THE DARK ANGEL
by Mika Waltari
Johannes Angelos, WSOY, 1952, 453pp
In the spring of 1453, Constantinople, the last city of the Greek church is writhing in death-agony. The nights are hideous with bloodshed and lurking violence, each day brings some new stratagem of assault, to weaken the ramparts and their defenders until the death-dealing wave of janissaries shall sweep over them.
Among the generals and leaders moves Johannes Angelos, suspected and admired by them all; a man who has wandered far and known much, and twice encountered the Dark Angel of Death, his own image.
Constantinople possesses his heart; he knows that he must stay in this city even in its sack and pillage. Amid the decay and vice of collapsing civilisation, there comes to him Anna, of beauty to match her pride and wild valour to outmatch both. In her love he is to know as much torment as rapture.
Inspired by the real diary of Niccolò Barbaro, The Dark Angel is written in the form of a diary. This form allowed Waltari to describe the events unfolding in a complex and enigmatic manner.
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Materials available: Finnish edition, the US edition
Praise for THE DARK ANGEL:
“The events John Angelos is recording are those of the siege and capture of Constantinople by the Osmanli Sultan, Mohammed II. The time span is from 12 December 1452 – 30 May 1453. Packed into this period of less than six months are some of the most dramatic and historically significant events of medieval Christendom. Mr. Waltari, as a novelist, knows how to wring out of them, with embellishments, every ounce of human drama.”
“Written in the aftermath of World War II, The Dark Angel is a monumental fresco of the decline of an era. ”
is the most popular 20th century Finnish writer who is best known for his magnum opus The Egyptian. Over a career that spanned five decades, Waltari published well over 100 works, of which 200 translations have been made. His works include at least 30 novels, 20 plays and 15 novellas, as well as short stories, poems, screenplays and essays. In 1957 he was appointed to the Academy of Finland, having previously won the state literature award five times. Waltari’s works have been translated into over 40 languages.
Author photo © Suomi Filmin taidekuvaamo / WSOY
