By Burhan Sönmez Board Member, PEN International Mountain Language by Harold Pinter was first performed at the Royal National Theatre in London in 1988. It was a play written three years after Pinter’s visit to Turkey for observing the consequences of a military coup in the country. When he, with Arthur Miller, on behalf of … Continue reading Six Titles on the Kurdish Experience in Turkey
‘Cooking New Istanbul Style’ by Refika Birgül
When you think of Turkish cuisine, the odds are that visions of kebabs and sticky desserts come to mind. However, over the last few years, a breath of fresh air has swept through the nation’s kitchens where the same traditional ingredients are now being used in exciting new ways. Refika Birgül has been an early … Continue reading ‘Cooking New Istanbul Style’ by Refika Birgül
‘A Strangeness in My Mind’ by Orhan Pamuk
Orhan Pamuk’s latest novel has rightly been called a love letter to his home city of Istanbul, but this may mislead unfamiliar readers; for the pages convey neither swooning adoration nor healthy affection, but rather Pamuk’s compulsive fascination with this place. Through the eyes of his sensitive protagonist, he takes us on a street-level tour … Continue reading ‘A Strangeness in My Mind’ by Orhan Pamuk
‘My Grandmother’ by Fethiye Çetin
By Dr. Rubina Peroomian I want to start this blog with the question posed to me after I delivered the keynote speech at the AIEA (Association internationale des études armeniénnes) Conference, last week, held in Oxford UK (my topic was “The Diasporan Armenian Literature Entering the Second Century of the Continuing Effects of the Genocide”). … Continue reading ‘My Grandmother’ by Fethiye Çetin
LGBTI identities in Turkish Literature
Beyond Borders: Murathan Mungan’s Texts LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex) identities have been manifested in Turkish literature since the 1960s. Starting with Sait Faik Abasıyanık, Bilge Karasu, Leyla Erbil, and Tezer Özlü, homosexuality and homoerotic moments begin to be depicted openly in novels and short stories rather than with an ambiguous and closed … Continue reading LGBTI identities in Turkish Literature
A Documentary Novel: “The Entrusted Trousseau – Peoples of the Exchange” by Kemal Yalçin
One of the advantages of reading in my adopted language of Turkish is, of course, the range of books available in Turkey by Turkish authors. Books published in Turkey are much cheaper than foreign-language imported books, so this book seemed like a bargain when a bookseller recommended it to me. It changed the way I … Continue reading A Documentary Novel: “The Entrusted Trousseau – Peoples of the Exchange” by Kemal Yalçin
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
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
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
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 