The catalogue “Books from Turkey” consists of a collection of texts ...

The catalogue “Books 

from Turkey” consists 

of a collection of texts 

introducing literary works 

that were translated and 

published from Turkish 

into other languages 

or works that are being 

translated and published. 

Alongside the texts 

exploring the contents of 

the books you will also find 

the author biographies. 

“Books from Turkey” 

allows an insight into the 

wealth and beauty 

of Turkish Literature.

0 2 

B O O K S F R O M T U R K E Y 

A D A L E T A Ğ A O Ğ L U 

Adalet Ağaoğlu, author, playwright and human activist, became Turkey’s most 

prized novelist. Considered to be one of the most important living authors in Turkey 

and a revered intellectual, the subject matter of her tightly constructed prose is a 

balance between a realistic description of the milieu of Turkey which she knows 

firsthand and the broader, more human elements of social pressure and gender 

prejudice. In an unfamiliar urban world, her characters as newcomers to modernity 

struggle with age-old issues complicated by perplexing political, religious, economic 

and social forces. She has been rewarded with numerous honours besides the literary 

awards she won in the fields of novel, short story and drama. For her perception 

of subtle and overt changes in modern Turkish society and her writing entitled 

“Modernism and Social Change” Ağaoğlu received the “Turkish Presidency Culture 

and Art Merit Award” in 1995. In 1998, Ağaoğlu received an Honorary Ph.D. from 

Eskişehir Anadolu University followed by a Ph.D. of Human Letters from the Ohio 

State University. 

Some of Works: Novels: Ölmeye Yatmak (Lying Down to Die), Fikrimin İnce Gülü 

(The Delicate Rose of My Throughts), Bir Düğün Gecesi (A Wedding Night), 

Yazsonu (Summer’s End), Üç Beş Kişi(Curfew), Ruh Üşümesi (A Chill in the Soul), 

Romantik Bir Viyana Yazı (A Romantic Vienna Summer) Short Story Collections: 

Yüksek Gerilim (High Voltage), Sessizliğin İlk Sesi (The First Sound of Silence), 

Hadi Gidelim (C’mon, Lets Go), Hayatı Savunma Birimleri (Life Defence Units) 

Foreign Rights: Fikrimin İnce Gülü/The Delicate Rose of My Throughts 

(Sehnsucht AraratVerlag, Germany), Bir Düğün Gecesi/A Wedding Night (Narodna 

Kultura, Bulgaria), (Maj Bratislava, Slovakia), Yazsonu/Summer’s End (Talisman, 

USA), (Sphinx Agency, Egypt), Üç Beş Kişi/Curfew (Texas University Pres, USA) 

ÖLMEYE YATMAK - LYING DOWN TO DIE 

Unionsverlag, Germany, 2008, 299 pages, Novel 

Translated by Ingrid Iren 

ISBN: 975 458 862 0 

www.onkagency.com 

The first novel of the trilogy “Narrow Times” (the other two are Bir 

Düğün Gecesi and Hayır...) is 299 pages long and begins at 7:22 am 

and ends at 8:49 am. Aysel, an Associate Professor at a university, 

while lying down to die in a hotel room in Ankara, conducts an inner 

dialogue with herself, asking what the use of so much reading and 

writing had in her life. In the meantime, she recalls her whole life 

from childhood on, in the framework of the political turmoil from 

1938 until 1968. Aysel, after about an hour and a half, decides not to 

die and leaves the hotel room on a misty April morning.

ÖLÜMÜN GÖLGESİ YOK 

DEATH HAS NO SHADOWS 

Dar El Shorouk, Egypt, 292 pages, Novel 

Translated by Safsafy Ahmet Al-Qatory 

ISBN: 978 975 07 0388 X 

www.kalemagency.com 

A D N A N B İ N Y A Z A R 

Adnan Binyazar was born in Diyarbakır in 1934. He worked at the Institute of 

Turkish History (Türk Tarih Kurumu) and in 1978 he was appointed as President of 

the Publicity and Publications Department for the Ministry of Culture, where he was 

the director responsible for the Turkish Culture and Translation periodicals. He was 

also elected as the Director of the Publications Branch of the Institute of Turkish 

Language. He travelled abroad and performed various studies in Germany, Sweden 

and Switzerland about Turkish education, and, as well as taking part in different 

projects, served on the Berlin Educational Senate. 

WORKS: Şairin Kedisi (The Poet’s Cat), Duyguların Anakarası (The Continent of 

Feelings), Halk Anlatıları (Folk Tales), Masalını Yitiren Dev (The Giant who Lost 

his Tale), Ölümün Gölgesi Yok (Death has no Shadows - 2005 Orhan Kemal Novel 

Award), Şah Mahmet (Mahmet The Shah). 

The novel tells the love story between a young girl who is a 

student, and a young teacher who is appointed to a small 

province in Anatolia. The teacher falls in love with his 

student at first sight, and they end up getting married. The 

author happens to develop cancer while living in Berlin, and 

the disease causes their love to be dragged into despair. The 

author, who describes how his love becomes encompassed 

by the acute feeling of a rancid ‘pain’, says that ‘the biggest 

punishment given to a human being on this earthly stage 

called life is the transformation of love into pity.’ The 

events taking place in the background of the feelings they 

experience expand and then become constricted between 

‘love’ and ‘death’ through the association of ideas and 

flashbacks. As the wife’s illness progresses, the author 

goes through unbearable states of depression, driven 

about between hope and despair. Death has no Shadows 

causes the reader to experience how one can become 

more exhausted by each and every passing day, as well as 

enabling him to ponder upon the infinitude of existence and 

nonexistence. The novel has attracted attention especially 

due to the author’s sensitive language, poetic voice, and the 

novel’s rhythmic exposition, resulting in three editions in 

three years. 

0 3

0 4 


KILIÇ YARASI GİBİ 

LIKE A SWORD WOUND 

A H M E T A L T A N 

Ahmet Altan was born in 1950. Upon studying in various middle and high schools, he 

attended Middle East Technical University, ultimately graduating from the Faculty 

of Economics at Istanbul University. He took on journalism at the age of twentyfour, 

assuming positions in nearly all echelons of the profession, from evening 

correspondent to editor-in-chief. Altan became a columnist in 1987, suspending 

his career in journalism in 1990 while still an editor-in-chief. He worked on several 

television programmes. Reprimanded for much of his writing, in 1995 he was 

sentenced to a year and a half in prison. He is presently the editor-in-chief of Taraf 

newspaper. His first novel, Dört Mevsim Sonbahar (All Four Seasons Autumn), 

was published in 1982. His second book, Sudaki İz (Trace in the Water, 1985) was 

confiscated and burned via court order on charges of obscenity. Persevering as 

a novelist with bestsellers such as Yalnızlığın Özel Tarihi (The Private History of 

Loneliness,1991), Tehlikeli Masallar (Perilous Tales, 1996), Kılıç Yarası Gibi (Like 

a Sword Wound, 2001), İsyan Günlerinde Aşk (Love in the Days of Mutiny, 2001), 

Aldatmak (Cheating, 2002), and En Uzun Gece (The Longest Night, 2005). He also 

has several essay collections. 

Foreign Rights: İsyan Günlerinde Aşk/Love in the Days of Mutiny (L’amour au 

temps revoltes, Actessud-France); Kılıç Yarası Gibi/Like a Sword Wound (Comme 

une Bessure de Sabre, Actessud-France), (Der Duft Des Paradieses, Krüger Verlag, 

Germany) 

Krüger Verlag, Germany, 2002, 320 pages, Novel 

Translated by Ute Birgi-Knellessen 

ISBN: 9789759920791 

alkim@alkim.com.tr 

Kılıç Yarası Gibi is an intense novel, which deals with 

the human relationships, emotions and love in depth. 

The novel begins with the attack by Armenians on 

the Ottoman Bank towards the end of the nineteenth 

century and the wedding of Şeyh Efendi, one of the 

novel’s main characters. The history of the Ottoman 

period at the beginning of the twentieth century, 

the historical characters as well as the political and 

military developments of the time form the backdrop of 

the novel which traces the colourful and mysteriously 

interconnected lives of both Şeyh Efendi and the 

family of one of the high officials of the palace, Reşit 

Pasha, just like meticulously knitted lace throughout 

the novel. What makes this novel unique is that it has 

created its own language and has skillfully moulded 

fiction with facts, while shedding light on many 

incidents of recent Turkish history that remain in the 

dark. (1999 Yunus Nadi Novel Award)

A H M E D A R İ F 

Ahmed Arif (1927-1991) was born in Diyarbakır. He finished high school in Afyon. 

