'Exile,' is a book of 45 short stories written by the contemporary Turkish writer, Çilar Ilhan, and translated by Ayşegül Toroser Ateş. Many of the stories are told on a single page, or just a few pages total. Because of this, the book may be a perfect commuting read or book club pick for the … Continue reading An Excerpt from Ciler Ilhan’s ‘Exile’
Contemporary Turkish Women Writers Available in English Translation
Turkish literature is a rich, creative, wonderful treasure trove that is well worth exploring. I am delighted to have this opportunity to share works by extraordinary contemporary Turkish women authors whose works have been translated into English. If Turkish literature as a whole remains underrepresented in the global literary arena, Turkish women poets and writers … Continue reading Contemporary Turkish Women Writers Available in English Translation
‘Hiroshima Child’ a poem by Nazim Hikmet
'Hiroshima Child' I come and stand at every door But none can hear my silent tread I knock and yet remain unseen For I am dead for I am dead I'm only seven though I died In Hiroshima long ago I'm seven now as I was then When children die they do not grow My … Continue reading ‘Hiroshima Child’ a poem by Nazim Hikmet
‘A Taste of Sun and Fire – Gaziantep Cookery,’ edited by Aylin Öney Tan
Ask most any Turkish citizen where to find the country’s most exciting food and the answer will inevitably be ‘Gaziantep’. Since 2015, when UNESCO recognized this south eastern province by listing it as a ‘Creative City’, word about the south eastern province’s rich and varied cuisine has spread beyond Turkey’s borders. Now, even foreign visitors … Continue reading ‘A Taste of Sun and Fire – Gaziantep Cookery,’ edited by Aylin Öney Tan
An Enduring Resonance: Turkey’s Jewish Voices
By Dayla Rogers The Ottoman Empire (1299-1923) was a mind-bogglingly diverse place. For nearly seven centuries all stripes of Muslim, Christian and Jewish people, falling into countless ethnic and linguistic groups, existed in relative harmony compared to Europe, where ghettos, pogroms and discrimination were commonplace. Sephardic Jews, defined as those of Spain and Portugal, were … Continue reading An Enduring Resonance: Turkey’s Jewish Voices
Ottoman/Turkish Women’s Autobiographical Narratives, 19th to Early 20th Century
By Dr. Roberta Micallef European men and women fantasized about, wrote about and painted Middle Eastern, especially Ottoman/Turkish, women for decades. Ottoman and Turkish women were not silent passive participants in this conversation. They wrote back. Some participated in the stereotypes abounding about them and others fought them, but all of those who participated in … Continue reading Ottoman/Turkish Women’s Autobiographical Narratives, 19th to Early 20th Century
‘Ara Guler’s Istanbul: 40 Years of Photographs’ with a foreword by Orhan Pamuk
By Monica Fritz In this exquisite edition, two significant men collaborate: photographer Ara Güler and writer Orhan Pamuk. Both native to the city, and experts in their own right, through the visual and the written word, a natural union. Istanbul seems to be disappearing before our eyes. A glimpse of its magic can still be … Continue reading ‘Ara Guler’s Istanbul: 40 Years of Photographs’ with a foreword by Orhan Pamuk
Title Pick: A Spare Life by Lidija Dimkovska
“Lidija Dimkovska enriches our contemporary museum of literary wonders with her powerful, grotesque, weird details and episodes told within the merry old novelistic tradition.” — Dubravka Ugrešić, author of Baba Laid an Egg A coming-of-age saga of two sisters, with an incredible twist… It is 1984, and twelve-year-old twins Zlata and Srebra live in communist … Continue reading Title Pick: A Spare Life by Lidija Dimkovska
Title Pick: Exit West by Moshin Hamid
An instant New York Times Bestseller “It was as if Hamid knew what was going to happen to America and the world, and gave us a road map to our future… At once terrifying and … oddly hopeful.” –Ayelet Waldman, The New York Times Book Review “Moving, audacious, and indelibly human.” –Entertainment Weekly, “A” rating … Continue reading Title Pick: Exit West by Moshin Hamid
Title Pick: This Wide Night by Sarvat Hasin
"‘I could not turn back time, I could not give life. All I wanted was to learn what had happened to the Malik sisters.’ The Maliks live a life of relative freedom in 1970s Karachi: four beautiful sisters, Maria, Ayesha, Leila and Beena, are warily watched over by an unconventional mother. Captain Malik is usually … Continue reading Title Pick: This Wide Night by Sarvat Hasin
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 