Turkey is hosting an estimated 2.5 million Syrian people who have fled the conflict areas of Syria. Can you imagine 2.5 million refugees coming to your country? Truly, watching the response of Turkish people in Istanbul to their visiting neighbors from Syria is awe-inspiring. Turks are famous for their hospitality, and the same hospitality … Continue reading An Excerpt from ‘Soraya’ by Meltem Yılmaz
Usurping Words: Turkish Coup Literature
In Turkish history, secretive groups have taken a particular type of pleasure from staging coups. Authors of the Turkish language, meanwhile, have been taking a different, literary type of pleasure from writing about their attempts at usurping political power. During the Latin American boom of the 1960s and 1970s, writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez and … Continue reading Usurping Words: Turkish Coup Literature
‘The Time Regulation Institute’ by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar
Years ago, I came across the name of Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar (1901-1962) for the first time. I was reading Orhan Pamuk’s book about Istanbul and Pamuk refers to Tanpinar as his most important teacher as a writer and novelist. That’s a sufficient reason to have a closer look at this author and his novel The … Continue reading ‘The Time Regulation Institute’ by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar
Halide Edib: The Indian Connection
Halide Edib's "Inside India" was first published in 1937 by George Allen & Unwin Ltd, but remained unnoticed for many years. Then in 2002, Oxford University Press reprinted it with an introduction by the eminent historian of India, Prof. Mushirul Hasan, who also served as vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia (translation: Community Islamic University), in … Continue reading Halide Edib: The Indian Connection
Graphic Novels from Turkey
Foreign teachers of English in Turkey quickly learn that many Turkish parents want their children to grow up to be either a doctor or an engineer. Those were the safest choices in earlier generations, and parents are occasionally reluctant to believe in the new expanded choices available in a booming Turkey. Children are expected to … Continue reading Graphic Novels from Turkey
The Roads Where Love Walked: An Excerpt from ‘Wûf’
Getting Turkish books published in English is tough. Publishers already have an idea of the types are marketable: those about the meeting of East and West, warfare and/or women’s rights. Stories that fall outside of these paradigms have a very difficult time finding a publisher. One reason for this seems to be publishers’ belief that … Continue reading The Roads Where Love Walked: An Excerpt from ‘Wûf’
‘The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi’ by Elif Shafak
The novel starts its lines with a stunner. Scented, beautiful words: “Between your fingers you hold a stone and throw it into flowing water. The effect might not be easy to see. There will be a small ripple where the stone breaks the surface and then a splash, muffled by the rush of the surrounding … Continue reading ‘The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi’ by Elif Shafak
Elif Shafak: Turkey’s versatile writer
Elif Shafak has always been a controversial writer in Turkey: Some critics and readers will refer to her as a potential Nobel Laureate – the second one Turkey would have after Orhan Pamuk. Others accuse her of political opportunism, shameless self-promotion and mediocrity in literature. Yet, her latest book, “The Three Daughters of Eve” continues … Continue reading Elif Shafak: Turkey’s versatile writer
An Excerpt from Ciler Ilhan’s ‘Exile’
'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
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 