While he was studying philosophy in Ankara University he was arrested on political 

grounds in 1950 and 1952-53 so could not complete his education. He worked for 

several Ankara newspapers. Between 1944-55 his poetry was published in various 

literary journals. He has published only one collection of poetry: Hasretinden 

Prangalar Eskittim (Fetters Worn Out by Longing,1968) which was widely read by 

successive generations of poetry lovers and revolutionaries in Turkey. The book has 

gone through a record number of printings and has achieved cult status. 

HASRETİNDEN PRANGALAR ESKİTTİM 

FETTERS WORN OUT BY LONGING 

J&D Dagyeli Verlag, Germany, 2008 

Translated by Helga Dağyeli, Bohne and 

Yıldırım Dağyeli 

184 pages, Poetry 

ISBN: 9789753426527 

rights@metisbooks.com 

Fetters Worn Out by Longing was first 

published in 1968 and made a record 

number of printings. The poems in it 

were in the hands, words and songs 

of many generations of socialists and 

revolutionaries. It had a special and 

unforgettable place in the bittersweet 

memories of many people. Ahmed 

Arif’s poems symbolize the love of 

land and people, the rebellious spirit 

and ethics of revolt for his generation 

and the following generations. This 

special edition for its 40. anniversary 

aims to remind the young readers of 

the day his ideas and values which are 

under constant attack. 

0 5

0 6 


A H M E T E M İ N A T A S O Y 

Ahmet Emin Atasoy (Bulgaria, 1944) graduated from the Department of Turkish 

Philology at Sofia University. He worked as a literature teacher, art reporter and 

director of reading halls. He took refuge in Turkey in 1989. His poetry, articles and 

translations were published in magazines such as Cumhuriyet Kitap, Çağdaş Türk 

Dili, Düşlem, Kavram-Karmaşa, Sincan İstasyonu, and Yaba Edebiyat. His poems were 

translated into Azerbaijan Turkish, Bulgarian, English, Macedonian and Romanian. 

He translated poems by several Bulgarian and Russian poets into Turkish. In 2008, he 

was awarded “The Great Poetry Award” in the Argeş 11th International Poetry Festival 

(Romania) and “2008 Special Jury Award” of the European Culture Academy (Bulgaria) 

for Orpheus’un Liri (Orpheus’ Lyre). 

WORKS: Poetry: Sensizliğinle Beraber (Together with your absence), Yüreğimde Şirin 

Tuna Aktıkça (As long as sweet Danube flows in my heart), Duygu Burgacı (Whirlpool 

of Emotions), Rüzgârların Küstürdüğü Yapraklar (The Leavess that the wind 

offended), Perdeledim Penceremi Geceye (I shut the curtains of my window to the 

night) , Aşkın Yaşı Yok (Love is ageless), Damla Damla (Drop by drop), Sevgi Denizi- 

Çocuklar İçin Şiirler (Sea of Love-Poems for Children), Küllerde Kor Ararken (Looking 

for a glowing piece of coal in ashes), Dünya Vurdu Başıma (The world hit me on the 

head), Çocuk Şiirleri (Children’s Poems), Kalabalık Yerinde Yalnızlığın (In the crowded 

part of loneliness); Compilation and Anthology: 1967’nin Bıraktığı Şiirler (Poems Left 

by 1967 in Bulgaria with Naci Ferhadov), XV Yüzyıldan Bugüne Rumeli Motifli Türk 

Şiiri Antolojisi (The Anthology of Turkish Poetry with Rumelian Motifs since XV. 

Century), Bursa Esintileri (Breezes of Bursa, Turkish Short Stories, Bulgarian, 2008) 

Essay: Birikmiş Yansımalar Vitrini (The Showcase of Collected Reflections) 

YANKILARIN YANKISI 

THE ECHO OF ECHOES 

Makavey Publishing, Macedonia, 2008 


Translated by Fahri Ali and Branko Tsvetoski 

ISBN:9789989164927 

ahmeteminatasoy@yahoo.com 

The 78-page book contains 

approximately 60 poems chosen by the 

poet himself from his last seven books. 

The poems, which were translated into 

Macedonian by the Macedonian-Turkish 

poet and translator Fahri Ali, were edited 

and published by the distinguished 

Macedonian poet and publisher of our 

day, Branko Tsvetoski.

A H M E T H A M D İ T A N P I N A R 

Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar (1901-1962) was a poet, short story writer, novelist, literary 

historian and professor of literature. He is arguably the most surprising writer of 

20th century Turkish literature. Deeply influenced by Valéry and Bergson, Tanpınar 

created an amazing cultural universe in his work, bringing together Western forms 

of writing and the sensibilities of a diminishing Ottoman culture. For him the novel 

was but a concrete manifestation of the dream form. In his creation of a symbolistmodernist 

fiction, he was ahead of the established literary conventions of his time, 

which blended romanticism with social realism to bring about social reform. After 

completing his M.A. at the Faculty of Letters at Istanbul University, he taught 

literature in various cities throughout Anatolia and in 1939 he became a full professor 

at Istanbul University, where he has taught Aesthetics, Mythology and Literature. 

Foreign Rights: Huzur/A Mind at Peace (Archipelago Books,USA), Seelenfrieden 

(Unionsverlag AG, Germany), (Kelag-E Sefid, Iran), (CHIRP, China), (Fan Noli, 

Albania), (Trud, Bulgaria), (ASP, Lebanon), (Athenaeum-Polak & Van Gennep, The 

Netherlands), (Fujiwara, Japan); Yaz Yağmuru/Summer Rain (Actes Sud, France); 

Beş Şehir/Five Cities (Publisud/UNESCO, France); Saatleri Ayarlama Enstitüsü/The 

Time Regulation Institute (Actes Sud, France), Das Uhrenstellinstitut (Carl Hanser 

Verlag, Germany), (Kelag-E Sefid, Iran), (Fan Noli, Albania), (Trud, Bulgaria), 

(Einaudi, Italy), (Potamos, Greece), (Athenaeum-Polak & Van Gennep, 

The Netherlands), (La Campana, Catalan), (Schocken, Israel), (Yeuleumsa, Korea), 

(ASP, Lebanon), (Vremea, Romania), (Dereta, Serbia), (El Aleph, Spain), 

(Fujiwara, Japan) 

HUZUR - A MIND AT PEACE 

Archipelago Books, USA, 2006, 391 pages, Novel 

Translated into English by Erdağ Göknar 

ISBN: 9789750801754 


Between our pasts, our identities, and 

the broad cultures of East and West 

– between two worlds – our attitude 

of sometimes being ourselves and 

sometimes not, our hesitations, how 

we live a day or a moment, our habits, 

our convictions, the pleasure we take 

from “the music of silence”, the Istanbul 

that produces its own culture and 

consumes it as soon as it’s produced, 

its flutes, its drums, the halo of the 

music they produce that still draws us 

in, wanderings of the soul, soft but deep 

questions, the delicious restlessness 

that all of this “synthesis” leaves us 

with… A Mind at Peace is first a novel 

of the love between Mümtaz and Nuran 

and then the novel of our lives. 

0 7

0 8 


A H M E T H A Ş İ M 

Ahmet Haşim (1887-1933) was one of the most influential poets, along with Yahya 

Kemal Beyatlı, of 20th century Turkish literature. He attempted to create a pure 

form of poetry during the decline of the Ottoman Empire. The men of letters of the 

time were engaged in didactic literature and Ahmet Haşim’s efforts were somehow 

seen as futile. But both he and Yahya Kemal channelled all their efforts into these 

pure poems. His small books of poetry Göl Saatleri (The Hours of the Lake), and 

Piyale (The Goblet) were subjected to much criticism when they were first published 

and were mocked in satirical magazines. His response to these attacks attempted 

to explain his conception of poetry. Ahmet Haşim was also famous for his prose. His 

essays are still read and loved by many. 

