Ece Temelkuran is an award-winning Turkish novelist and political commentator, whose journalism has appeared in the Guardian, New York Times, New Statesman, Frankfurter Allgemeine and Der Spiegel. She won the Edinburgh International Book Festival First Book award for her novel Women Who Blow on Knots, and the Ambassador of New Europe Award. She has been twice recognised as Turkey's most-read political columnist, and twice rated as one of the ten most influential people in social media (with three million twitter followers).
'Temelkuran, a treasure of a novelist, turns a nonfiction eye to the burning topic of today: populism. Vivid, visionary, terrifyingly familiar, How To Lose A Country is essential reading for everyone on planet Earth' Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Less 'This is a keenly observed and passionately written book. Read it or be prepared to lose your country' Rabih Alameddine 'The opponents of authoritarian populist and nationalist regimes have often failed to foresee or effectively resist their rise until it was too late. This highly informed and original book is essential reading for anybody who wants to understand the forces that are convulsing our world' Patrick Cockburn, author of Rise of the Islamic State 'Never was a book so necessary and urgent. A brilliant expose of the rise of right wing populism and how we challenge it' Michael (Lord) Cashman 'Ece Temelkuran is a passionate authentic voice whose fearless stand against authoritarian incursion is inspiring. She writes with an urgent conviction that has never been more important than now' Tina Brown 'An important, current and, most importantly, very readable book about the populist playbook and how it threatens to engulf us all' Rick O'Shea 'In the tradition of Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism, Ece Temelkuran exquisitely dissects the origins of authoritarian populism, using the bitterly learned lessons of Turkey to warn England and America. Not stopping at critique, she offers defiant visions of how demagogues might be fought. A poetic, vital, harsh and ultimately hopeful book' Molly Crabapple, author of Drawing Blood and Brothers of the Gun 'A stunning, sane and intimate chronicle of a world gone nuts. An urgent whisper in our ears about our modern dictators and their collaborators. Ece has looked them in the eye, and is now telling us we need talk' Mohammed Hanif