The Slaves of the Padishah
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Saving enough to buy a cow is the great ambition of Michael, a poor priest in Wallachia, and his family. An unexpected inheritance changes their circumstances, bringing him a vast estate and an income he struggles to spend. His old habits persist amid his new riches. When he sends the Sultan a large gourd filled with gold coins, the unusual gift provokes a furious response before its contents are discovered. This opening turns a household's modest hopes into a comedy of wealth and authority.
The wider political world appears in an audience involving envoys from Transylvania and the Grand Vizier. Farkas Bethlen delivers a carefully prepared speech, but the interpreter's flat delivery drains it of force. A chest of money has a much more immediate effect on the Vizier's reception. These scenes give the historical novel its sharp interest in gifts, tribute and the uncertain business of addressing powerful people.
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