In the 19th century, Sarajevo is home to both Muslims and Christians who coexist with mutual resentment towards the distant Ottoman rule. Omer Pasha Latas is the commander in chief of the Sultan’s armies, known as the seraskier. He arrives in Sarajevo from Istanbul, tasked with bringing the city’s landowners under control, which he accomplishes with his ruthless efficiency. However, his trip to Bosnia is also a moment of self-reflection for him. Born as a Serb in the Balkans and raised under Austro-Hungarian rule, he fled his father’s financial problems and converted to Islam. Despite leading a diverse army of individuals from Europe and Asia, Omer remains an outsider wherever he goes.
Omer Pasha Latas
Set in nineteenth-century, Omer Pasa Latas tells the story of a bright boy who escaped his father’s financial disgrace by running away and converting to Islam to eventually become the commander in chief of the Sultan’s armies.
Read deeper
Get a curated selection of best book news and recommendations in your inbox.
More from OVID
Have some more of OVID’s takes.
A few more books OVID says you should read
Affiliate Disclosure
When you buy something through one of the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Latest from OVID .
Jon Fosse wins the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable
The Norwegian writer and a favorite of OVID Jon Fosse has won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable.”
Among many of Fosse’s works, we at OVIDBLOGS love his A New Name: Septology VI-VII and recommed this hypnotic prose to readers over the world.