WORKS: Bütün Şiirleri: Piyale-Göl Saatleri-Diğer Şiirleri (Collected Poems: The 

Goblet, The Hours of the Lake and Other Poems), Bütün Eserleri I: Bize Göre - 

İkdam’daki Diğer Yazıları (Collected Works I: According to Us and Other Essays 

Published in İkdam), Bütün Eserleri II: Gurabahâne-i Laklakan, Diğer Yazılar 

(Collected Works II: A Hospital of Storks and Other Essays), Bütün Eserleri III 

Frankfurt Seyahatnamesi - Mektuplar - Mülakâtlar (Collected Works III: The 

Frankfurt Journey, Letters, Interviews) 

FRANKFURT SEYEHATNAMESİ 

THE FRANFURT JOURNEY 

Literaturca Verlag, Germany, 2008 

Translated by Beatrix Caner, 200 pages, Memoir 

ISBN: 9789750808754 

bilgi@dergahyayinlari.com 

This small book is comprised of 20 short essays 

which contain the view of a Turkish intellectual, 

who went to Germany to receive medical care, of 

Germany in the 1930s, as seen through the eyes 

of Frankfurt. Haşim leaves by train from Sirkeci 

Station, gloomily watching Üsküdar, and arrives in 

Frankfurt, after crossing the Balkans and the plains 

of Central Europe. He describes this old German 

town before the Second World War from many 

different perspectives.

A H M E T M İ T H A T E F E N D İ 

Ahmet Mithat Efendi (Istanbul 1844-1912) completed his secondary education in 

Tophane and Niş, and learned French in the meantime. He then joined the public 

service in the province of Danube and went to Baghdad alongside the Danube governor, 

Mithat Pasha. There, he worked in the publishing of Zevra newspaper. It was there 

that he also published his first books Hace-i Evvel and Kıssadan Hisse (The Moral of 

the Story, 1870) here for students. He established a small publishing house in 1871 and 

continued with journalism. He published the journal Dağarcık (Repertoire). He was 

exiled to Rhodes for an article he wrote about Darwin, but returned to Istanbul after 

the declaration of the constitutional monarchy. He served as the director of Takvim-i 

Vekayi newspaper and in the Matbaa-i Amire Directorate. He later facilitated the 

publishing of the Tercüman-ı Hakikat (Interpreter of Truth) newspaper (1877-1912). 

The writing career of Ahmet Mithat Efendi played an important role in instilling a love 

of books and reading. His attempt to teach while entertaining is obvious in his works. 

Ahmed Mithat Efendi has produced over 200 works including novels, short stories and 

plays as well as many books on philosopy and research, textbooks, encyclopedic books 

and translations. 

Some of Works: Hasan Mellah, Hüseyin Fellah, Felâtun Bey ile Rakım Efendi (Felatun 

Bey and Rakim Efendi), Dünyaya İkinci Geliş (The Second Incarnation), Karı Koca 

Masalı (A Fairytale of Husband and Wife), Paris’te Bir Türk (A Turkish Man in Paris), 

Süleyman Musli, Çengi (The Dancing Girl), Yeryüzünde Bir Melek (An Angel on Earth), 

Henüz On Yedi Yaşında (Only Seventeen Years Old), Karnaval (Carnival), Vah (What a 

Pity), Dürdane Hanım, Acaib-i Âlem (The Extraordinariness of the World), Cellat (The 

Hangman), Esrar-ı Cinayat (The Mystery in Murders), Hayret (The Astonishment), 

Haydut Montari (Montari, the Bandit), Arnavutlar-Solyatlar (Albanians and Soliots), 

Demir Bey, Gürcü Kızı (The Georgian Girl), Müşahedat (Observations), Papazdaki Esrar 

The Mystery of the Priest), Hayal ve Hakikat (Dream and Reality), Ahmed Metin ve 

Şirzad (Ahmed Metin and Sirzad), Taaffüf (Chastity), Gönüllü (The Volunteer), 

Eski Mektuplar (Old Letters), Jön Türk (Young Turk). 

FELATUN BEY İLE RAKIM EFENDİ 

FELATUN BEY AND RAKIM EFENDI 

Inner Mongolian Cultural 

Publishing House, China, 2009 

Translated by Ye Jian Xin 

172 pages, Novel 

ISBN: 9789758994038 

The novel Felatun Bey ile Rakım Efendi is 

a fine example of Ahmet Mithat’s work, 

who produced both his works and, in 

Tanpınar’s words, his readers, for forty 

years with amazing diligence, remaining 

committed to the concept of “educating 

the public while entertaining”. The subject 

of this “lesson” from the head teacher 

of Turkish literature is how the new 

Westernization process should be perceived 

and experienced. The entertaining story of 

the smart and resourceful Rakım, who grew 

up in poverty, and Felatun, who inherited 

a big fortune and embraced a European 

lifestyle, embraces the author’s answer to 

this question aswell. 

0 9

0 1 0 


A H M E T R A S İ M 

Ahmet Rasim was born in Istanbul in 1865 and completed his education in 

Darüşşafaka. He went into journalism under the guidance of Ahmed Mithat. His 

articles, travel writings, memoirs, conversations, poems and translations have been 

published in various magazines and newspapers. He wrote for İleri, Vakit, Akşam 

and Cumhuriyet newspapers. He worked briefly as a teacher and after the Second 

Constitutional Monarchy, he published, together with Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar, a 

humorous magazine entitled Boşboğaz (Blabbermouth). He worked as a reporter 

in Syria, Sofia and Romania. He became a member of Istanbul parliament in 1927, 

where he served until his death. Excluding his textbooks and translations, Ahmet 

Rasim’s oeuvre contains approximately 140 works. He wrote in a pure Turkish that is 

based on vivid, short sentences and current expressions, and he adopted a realistobservationist 

approach. With his unique style, he was widely read; he also composed 

nearly 60 songs, with his own lyrics. Ahmet Rasim, journalist, historian, and author, 

died in his Heybeliada residence on 21st September, 1932. 

WORKS: Afife, Ülfet, Kitabei Gam (Letters to a Lover), Şehir Mektupları (Letters 

of the City), Falaka (Foot Whipping), İki Güzel Günahkâr (Two Beautiful Sinners), 

Fuhşı Atik (The Old Days of Prostitution), Muharrir Şair Edip (Columnist and Poet 

Edip), Ramazan Sohbetleri (Ramadan Conversations) , Menakıbı İslam (Stories 

of Islam), Eşkali Zaman (The Shapes of Time), Ciddü Mizah (Biographies), Gülüp 

Ağladıklarım (What Makes Me Laugh and Cry), Muharrir Bu Ya (The Reporter), 

Osmanlı Tarihi (Ottoman History), İki Hatıra Üç Şahsiyet (Two Memories and Three 

Personalities), İstibdattan Hakimiyeti Milliyeye (From Tyranny to the Rule of the 

Nation), Romanya Mektupları (Letters from Romania). 

FALAKA 

FOOT WHIPPING 

Inner Mongolian Cultural Publishing House, China 2010 


Translated by Zhang Shi Ming 

ISBN: 9789756342114 

In his novel entitled Falaka (Foot 

Whipping) Ahmet Rasim collects his 

memoirs about his childhood, especially 

those of his school years. When you 

read these stories which he penned 

in a humorous style, you will see how 

improperly and primitively children were 

educated at that time and cannot help 

but feel compassion for them.

A H M E T Ü M İ T 

Ahmet Ümit (Gaziantep, 1960) graduated from the Public Management Department 

at Marmara University in 1983, completing his studies at the Moscow Academy of 

Social Sciences. His first book, Sokağın Zulası (The Street’s Secret Hiding Place), was 

published in 1989. The book which reflects the political atmosphere of the period, 

consists of the poems of a young person who is in despair because of the death 

and darkness which surrounds him and his way of coping with it by sticking to his 

utopia. Ümit’s first book of short stories, Çıplak Ayaklıydı Gece (Barefoot Night), 

was published in 1992 and won the Ferit Oğuz Bayır Philosophy and Arts Award in 

the same year. Almost all of his works are tinged with an air of suspense. Sis ve Gece 

(Fog and Night), published in 1996, exemplifies this feeling throughout. Ahmet Ümit 

is one of the most important writers of Turkish detective fiction and some of his works 

have been made into films and TV series. 

