A Book on the 150 Greek Newspapers of Istanbul

A book about the 150 Greek newspapers that have been published through the ages in Istanbul is to be presented at the Consulate of Greece in the Turkish city.

Researcher Stratis Tarinas wrote the book “The Nature of Constantinople”, in which he tells the story of the 150 or so newspapers that catered to the Greeks of Instanbul through time. Today, there are only two Greek language newspapers published in Istanbul, Apoyevmatini (Evening Gazzette) and Echo of Polis (Echo of Constaninople).

According to a Kathimerini newspaper report, the book presentation at the Consulate of Greece in Istanbul will take place in January.

“Our goal is to highlight the rich and diverse heritage of the Greek press in Polis over time,” the head of the Press Office of the Consul, Giorgos Angeletopoulos, told Kathimerini. “It’s an amazing wealth of newspapers and variety of content. Starting from the “Ottoman Monitor” and “Bosporus Telegraph” and reaching today’s Apoyevmatini and Echo, one can find, among others, newspapers about politics, female issues, satire, socialist views and religious newspapers,” Angeletopoulos added.

“Newspapers played a very important role in the intellectual development of Greeks, increasing their awareness of the position they held within the Ottoman Empire, improving oral and written language, helping them adopt the reformation currents coming from the West, stimulating social consciousness of citizens, helping in forming groups that would strengthen the Ecumenical Patriarchate, improving education, helping establishing Spiritual and Educational institutions, etc.,” Tarinas told Kathimerini.