Our top book picks this week: An entertaining expert on his adopted city Istanbul and more

Courtesy Oneworld

Courtesy Bodley Head

Courtesy Europa Editions

Courtesy Pushkin Press

Courtesy Knopf

The Art of Exile: A Vagabond Life by John Freely

Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1926, Freely trawls his memories of a determinedly rootless life for his latest work. The author of 40 books which blend history and travel, Freely is above all an entertaining expert on his adopted city Istanbul. (IB Tauris, April 30)

Sounds and Sweet Airs: The Forgotten Women of Classical Music by Anna Beer

Anna Beer celebrates the little-known contribution to classical music of eight remarkable female composers who endured discrimination because of their gender. They include Barbara Strozzi and Clara Schumann. (Oneworld, April 7)

And The Weak Suffer What They Must? by Yanis Varoufakis

Greece’s former finance minister recaps the history of the eurozone, arguing that the designed-in divide between rich and poor nations makes growing debt and collapse inevitable. Luckily, Varoufakis has an alternative to offer up. (Bodley Head, April 7)

The Street Kids by Pier Paolo Pasolini

Born in 1922, Pier Paolo Pasolini became one of the most influential and controversial European artists and intellectuals of the early 20th century. His story about teenagers living hand to mouth in the suburbs of post-war Rome was first published in 1935 to public outrage and is still relevant today. (Europa Editions,April 7)

The Crew by Joseph Kessel

This autobiographical novel draws on Joseph Kessel’s experiences as a pilot in the two World Wars. In it, the friendship between the two-man crew of a French reconnaissance plane during the First World War is tested when they realise they are both in love with the same woman. (Pushkin Press, April 28)

Ladivine: A Novel by Marie NDiaye

A new translation of the prize-winning French novelist, Marie NDiaye’s examination of class prejudice and self loathing. In it, a woman denies the existence of her poor black mother, ultimately bringing about her own death. It is left to her own daughter to uncover the secret. (Deckle Edge,April 26)