WORKS: Sokağın Zulası (The Street’s Secret Hiding Place), Çıplak Ayaklıydı Gece 

(Barefoot Night), Bir Ses Böler Geceyi (A Noise in the Night ), Masal İçinde Masal 

(Tale within a Tale), Sis ve Gece (Fog and Night ), Agatha’nın Anahtarı (Agatha’s 

Key), Kar Kokusu (The Fragrance of Snow), Patasana (Patasana), Kukla (Puppet), 

Beyoğlu Rapsodi (Beyoğlu Rhapsody), Aşk Köpekliktir (Love is Slavery), Başkomiser 

Nevzat, (Chief Inspector Nevzat), Çiçekçinin Ölümü (Death of a Florist), Kavim (Tribe), 

Ninatta’nın Bileziği, (Ninatta’s Bracelet), Insan Ruhunun Haritası (A Map of the Human 

Spirit), Olmayan Ülke (The Land That Never Was), Bab-ı Esrar (The Gate of Mystery) 

Foreign Rights: Sis ve Gece/The Fog and the Night (German, Greek); 

Patasana, (Spanish), (German); Beyoğlu Rapsodisi/Rhapsody of Beyoglu (Greek); Şeytan 

Ayrıntıda Gizlidir/The Devil is in the Details(German); Kukla/The Puppet (French); 

Masal Masal İçinde/Fairy Tales (Korean) 

BEYOĞLU RAPSODİSİ - BEYOGLU RHAPSODY 

Kedros Publishers, Greece, 2006, 386 pages, Novel 

Translated by Sofia Ipsilandi 

ISBN: 9789759915599 

dk.rights@dogankitap.com.tr 

This novel, telling the stories of three friends, also 

relates, in part, Beyoğlu’s own story. It is the story of 

the mysteries concealed amongst the jostling, hustle 

and bustle of Beyoğlu’s streets. Beyoğlu Rhapsody is the 

tale of a continuing friendship, starting in childhood, 

set against the background of today’s Beyoğlu. Three 

contrasting personalities, three distinct lifestyles 

are drawn together within this friendship. First, we 

become acquainted withthem, and then we become 

eyewitnesses in their lives. Thinking that everything 

is going along nicely, quite naturally, their lives are 

changed by a photography exhibition. Interrogations, 

questions... then secrets are revealed, one after the 

other. Ahmet Ümit, with this novel, takes the Detective 

thriller form into a different dimension. In addition to 

giving the reader the bonus of a twist in the ending, he 

also makes us think about the notions of eternal life, 

friendship, family and ownership. 

0 1 1

0 1 2 


A H M E T Y O R U L M A Z 

Ahmet Yorulmaz was born in 1932, in Ayvalık, where he grew up. He started his 

literary life by translating Modern Greek literature. First, he translated short stories 

and poems, then children’s books and later on, novels. His translations have been 

published in Varlık. His, Savaşın Çocukları - Girit’ten Sonra Ayvalık (Children of War 

- After Crete, Ayvalık), which is about the compulsory population exchange between 

Greece and Turkey and more precisely, about the tragedy of the Turkish people 

on Crete, was recognized as the first and only novel written by a Turk about the 

“Exchange”, at a conference held at Oxford University, in the United Kingdom. 

WORKS: Ayvalık’ı Gezerken (Strolling Through Ayvalık), Ayvalık’ta İz Bırakanlar 

(Those Who Left Their Traces in Ayvalık), Ayvalık’tan Cunda’dan (From Ayvalık and 

Cunda), Girit’ten Cunda’ya (From Crete to Cunda), Kuşaklar ya da Ayvalık Yaşantısı 

(Generations or Life in Ayvalık), Portreler (Portraits), Savaşın Çocukları - Girit’ten 

Sonra Ayvalık (Children of War - After Crete, Ayvalık). 

SAVAŞIN ÇOCUKLARI - GİRİT’TEN SONRA AYVALIK 

CHILDREN OF WAR - AFTER CRETE, AYVALIK 

Omega Publishing, Greece, 2005 


Translated by Stylianos Roidis 

ISBN:9751408474 

omer@remzi.com 

This is the first book of a trilogy. The book, which 

is based on the compulsory population exchange 

between Greece and Turkey, has achieved great 

success in international literary circles. Children 

of War, by tracing the story of Aynakis Hasan, 

expresses the painful realities, sufferings and 

longings experienced during the Exchange years. 

The trilogy was subsequently completed by 

Kuşaklar (Generations) and Girit’ten Cunda’ya 

(From Crete to Cunda).

A L E V A L A T L I 

Alev Alatlı was born in Izmir in 1944. She earned a degree from the Economics- 

Statistics Department of Middle East Technical University. She went to the USA 

for her graduate education, returning with a PhD in Philosophy. While working in 

the State Planning Organization, she also engaged in research on theology and 

the history of thought, focusing solely on her writing after the year 1984. Alatlı’s 

published novels are the following: Yaseminler Tüter mi Hâlâ? (Do the Jasmines 

Still Fume?, 1985), İşkenceci (Torture,1 986), Orda Kimse Var mı? (Anybody There, 

1992), Valla Kurda Yedirdin Beni (Honestly, You Fed Me to a Wolf,1993), Nuke 

Türkiye (Nuke Turkey,1993), OK Musti Türkiye Tamamdır (O.K. Musti Turkey is Done, 

1994), Kadere Karşı Koy A.Ş. (Defy Fate, Inc.,1995), Schrödinger’in Kedisi - Kâbus 

(Schrödinger’s Cat - Nightmare,1999), Schrödinger’in Kedisi (Rüya/Schrödinger’s 

Cat - Dream,2001), Aydınlanma Değil Merhamet (Grace over Enlightment, 2004), 

Dünya Nöbeti (World Vigil, 2005), Uhnem, Eyy Uhnem (My Grudge, O My Grudge, 

2008). The author has also penned translations and essays. 

Foreign Rights: Gogol’un İzinde I: Aydınlanma Değil Merhamet (On the Footsteps 

of Gogol: Grace over Enlightenment – published in Ukraine), Gogol’un İzinde II: 

Dünya Nöbeti (On the Footsteps of Gogol II- World Sentry- published in Ukraine) 

GOGOL’ÜN İZİNDE- 

AYDINLANMA DEĞİL MERHAMET 

ON THE FOOTSTEPS OF GOGOL- 

GRACE OVER ENLIGHTMENT 

Çetverta Hviliana, Ukraine, 501 pages, Novel 

Translated by Iryna M. Dryga 

ISBN:9752891543 

everest@alfakitap.com 

Grace over Enlightenment is the first volume of 

Alev Alatli’s four-volume novel which became 

known as “Viva la Muerte” of Russia. For the 

first two volumes of the quartet, the writer was 

awarded the Mihail Aleksandrovič Šolohov 

100th Anniversary Literary Award in 2006 on 

the merits of her success in keeping an equal 

distance to the nations and the extraordinary 

insight with which she penetrates into a foreign 

culture’s journey through time. Alatli deals 

with the problems of our era through a global 

perspective and tackles the quest for survival 

of the Russian people from history to this day 

combining multiple aspects in the form of a 

novel, depicting it in an artistic language. 

“One morning you wake up and you don’t 

exist anymore. You look in the mirror, your 

face is the same face, and your hands are the 

same hands... You touch your body and it’s still 

there. But you’ve been invalidated, you don’t 

exist anymore. Including the book of God you 

worship, everything and everyone has changed, 

you no longer recognise anything...This is what 

happened to me and Russia.” 

0 1 3

0 1 4 


A L İ A K B A Ş 

Ali Akbaş was born in Kahramanmaraş in 1942. He completed his primary and 

secondary education in Kahramanmaraş and his university education in the 

Department of Turkish Language and Literature in the Faculty of Letters at Istanbul 

University. He worked as a teacher and an administrator in various high schools 

and colleges under the Ministry of Education; he also worked as a script writer in the 

Film, Radio and Television Educational Department. A contemporary poet, Akbaş 

has collaborated in the publication of Divan, Doğuş, Edebiyat and Kanat magazines. 

