In 2003, when the shockwaves of 9/11 still echoed through the US and the country was fighting two wars in Muslim countries, Matt Krause met a beautiful Turkish woman on an airplane and decided to follow her to Turkey. This is the story of what happened there.
Matt figured adjusting to life in Turkey would entail some challenges, and he certainly wasn't disappointed. He survived bomb attacks, lost his cool around beggar kids, drove a jewelry business into the ground, and got into fistfights over parking. Along the way though, he saw beauty in ruins older than the Roman Empire, was wowed by tales of Bulgarian freedom fighters, tried not to hit cows in the road, and drank plenty of peach-flavored Lipton iced tea.
Scenes take place in locations known and loved by those familiar with Istanbul and Turkey: Taksim, Istiklal, the Kapali Carsi (Covered Bazaar), the Rumeli Hisari, Kusadasi, Ephesus, and more.
A Tight Wide-open Space is the story of falling in love not only with a woman, but with a city and a country.
Turkey's English-language daily newspaper Today's Zaman calls the book "an immensely readable and pleasing account of five years in Turkey."
Adventures in Expat Land says the book "stays with you, lingering in your subconscious. It's akin to overhearing someone half-singing, half-whispering a dreamy, jazzy ballad to their beloved."
About the Author:
Matt's writing career stretches back to a letter he wrote in the fourth grade to President Ronald Reagan.
It is appalling that a 9-year old kid would speak to the Leader of the Free World as boldly and as presumptuously as Matt did in that letter.
In fact, if someone spoke to Matt now in the same tone he himself used with the President 30 years ago, Matt would slap that guy in the face. The US and the Soviet Union never came to nuclear blows though, so that letter must have done some good.
After single-handedly saving the world from nuclear destruction, Matt taught English in China, imported kitchenware into the US, and screwed down payroll for a national apparel retailer. Along the way, Matt has never stopped writing. He has written for the Hurriyet Daily News and Today's Zaman newspapers in Turkey, and he blogs at mattkrause.com.
By the way, he has never forgotten his college-era dream of walking from Cork, Ireland, to Ho Chi Minh City, but he should probably get that done before he is 70 and needs hip replacement surgery.
