Dr. Frances Jowell and Aron Goldin
Murder in Constantinople: London’s East End, the Ottoman Empire and the Birth of a Jewish Detective
Summary
A.E. Goldin wrote his debut novel, Murder in Constantinople (Pushkin Press, 2024), whilst training as a classical pianist, then as a barrister, in London. It is the first in a series introducing readers to Ben Canaan, a young Jewish detective from London’s Whitechapel ghetto. The book explores themes of Jewish immigration and emancipation in 19th-century Britain, the Jewish community of Constantinople under the Sultanate, and brings its protagonist, a prototypical modern Jew, into conflict with the institutions and prejudices of his day. This talk is an opportunity to meet the author in conversation with art historian and bibliophile Frances Jowell.
Dr. Frances Jowell
Educated at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (BA, 1959), the Courtauld Institute, University of London (BA Hons, 1963), and Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. (PhD, 1971), Frances Suzman Jowell’s main areas of research have been on the life and writings of the political journalist, art critic, and art historian, Théophile Thoré, and on the work of Théodore Géricault. Her publications encompass the history of collecting and the art market, historiography, and the posthumous critical fortunes (and misfortunes) of artists. She has a particular interest in 19th-century revivals of earlier artists (eg. Hals and Vermeer) and has lectured and published in the UK and abroad on these subjects.
Aron Goldin
A.E. Goldin is the pseudonym of Aron Goldin. Aron studied literature at Trinity College Cambridge, classical piano at the Royal Academy of Music, and law at the Inns of Court in London. He is a member of Middle Temple and currently a scholar in the Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford. Aron has written a number of screenplays for producers and studios in the UK, Europe, and USA, recorded two studio albums and is writing the second book in his Ben Canaan series for Pushkin Press.
Aron’s website: www.aegoldin.com
Publisher’s website: www.pushkinpress.com