He was one of the founding members of the Eurasia Writer’s Association in 2006 

and has worked as an editor-in-chief for Kardeş Kalemler Magazine. Continuing in 

this vein, Akbaş was chosen as the best writer of children’s literature in 1991 by the 

Turkish Writers Association for his book entitled Kuş Sofrası (The Dinner Table of 

Birds). 

WORKS: Poetry: Şairin Masal Çağı (The Fairytale Epoch of the Poet), Kuş Sofrası 

(The Dinner Table of Birds); Fable: Gökte Ay Portakaldır (The Moon in the Sky is an 

Orange). 

KUŞ SOFRASI 

THE DINNER TABLE OF BIRDS 

TONET, Macedonia, 2008, Poetry 

Translated by Mariya Leontic 

ISBN: 9786082080079 

bilgi@ayb.org.tr 

This book of poetry, which contains 

poems dedicated to children, begins with 

the poem “Armağan” (The Gift). The 

book is comprised of lyrical poems that 

could be read by both children and adults 

alike. The poems discuss the good and 

bad aspects of life. As the poet advises us 

to always be hopeful in life, he draws us 

into the world of fairy tales. Kuş Sofrası, 

which was reprinted during the last few 

years and has reached a total circulation 

of 35 thousand copies, is a significant 

work in children’s literature.

A L İ N A R 

Ali Nar was born in Sarıkamış in 1941. His family moved to Yozgat-Sarıkaya in 1950; 

he entered Istanbul Higher Institute of Islam and graduated in 1964. He taught 

in Diyarbakır, Erzincan, Izmit and Istanbul Imam Hatip high schools and retired 

in 1990. He is a member, and the Turkish representative of, the World Islamic 

Literature Association. His first poem “Su” (Water) was published in 1961 and his 

first book Fetih (The Conquest) in 1975.His articles were published in periodicals such 

as Milli Gazete, Yeni Devir, and Vahdet Magazine. Nar translated from Classical and 

Modern Arabic and he is also the writer of Uzay Çiftçileri (The Space Farmers), the 

first science-fiction novel of the Turkish and Islamic world. Ali Nar has penned over 

50 religious, scientific and literary works, including his copyright and translated 

works. His novels have been translated into Arabic, his books have been analysed in 

international literary magazines published in English, and some of his plays have 

been staged hundreds of times. 

WORKS: Fetih (The Conquest), Koro (The Choir), Muhtar Kafası (The Mind of 

a Village Headman), Ezan Donanması, İki Sonsuza Gidelim (Let’s Go to Two 

Eternities), Anadolu Günlüğü (The Diary of Anatolia), Arılar Ülkesi (The Land of 

Bees), Uzay Çiftçileri (The Space Farmers). 

Foreign Rights: Arılar Ülkesi/ The Land of Bees (Arabia, 2003), (Egypt, 2005) 

ARILAR ÜLKESİ 

THE LAND OF BEES 

Mektebu’l-Bilâd El- Arabiyye, Arabia, 2003 


Translated by Dr. Macide Mahluf 

ISBN: 9756469013 

sulekitap@yahoo.com 

Arılar Ülkesi (The Land of Bees) is a utopian 

novel with a social-political theme. 

A nation’s struggle for existence is depicted 

in a gripping style as a novel. In terms of 

thought and reflection, Arılar Ülkesi is 

similar to Gulliver’s Travels, Utopia and 

The Land of Sun. 

0 1 5

0 1 6 


A . A L İ U R A L 

A. Ali Ural was born in Ladik, Samsun in 1959. He received his elementary school 

education in Ankara and then studied Literature and Theology in Riyadh. A. Ali 

Ural’s first poem was published in the journal Mavera (1982). He founded Şule 

Publishing and his poems, stories and articles were published in Merdiven Sanat 

and Kitaphaber magazines. A. Ali Ural is currently the vice-president of the Turkish 

Writers Association. He has a weekly column in Zaman newspaper. He has been 

teaching creative writing at different institutions in Istanbul for fifteen years. 

WORKS: Körün Parmak Uçları (Finger Tips of the Blind, Poems, 1998), Posta 

Kutusundaki Mızıka (Harmonica in the Mail Box, Essays, 1999), Yangın Merdiveni 

(Fire Escape Stairs, Stories, 2000), Makyaj Yapan Ölüler (The Dead Putting on 

Make-up, Essays, 2004), Resimde Görünmeyen (What Can’t be Seen in the Painting, 

Essays, 2006), Kuduz Aşısı (Rabies Vaccine, Poems, 2006), Güneşimin Önünden 

Çekil (Do not Block My Sun, Novel, 2007), Satranç Oynayan Derviş (The Chess 

Playing Dervish, Essay2008). 

YANGIN MERDİVENİ 

FIRE ESCAPE STAIRS 

Pojarna stılba, Bulgarian 

133 pages, Short Story 

Translated by Mariya Leontic 

ISBN:9756841516 

info@aliural.com.tr, aliural@hotmail.com 

We are all trying to escape from 

something. We successfully escape from 

our lives, from the ones we hate or love, 

from our responsibilities… But upon 

reading Yangın Merdiveni (Fire Escape 

Stairs) , we realise that we are only 

running away from ourselves. The loving 

arms, which will embrace us in the end, 

are nothing but loneliness.

A L P E R C A N I G Ü Z 

Alper Canıgüz was born in Istanbul in 1969, completed his secondary school 

education at Dârüşşafaka High School and undertook his further education at the 

Department of Psychology at Boğaziçi University. He began writing at high school, 

and published his first novel, Tatlı Rüyalar (Sweet Dreams), in 2000. His other 

novels are entitled Oğullar ve Rencide Ruhlar (Sons and Tormented Souls, 2004) and 

Gizli Ajans (Secret Agent, 2008) His first novel, Tatlı Rüyalar (Sweet Dreams), was 

described as a psycho-absurd romantic comedy. It is a parody of a novel, which flows 

in a festive manner with its strange characters and fantastical stories. In Sons and 

Tormented Souls, he persists with a similar style; on the one hand he abides by all the 

rules and conventions of a detective novel, while on the other hand satirizing them. 

OĞULLAR VE RENCİDE RUHLAR 

SONS AND TORMENTED SOULS 

Galata Edition , Germany 

Translated by Oliver Kontny, 204 pages, Novel 

ISBN: 9750502051 

www.iletisim.com.tr, iletisim@iletisim.com.tr 

In Sons and Tormented Souls, Alper Canıgüz 

tells the story of a five year old boy who finds 

himself in a mysterious adventure in the 

throes of his daily life. Taking advantage 

of his young age, this insightful and smart 

child with philosophical talents turns out 

to be the one able to solve this mystery. The 

neighbours and the neighbourhood itself are 

revealed as authentic characters unfolding 

in the story. An ambitious literary work 

uniting the genres of thriller, fantasy and 

humour. 

0 1 7

0 1 8 


A S L I E R D O Ğ A N 

Aslı Erdoğan was named as one of the “fifty writers who will be remembered” 

by the French journal, Lire. From her first book onwards it was evident that she 

offered a different kind of narrative: melancholy stories and a rich language that 

effectively conveys the tale to the reader. These characteristics feature prominently 

in the the novel which made her popular, Kırmızı Pelerinli Kent (The City in a 

Crimson Cloak,1998). The book is one of the most important narratives in recent 

Turkish literature and has been translated into many languages. Her short story 

“Tahta Kuşlar” / “Wooden Birds”, which received an award in Berlin in 1997, is also 

considered one of her most important narratives. Her other works include; Kabuk 

Adam (Shell Man, novel, 18th edition), Mucizevi Mandarin (Miraculous Mandarin, 

novel, 7th edition), Kırmızı Pelerinli Kent (The City in a Crimson Cloak, novel, 7th 

edition), Hayatın Sessizliğinde (In the Silence of Life, essays), Bir Delinin Güncesi 

(The Diary of a Mad Woman, essays), Bir Kez Daha (One More Time, essays) Bir 

Yolculuk Ne Zaman Biter (When a Journey Ends), Taş Bina ve Diğerleri (Stone 

Building and Others, stories) 

