The Rumi Forum presented “Yes, I Would Love another Cup of Tea: An American Woman’s Letters to Turkey” by Katharine Branning
About the Book:
Yes, I Would… comprises a series of imaginary letters written to Lady Mary Montagu, whose famous Embassy Letters were written in 1716-1718 during her stay in Turkey as the wife of the English ambassador. The author uses themes dear to Lady Mary, such as culture, art, religion, women and daily life, to reflect on those same topics as encountered during the author’s past 30 years of travel in Turkey.
Event Summary:
Ms. Branning begins to talk about why she wrote her book, Yes, I Would Love another Cup of Tea: An American Woman’s Letters to Turkey and that she has been doing research in Turkey of the Seljuk era for over thirty years, which is how she became so knowledgeable of the culture.She also discusses how she was inspired by Lady Mary Montagu’s Embassy Letters that she wrote during her stay in Turkey in the 1700s. Branning states that “[t]he reason why they’ve [Lady Montagu’s letters] always impressed me…is because she was a very wonderful writer…she was very non-judgemental. She was an ethnographer in the greatest sense.”
By answering the letters of Lady Montagu, Branning is able to compare and contrast early 18th century Turkey and the Turkey we know today in the most personal and interesting way. According to the author, “Turkish culture has remained solid in many of the core values in that society. Many of the core components of the culture are still the same.”
Much of the interview involved Branning discussing the themes found in Lady Montagu’s letters about Turkey as well as their impact on the world. In fact, Lady Montagu’s letters sparked an art period of orientalism in the Western World because so many artists were inspired by her writings about Turkey.
The interview ends with questions from the audience and Branning affirming that Turkey’s tolerance and acceptance of others is an example that all countries should follow and she believes that one day it will lead Turkey into becoming a world leader.
Bio:
Katharine Branning has degrees from the University of Paris, Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre, where she majored in Islamic arts, with a specialty in Islamic glass. A graduate of the Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science, she has been a librarian at the French Institute of Architecture in Paris, France, at the French Embassy Cultural Services and the Alliance Française in New York City. For her work promoting the French language and culture through the creation of numerous libraries in both France and the United States, she has been awarded the Ordre national du Mérite from the President of France, one of the nation’s highest honors.
She has studied the Turkish language and literature at the Institute of Langues Orientales in Paris and with Prof. Talat S. Halman at New York University. As an independent researcher and glass artist, she has conducted annual field work relative to architecture and decorative arts in Turkey every year since 1978.
She currently lives in New York, where she is Vice President of Education at the French Institute Alliance Française.
*Copies of Ms. Branning’s book, “Yes, I Would Love another Cup of Tea: An American Woman’s Letters to Turkey”, will be available for purchase and signing following the talk.