Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali

“What we crave from others far more than money or material assistance is love and attention.” ~ page 155

Teeny Tiny Review

I have just finished reading “MADONNA IN A FUR COAT” by Sabahattin Ali, and WoW, what a masterpiece. Written by a Turkish dissident who was murdered in 1948. This short, partly autobiographical novel follows a Turkish man (Raif) who falls in love with an artist (Maria) while living in Berlin in the 1920s. A love story that doesn’t try to impress. It simply tries to be true.

My Favourite Quotes

“… why do we assume that it is the easiest thing in the world to know and judge another?” ~ page 31

“There was nothing extraordinary about the way she played the violin, but her voice was even more beautiful than she was.” ~ page 68

"Never before had I felt such happiness. I could feel my heart opening, as if for the first time. How was it that a person could bring such happiness to another without really doing anything at all? ~ Page 70

“That night I came to understand how it was possible to be more attached to another person than to life itself. And that night I also came to understand how hollow life would be without her. As hollow as a walnut shell, tossed by the winds.” ~ page 130

“All that mattered was that two people had found each other and achieved a rare happiness.” ~ page 141

“because for me she was the symbol of humanity.” ~ page 154

Have you read “Madonna in a Fur Coat”?

Did it break your heart too?