rise of Mustafa Kemal’s nationalist government.

Inside, she records daily encounters—conversations with police officers, meetings with Turkish officials, and the hospitality of ordinary citizens—painting a vivid picture of a society in transition. Her narrative mixes personal longing with thoughtful critique of the recent war, the British‑Greek entanglements, and the emerging Turkish identity. Listeners will be drawn into a nuanced travel memoir that balances historical insight with the intimate voice of a woman navigating a once‑foreign world now on the brink of modernity.