E514 | Osman of Timișoara was a Muslim subject of the Ottoman Empire born during the late 17th century in modern-day Romania. As a young man serving in the Ottoman military, he was captured by the Habsburg army. He would spend more than a decade as a captive in Austria. Many people of his time had similar stories. What made Osman special was that he left behind a rare autobiographical account of his experiences and exploits. In our conversation with Giancarlo Casale about his translation of Osman’s memoir entitled Prisoner of the Infidels, we’ll explore the similarities among experiences of enslavement in the Ottoman and Habsburg lands and learn how Osman positioned himself as a linguistic and later diplomatic go-between. And through the life of Osman, his account of his own efforts to return to the Ottoman Empire, and the momentous events he witnessed, we will reflect on his autobiography as a work of literature and the messages contained within it.
More at https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2021/11/casale.html
Giancarlo Casale is Professor of Early Modern Mediterranean History at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, as well as a permanent member of the history faculty at the University of Minnesota.
Brittany White is a graduate student in the Department of History at the University of Virginia. Broadly, she is interested in the African Diaspora in former Ottoman territories.
CREDITS
Episode No. 514
Release Date: 18 November 2021
Recording Location: Minneapolis, MN / Charlottesville, VA
Sound production by Chris Gratien
Music: Aitua; A.A. Aalto; Chad Crouch
Bibliography courtesy of Giancarlo Casale available at https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2021/11/casale.html
