The Great Ideal of Humanity

Selami Mete Akbaba [tr. Nurhan Akca Anslinger]

forthcoming 26 February 2026

What do you get when you trap a group of geniuses on a mountain during a coup? A masterpiece—or a massacre.

From the rugged silence of rural Turkey to the neon pulse of Seoul and the sprawling chaos of Kolkata, Selami Mete Akbaba delivers a high-velocity journey that defies the boundaries of genre. Acclaimed by critics for its razor-sharp intellect and relentless pace, this debut dissolves the lines between psychological thriller, dark comedy, and political dystopia.

As the world below burns, four elite artists find themselves forced into a "new order" that feels more like a twisted stage play than a revolution. They must decide if they are victims of the heavens or eager volunteers in an inconceivable project that defies logic.

Witty, gritty, and fiercely imaginative, Akbaba flips the script on authority, proving that sometimes the ruler isn't the one in charge—it’s the one who survives the game.

The world is ending. The play is beginning. Who’s watching?

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ISBN: 978-1-916541-26-9

Originally published as Büyük İnsanlık İdeali by Yedinci Kat Yayınları