Foreign Rights: Mucizevi Mandarin/The Miraculous Mandarin: (Edition Galata, 

Germany), (Actesud, France), (Buybook, Bosnia Herzegovina), (Ramus, Sweden), 

(Gyldendal, Norway); Kırmızı Pelerinli Kent/The City in Crimson Cloak (Soft Skull, 

USA), (Buybook, Bosnia Herzegovina), (Aton Odd., Bulgaria), (Unions, Germany), 

(Cadmus, Syria), (Zamus, Switzerland), (Gyldendal, Norway), (Actes Sud, France) 

KIRMIZI PELERİNLİ KENT 

THE CITY IN CRIMSON CLOAK 

Soft Skull, USA, 2007, 144 pages, Novel 

Translated by Amy Spangler 

ISBN: 9789752893580 

LaurePecherlpecher@pierreastier.com 

Özgür, having deserted her past and secluded herself 

from the outer world, is poor, hungry, and on the verge 

of a mental breakdown. She has a single weapon 

left in the all-out war she has declared against Rio 

de Janeiro: to write the city, which has trapped her 

and robbed her of everything. As we read the bits 

and pieces of Özgür’s unfinished novel, The City in a 

Crimson Cloak, with its autobiographical protagonist 

named, for the time being, only as Ö, we begin to put 

together the fragments of Özgür’s story. Meanwhile, 

the narrator tells us of a single day in Özgür’s life 

which is, in fact, her last.

A S L I T O H U M C U 

Aslı Tohumcu was born in 1974. She continued her studies in the English Language 

and Literature Department at Istanbul University, but left during the third year. She 

has worked consecutively at Varlık, Mitos (both, literary journals) and at Yapı Kredi 

Publishing House. Her first short story was published in 1992, in Varlık. For a while, 

she worked on poetry with poets contributing to the literary magazines, Sombahar 

ve Ludingirra and had her own poems and articles published there as well. She has 

made a documentary, with Kerem Eryavuz, as a supplement to Abis. She is currently 

working as a freelance writer in Istanbul. 

WORKS: Yok Bana Sensiz Hayat (No Life without You), Abis. 

Foreign Rights: Yok Bana Sensiz Hayat/No Life Without You (Steno, Bulgaria), 

(Cadmus, Syria), (Ruffel,Germany) 

YOK BANA SENSİZ HAYAT 

NO LIFE WITHOUT YOU 

Steno, Bulgaria, 2007 


Translated by Ayser Ali 

ISBN: 9789544493240 


Yok Bana Sensiz Hayat (No Life without 

You), tells the story of friendship becoming 

love, love becoming friendship, love turning 

into pain, anguish and inferno, because of 

the interference of others. 

This book, sometimes written in a fantastic, 

poetic style, sometimes more realistically, 

is the story of the journey made after losing 

one’s soul mate, or life partner and the 

quest to understand the reasons for this 

separation seen through the eyes of four 

characters: Mine, Adnan, Cumurkuşu and 

Sur. 

0 1 9

0 2 0 


A T A O L B E H R A M O Ğ L U 

Ataol Behramoğlu was born in Çatalca, Istanbul in 1942. He graduated from Çankırı 

High School and the Department of Russian Language and Literature in the Faculty 

of Language, History and Geography at Ankara University in 1966. He completed 

his masters degree at the University of Moscow and Paris-Sorbonne University, and 

his doctorate at Istanbul University. His first book of poetry Bir Ermeni General (An 

Armenian General) was published in 1965. With his second book Bir Gün Mutlaka 

(Certainly One Day, 1970), he became one of the pioneering poets of his generation. 

In addition to his books of poetry, he published works in the genres of drama, 

essay, travel writing, children’s literature and translation. He is the recipient of the 

international Lotus Literary Award given by the Asia Africa Writers Association 

(1981) and the Puşkin Medal awarded by the Russian Federation (2007). His poems 

have been published in various languages, both as books and individually in 

magazines and anthologies. He is currently a columnist for Cumhuriyet newspaper, 

and a professor of Russian Language and Literature at Beykent University. 

YAŞADIKLARIMDAN ÖĞRENDİĞİM BİR ŞEY VAR 

I’VE LEARNED SOME THINGS 

The University of Texas at Austin, USA,2008 


Translated by Walter G. Andrews 

ISBN: 978-0-292-71969-9 

ataolb@yahoo.com 

I’ve Learned Some Things allows English 

language readers the rare opportunity to 

experience the work of Ataol Behramoglu, 

one of Turkey’s most celebrated poets. 

The sixty-six poems in this collection 

span the author’s extraordinary 

career and are stunning examples of 

the intense emotional quality of his 

work. Behramoglu celebrates the rich 

fabric of everyday life by exploring both 

personal and social struggles, sometimes 

employing a whimsical note.

A Y F E R G Ü R D A L Ü N A L 

Ayfer Gürdal Ünal was born in 1953; she graduated from the Üsküdar American 

Academy for Girls and then in 1975, from Istanbul University, the Department 

of Business Administration. She has worked as a manager for twenty years. Her 

first book, Doğum Gününde Gelen Ağaç (The Tree that Arrived on the Birthday) 

was published in 1996. This illustrated children’s book was followed by nine other 

illustrated children’s books, two novels for children ages 8 through 12 and three 

translated works for adults. The author, who has been in charge of the Çocuk Gözü 

column (Through Children’s Eyes) since June 2006 in the Dünya newspaper’s book 

insert, tries to emphasize the importance of children’s books in communication 

within families. The author has taught a course titled Contemporary Turkish 

Children’s Literature in the summer of 2007 at the Boğaziçi University Summer 

School. She is currently pursuing her master degree in Turkish Language and 

Literature at the same university. Ayfer Gürdal Ünal is a member of IBBY 

(International Board on Books for Young People) Turkey, SCWIB, Turkish Pen 

Association, and the Children’s Literature Association, USA. The author is fluent in 

English and can read and understand Spanish and Ottoman. 

TAKMA ADI GAGALI 

NICK NAMED PLATYPUS 

Sardes Verlag, Germany, 2008 

110 pages, Young Adult Novel 

Translated by İnci Pazarkaya 

ISBN: 9789944885256 

ahru@turk.net 

The book, addresses the issue of abuse that 

stems from gossiping, nicknaming, and 

insulting among girls, and points out the 

role and the responsibility of the audience 

in preventing this form of abuse. The novel 

depicts the tyranny of the “queen bee” Sema 

and her clique over a student who is new in 

school. This novel is about dealing with this 

tyranny and escaping its grip. 

0 2 1

0 2 2 


A Y F E R T U N Ç 

Ayfer Tunç, is a story writer and novelist who has been declared one of the most 

recent brilliant writers in Turkish literature. Her first short story book Saklı (Hidden 

1989 Yunus Nadi Short Story Award) has been critically acclaimed both by literary 

circles as well as by readers. Tunç graduated from the School of Political Sciences 

at Istanbul University and started working as a journalist for highly circulated 

periodicals and daily newspapers in 1989. She worked as editor-in-chief at Yapı 

Kredi Publishing House from 1999 to 2004. Tunç writes about the virtues of being 

a lonely city dweller and a human being, and with deep insight she describes the 

suffering it also brings. Her book Bir Maniniz Yoksa Annemler Size Gelecek (My 

Parents Will Visit You If You Aren’t Occupied: Our Life in the ‘70s) first published in 

2001, won the International Balkanika Literary Award in 2003 and was translated 

into six Balkan languages. The same year her screenplay Havada Bulut (Cloud in the 

Sky) inspired by Sait Faik’s short stories, was filmed and televised. 

WORKS: Saklı (Hidden), Kapak Kızı (Cover Girl), İkiyüzlü Cinsellik (Hypocritical 

Sexuality), Mağara Arkadaşları (Cave Friends), Aziz Bey Hadisesi (Aziz Bey 

Incident), Bir Maniniz Yoksa Annemler Size Gelecek (My Parents Will Visit You If 

You Aren’t Occupied), Ömür Diyorlar Buna (If They Call This Life) Belki Varmış Belki 

Yokmuş (Maybe It Exists, Maybe It Doesn’t). 

