User:Osman Balcıgil

Osman Balcigil

Osman Balcigil  b. 10 June 1955, Istanbul, journalist, novelist.

www.osmanbalcigil.com

He has worked as a reporter, editor and manager for many years (1977-2000) During this period many of his daily investigative and research-based articles were highly appreciated and resulted in numerous awards. He won the Interview of the Year award by the Association of Journalists in 1988 with his piece called “Inca’s Grandsons are Startled”.

His latest piece of work, Zoroaster’s Secret, was published by Destek in July 2012. His previous work Lord of Knowledge which was published in 2011 sold out its first edition in less than 4 weeks and became a great success.

WORKS

 * Birikim Publishing House: 1977-1980 Publisher Administrator
 * Iletisim Publications: 1980-1983 Writer and Editor
 * Cumhuriyet Newspapaer and Magazine: 1983-1985 Interviews and Letters from Oxford.
 * Hurriyet, Hurriyet Sunday and Tempo Magazine: 1986-1988 Journalist and Editor.
 * Hurriyet Production: 1989 Producer and Coordinator
 * Show TV: 1993 News Director.
 * ATV:1994 Directing Coordinator of News Programs. Produced and presented.
 * Chanel 6: 1996 Managing Director of News
 * Star TV: 1996 News Director. Produced and presented programs.
 * HBB TV: 1997-2000 Managing Director of News, Anchorman. Produced and presented.
 * Ottoman Medya: Since 2000 founding partner and communication consultant.

RESEARCH

 * Capital Punishment at the United Nations and Amnesty International Conferences 1982 Birikim
 * About the 1960 Constitution 1982 Birikim
 * Dairy of Capital Punishment 1986 Onur
 * Research About Turkey’s Social Life 1987 Haziran
 * Arteries of Latin America, 1990 Belge

NOVELS

 * Hawk of Mustafa Kemal, Senocak
 * Lord of Knowledge, Destek
 * Zoroaster’s Secret, Destek

Hawk of Mustafa Kemal
A breath-taking novel that is based on true events and characters. A counter intelligence organization that aims to keep Turkey out of the Second World War. What did the Jews, freemasons, communists, diplomats, scientists, businessmen and politicians do during the period?

Lord of Knowledge
Will the library of the Knights Templar, which bares scriptures from Ibn Arabi, resurface with the help of a mixed blooded youngster? From a Jesuit priest whose loyalty cannot be disputed to a youngster who studies in Cambridge with great family ties to Uskudar… An extraordinary adventure!

It is common knowledge that the eastern cults who provided a basis for the enlightenment of the Knights Templar. The knights who returned from the holly lands brought back knowledge that would help trigger enlightenment across Europe. Who were the cults that aided the Knights Templar during the crusades?

During and after his death, Ibn Arabi faced defamation by the Ottomans and the Europeans. He was approached with suspicion and wariness. Many of the intellectuals have heard of the great scholar but never came to grips with his contributions to the enlightenment of human kind. The influences of Ibn Arabi can be seen through out the scholars that have shaped the flow of history.

Lord of Wisdom will challenge the ways to perceive concepts such as “Science” and “Mysticism”, “East” and “West”.

Zoroaster’s Secret
The great Persian Emperor Darius, returned with glory from Babylon, Egypt, Libya, Anatolia and even Thrace but he failed to taste victory in the Greek lands. Xerxes, who wanted to accomplish what his father hadn’t, began to plan the conquest of the Greek lands.

Zoroastrian polymaths thought that their religion would be in danger if the king of kings, Xerxes, were to lose a campaign in the Greek lands. In order to ensure the continuation of their faith they appointed four particular clans, three to be dispatched across the vast Persian lands and one to remain in Persepolis, that would carry on the traditions throughout the generations.

Would at least one of the three clans that were sent to various parts of the kingdom survive the ages to preserve the holly scripture written on cow skin in gold known as Avesta? How and by whom would the Avesta that was written by the wise priest 500 years before Christ be discovered in the early 2000’s?

Why doesn’t the British-Indian ancient Avestan expert Nasreddin Parsi, who regarded Nietzsche’s “Thus spoke Zarathustra” as “complete nonsense”, keep his true identity and his real intentions a secret from his Turkish helper Sungur Ilyas? Will the British researcher be able to get the answer he is looking for from the Zoroastrian beauty?

Will the PKK theorist Hoca, who believes that the Kurds should be separated from the Turks, Persians, Arabs, Chaldeans and Armenians, use his chance wisely?

Who will be the victor of the breath-taking struggle, that spans from the PKK camps in Kandil, Iraq and Kozares, Iran to capitals around the world such as London and Paris?