The Lost Paradise is a powerful story of destruction, heroism, and survival, told with the unique voice that has made Giles Milton a successful journalist and author.

It unfolds through the memories of survivors, many of whom speak publicly for the first time, and the testimonies of those caught in the midst of one of the greatest disasters in modern history.

On September 9, 1922, the Turkish cavalry entered Smyrna, the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan city of the Ottoman Empire. There was a pervasive fear in the city that the now victorious Turkish army would unleash its fury upon the residents of Smyrna.

However, reality defied even the most dire predictions. What happened in the following two weeks has been recorded as one of the most horrific dramas in the history of the twentieth century, the drama of the uprooting of thousands of refugees, whose blood runs in the veins of many contemporary Greek families.

Nearly two million people fell victim to a terrifying destruction, in terms of both brutality and scale.