Foreign Rights: Aziz Bey Hadisesi /The Mr. Aziz Phenomenon (Fan Noli, Albanian); 

Bir Maniniz Yoksa Annemler Size Gelecek / My Parents Will Visit You If You Aren’t 

Occupied (Cadmus, Syria) 

AZİZ BEY HADİSESİ 

AZİZ BEY INCIDENT 

Fan Noli, Albania, 2008 


Translated by Orkida Muça 

ISBN: 9789994352371 


Aziz Bey is the most genuine and saddest 

hero of Ayfer Tunç’s fictional world; 

a world usually portraying stories of 

scarred lives, lives that are wasted 

because of human frailties and mistakes. 

Some readers are struck by the tangible 

presence of such a character when 

reading the story of Aziz Bey.

A Y L A Ç I N A R O Ğ L U 

Ayla Çınaroğlu was born in Ankara in 1939. She graduated from the State Academy 

of Fine Arts in 1961. Since 1972, she has written for children, and illustrates some of 

her books. Her first book, Yedi Kapılı Kent (The City Of Seven Gates) was published 

in 1977. Her tales and poems are published in magazines and language lesson books 

for Turkish children in foreign countries. She works towards promoting literacy 

by speaking at libraries, schools, and universities. Her theatrical works, Miğfer 

(Helmet), Al Takkeli Dev (The Giant with the Red Cap) and Boş Kaplumbağa (Empty 

Turtle) have been produced for theatres. Of the 58 titles which she currently has in 

circulation, she has received awards for the following works: Mut Teyze’nin Bahçesi 

(The Garden of Aunt Mut, Poem Story), Miğfer (Helmet, Play), Kara Yusuf (Black 

Yusuf, Tale), Beyaz Benekli At (White Spotted Pony, Stories),Uzay Güzeli (Space 

Beauty, Screenplay), Küçük Mor Balık (Little Purple Fish, Poem Story), Yaşasın Kar 

Yağıyor (Hurray, it’s Snowing, Story) and Veli’nin Kurabiyesi (Veli’s Cookie, Story), 

Tülüş (Novel). 

Foreign Rights: Mut Teyze’nin Bahçesi/The Garden of Aunt Mut (Iran), Beyaz 

Benekli At/White Spotted Pony (The Netherlands), Küçük Mor Balık/Little Purple 

Fish (Egypt) 

MUT TEYZE’NİN BAHÇESİ 

THE GARDEN OF AUNT MUT 

Andisheh Farzanegan, Iran, 2007 

36 pages, Children’s Book 

Translated by Mohammad Reza Mehrafza 

ISBN: 978975580298 

ucanbalik@ucanbalik.com.tr 

aylacinaroglu@gmail.com 

In a country, all shades of green decide to leave one 

day because of the air pollution caused by excessive 

industrialisation. Shades of green are now replaced by 

shades of black and grey. The greens hues meet, there 

in the sky, with other shades of green which have also 

left their respective countries for reasons such as inertia, 

insensitivity, and fires. As all shades of green prepare 

to abandon the world, thinking that there is no place 

for them to live, a bird advises them to visit Aunt Mut’s 

garden. Despite the fact that she is blind, Aunt Mut takes 

good care of her garden. All those shades of green go 

there and settle down in the garden. This intensive green 

allows Aunt Mut to regain her eyesight. People outside 

are jealous and apathetic with this gleam in the garden. 

Some of them attempt to steal some of the green, but 

fail since the green of each and every branch and leaf 

return to the garden. However, two children ask Aunt 

Mut for a pot of flowers, promising to take very good care 

or them. And then some other children follow suit... With 

each seedling she hands out, she loses her sight little by 

little, but Aunt Mut continues to hand them out since 

one of the paths to happiness is to distribute it. Sensitive 

children will help the colour green find its place in the 

world once again. 

0 2 3

0 2 4 


A Y L A K U T L U 

Ayla Kutlu was born in Antakya in 1938 and after graduating from the Faculty 

of Political Sciences in 1960, she worked in various institutions for 20 years. She 

became a professional literary writer in 1975 and since her retirement in 1980, she 

has been intensively producing literary works. She is interested in various areas of 

literary genres, such as novels, stories, children’s novels, movie scripts, scenario 

writing, introductory papers, documentaries, conversation and radio plays. 

Ayla Kutlu was awarded with the first movie script prize at the 13th Antalya Meeting 

on Cinema and History (with Tunç Başaran and Macit Koper), and the Altın Koza 

Scenario Prize. Five of her stories have been adapted for cinema. She was awarded 

with the Madaralı Novel Prize for her most famous work Bir Göçmen Kuştu/He was a 

Migrating Bird in 1986. 

WORKS: Kaçış (Escape), Islak Güneş (Wet Sun), Cadı Ağacı (Witch Tree), Tutsaklar 

(Prisoners), Bir Göçmen Kuştu O (She Was a Migrant Bird), Hoşçakal Umut 

(Farewell Hope) , Kadın Destanı (Women’s Legend), Hüsnüyusuf Güzellemesi 

(Sweet Words for Hüsnüyusuf ) , Sen de Gitme Triyandafilis (Don’t Go 

Triyandafilis), Mekruh Kadınlar Mezarlığı (Sinful Women’s Graveyard). 

Foreign Rights: Sen de Gitme Triyandafilis/Don’t You Go Triyandifilis! (German), 

Merhaba Sevgi/ Hello Love (Macedonian) 

SEN DE GİTME TRİYANDİFİLİS 

DON’T GO TRIYANDAFILIS 



Translated by Beatrix Caner 

ISBN: 9754942013 

ozlem@bilgiyayinevi.com.tr 

info@bilgiyayinevi.com.tr 

The book includes nine stories on 

imaginary beauty. The stories are 

basically about women against the 

background of a cultural mosaic of 

thousands of pieces. The stories are 

written in fabulous Turkish. Don’t you go 

Triyandafilis presents unique pleasures 

to the reader thanks to its emotional 

melancholy. The story of the same title 

brought the Altın Koza award to the 

author.

A Y S E L G Ü R M E N 

Aysel Gürmen was born in Cyprus in 1956. She studied Business Administration 

and Science Education at Bosphorus University. She continued her studies in 

Non-Formal Education at the same University. She started writing for children in 

1992. She is well known as the author of the Selen’in Öyküleri (Selen’s Stories) series 

(consisting of 12 books). Children and parents alike are great fans of the series in 

Turkey. Currently, she has 42 books in circulation and has been granted 6 awards by 

different institutions. 

Foreign Rights: Kuli’nin Rüyası/Kuli’s Dream (Safeer Publishing, Egypt), Şıkırdağın 

Çıngırağı/The Rattling Bell (Talisa Kinderbuch, Germany), Ninemin Hazinesi/ 

My Grandma’s Treasure (Oraman-Iran) 

NİNEMİN HAZİNESİ 

MY GRANDMA’S TREASURE 

Oraman Publishing, Iran 


Translated by Nilufar Olfat-Shayan 

ISBN: 9789755870830 

ucanbalik@ucanbalik.com.tr 

One of the books in the Ninem (My 

Grandma) series, Ninemin Hazinesi (My 

Grandma’s Treasure), brings the concepts of 

opposites, the cause and effect relationship, 

the topics of neighbourhood, mountain 

houses and seasons, together with life 

within the flow of entertaining stories. The 

poetic diction of the writer in these stories 

reinforces the memory capacity in children. 

The friendship of the grandmother and the 

grandchild helps children regard the elders 

in the family not only as old people but as 

friends. The friendship of a small child and 

an elderly person. Poetic stories moulded 

with ideals and emotions. 

0 2 5

0 2 6 


A Y S E L Ö Z A K I N 

Aysel Özakin studied French Literature in Poitiers and worked as a lecturer 

in Istanbul and as a guest lecturer at Frankfurt Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

University. She won two major Turkish literary prizes (Sabahattin Ali and Madaralı). 

Her works published in Turkish include novels such as Gurbet Yavrum (My Child 

the Foreign Lands, 1975), Alnında Mavi Kuşlar (Blue Birds on Your Forehead, 1978), 

Genç Kız ve Ölüm (The Young Girl and Death,1980), Mavi Maske (Blue Mask,1988), 

Güzellik Acısı (Pain of Beauty, 2006) and short story books entitled Sessiz Bir 

Dayanışma (A Silent Solidarity,1976) and Kanal Boyu (Along the Canal, 1981). 

