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Nehir Roggendorf Eyuboglu, the author of the book titled ‘The Sad Love Story of the Hero,’ which tells about an alleged love story between founder of Turkish Republic Kemal Ataturk and an Armenian woman, revealed some details of the story in an interview with Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. 

Eyuboglu told Hurriyet that he personally had known the heroine of his novel, Hermine, who had told him this story 17 years ago.

Hermine told him that she had got acquainted with Ataturk during a party in 1929. Ataturk fell in love with her at first sight and invited Hermine to his residence, Dolmabahce Palace. According to the author, Hermine also got attracted by him and they began dating.

But they failed to marry for two reasons. Firstly, there was a big age gap between them. Secondly, Ataturk said that he had not been fit for marriage because he had totally devoted himself to the Turkish people.

According to Eyuboglu, Ataturk said to Hermine one day, “It doesn’t matter for me whether you are Armenian, Greek or Russian. I saw you and understood at first sight that you were not Turkish. You are a flower that still has to grow. I loved you very much.”

The author says that one day when Ataturk called Hermine to Dolmabahce Palace, Prime Minister Ismet Inonu hindered the date. And Hermine never got a chance to see Ataturk again
since then.

Although the writer claims that what the book says is true, renowned journalist Taha Akol, Oguz Akay who wrote many books about Ataturk, and Sinan Meydan stated that they did not have such information and the story was not proven.

Writer Necdet Sakaoglu, who studied this topic, said that there were such rumors but they were unchecked. Historian Derya Tulga also thinks that it is impossible to prove this story is true.