Abroad she received several fellowships and grants, among them Gunter Grass, 

Worpswede, Valporariso and Yaddo. Özakin is an author with a multi-layered 

literary identity. In her novels and plays, she transcends the notions of culture, 

background, relationship and identity. 

Foreign rights: Mavi Maske/Blue Mask (German),Gurbet Yavrum/My Child the 

Foreign Lands (German), Genç Kız ve Ölüm/The Young Girl and Death (German) 

ALNINDA MAVİ KUŞLAR 

BLUE BIRDS ON YOUR FOREHEAD 

Luchterhand Literaturverlag, Germany, 1989 


Translated by Carl Koss 

ISBN: 9789944122146 

georgina.ozer@yordamkitap.com 

This novel examines the ongoing clash 

between three forces: individuals aiming 

at self-fulfilment, intellectual and 

emotional emancipation, the political 

activists who give absolute priority to 

social and political engagement and the 

reactionary forces who want to eliminate 

them both. The representatives of these 

three ideologies fight for their cause on 

a May first celebration in Istanbul which 

ends in a massacre mise en scene both 

by external and internal dark forces. This 

novel has been awarded the Madaralı 

Prize in Istanbul and has been highly 

acclaimed for creating a lyrical and 

political atmosphere.

A Y Ş E K İ L İ M C İ 

Mainly an author of short stories, Ayşe Kilimci also writes essays and children’s 

books. She has 30 books published thus far and around 30 waiting to be published. 

She was born and raised in İzmir; she has earned her living working as a social 

worker, where she has shared stories of different people from many walks of life, 

and her experience in this field has contributed to her writing career. Her first story 

appeared in Varlık, a popular literary magazine, when she was 17 and she completed 

her first book when she was 19. She thinks that short story writing is by far the most 

difficult type of writing which is really exhausting. To her, it means resistance. She 

resists injustice, cruelty and despair in the stories and shelters in her writing. She 

received several international story awards and was invited to participate in various 

literary events in different parts of Turkey as well as Europe. Kilimci’s favorites 

among her many books are Merhaba Dünya (Hello, World), Şu Ölüm Dedikleri (That 

Which They Call Death), Gül Bekçisi (Rose Keeper), Mucize Var mı Mehmet Abla? 

(Is There a Miracle, Mehmet Abla?), Ah Benim Akortsuz Kalbim (Oh, My Discordant 

Heart). 

Foreign Rights: Mucize Var Mıdır Memet Abla?/Is There a Miracle, Mehmet Abla? 

(France); Benim Adım Çocuk/My Name is Child (Yugoslavia) 

MUCİZE VAR MIDIR MEMET ABLA 

IS THERE A MIRACLE, MEHMET ABLA? 

Forum Femmes Mediterranee de Marseille, France 


ISBN: 9753313764 

www.znn.com.tr 

“The story is people forgetting everything and 

being grateful for being alive; it is the north star 

of not being lonely. It is a bullet shot through the 

dark night. Even if it does not untangle the knot, it 

is resonant. Mothers can prepare their daughters’ 

throne but not their good fortune. Now, that 

good fortune is the story... Everyone weaves his 

or her own story, the mistakes and faults in the 

loops alike are their own making. This book, like 

others, bears that intense, wild, and complicated 

theme of my heart, my mind, and my personal 

adventure. In between the lines are humor for 

all of us, of all colors and languages that make 

Turkey what she is. I have tremendously enjoyed 

writing it, I’m still laughing. You, too, remember, 

as you enter this house of mirrors of laughter, that 

tears and laughter are intertwined... “There sure 

are miracles!” insists little Mehmet in the story 

entitled “Yıldızları Dinle” (Listen to the Stars) 

which received several awards. Is there? “Sure 

there is,” he says, taking the miracle from the 

rainbow to Istiklal Street... Let there be a miracle, 

let dreams reach the sky, let there be fewer 

dungeons and let hope come to life…” 

0 2 7

0 2 8 


A Y Ş E K U L İ N 

Ayşe Kulin graduated from the American College, Turkey and worked as an editor for 

several newspapers and magazines and in the film industry. Her first novel entered 

the bestseller lists and sold more than 400.000 copies and she holds many fiction 

awards for her works. She has been nominated as author of the year by several 

organizations on a number of occasions and her works have been translated into 

many languages. 

WORKS: Adı: Aylin (Name: Aylin, Biography, 89.edition), Babama (To My 

Father, Poems), Bir Gün (One Day, Novel), Bir Varmış Bir Yokmuş (Once Upon a 

Time, Stories), Foto Sabah Resimleri (Photo Morning Pictures, Stories), Füreya 

(Biography), Geniş Zamanlar (Present Tenses, Stories), Güneşe Dön Yüzünü (Turn 

Your Face to Sun, Stories,12. edition), İçimde Kızıl Bir Gül Gibi/(Like a Red Rose 

within Me, Essay), Köprü (Bridge, Novel, 48. edition), Bir Tatlı Huzur (Sweet 

Peace, Biyografi, 7. Edition), Sevdalinka (Novel, 55. edition), Nefes Nefese (Last 

Train to Istanbul, Novel), Umut - Hayat Akan Bir Sudur (Hope - Life is like Flowing 

Water, Novel) Gece Sesleri (The Voices of the Night, Novel), Veda (Farewell, Novel), 

Kardelenler (Snowdrops, Research). 

NEFES NEFESE 

LAST TRAIN TO ISTANBUL 

Ramsey, France, 2009 


ISBN: 9752894532 


Based on a real event during the World 

War II…The marriage of Selva, daughter 

of an old Ottoman General, to Rafael, 

a Jewish Turk, is denounced by both 

families. The young couple moves to 

France. But their newfound peace is 

shattered with the start of World War II 

and the arrival of Nazi forces to France. 

Now they have to pass each day in fear 

of being sent to a concentration camp. 

Their only hope is the Turkish diplomats 

who are trying to protect all Turkish 

citizens in Europe, while negotiating the 

tight rope between the Axis and the Allies 

without falling into the abyss of war.

A Y T Ü L A K A L 

Aytül Akal was born in 1952. Aytül Akal’s childhood dream was to become a writer 

or a poet. In 1973, she started writing professionally for magazines and has done 

so ever since. Her stories and poems have been published in different magazines 

and newspapers, and she has also written columns and conducted interviews for 

various publications. She has devoted herself completely to Children’s Literature 

since writing her first children’s book in 1991. She has given lectures, conducted book 

signings, and has endeavored to promote a reading culture in Turkey. She has also 

developed social projects that support children’s development. She has written fairy 

tales, stories, plays, novels, poems and has so far published 100 books. Some of her 

books have been translated into German, English, Spanish, Persian and Bulgarian. 

WORKS: Masallar Dizisi (Fairy Tales), Sihirli Kapı Dizisi (Magical Door Series), 

Mevsimler Kralı’nın Serüvenleri Dizisi (The King Of Seasons’ Adventures Series), 

Masallar (Fairy Tales), Fil Masalları (Elephant Tales), Ağaç Masalları (Tree Tales), 

Uzaylı Çocuk Masalları (The Space Child Tales), Çikolata Masalları (The Chocolate 

Tales), Güzel Dünyamıza Masallar (Tales To Our Lovely World), Orman Masalları 

(The Forest Tales), Kitap Masalları (The Book Tales), Uyku Masalları (The Sleep 

Tales), Çocuğuma Masallar (Tales To My Child), En Matrak Canavar Öyküleri (The 

Funniest Monster Stories), Öyküler (Stories), Süper Gazeteciler Dizisi (Super 

Journalists Series), Muhtelif Kitaplar (Miscellaneous Books), Çocuklar İçin Şiirler 

(Poetry For Children), Yetişkinler İçin Öyküler, Şiirler (Stories, Poetry For Adults). 

DİLEK AĞACI - THE WISH TREE 

Talisa Kinderbuch, Germany, 2008 


Translated by Pervin Tongay 

ISBN: 9783939619055 

aytul@levi.com.tr 

Trees are the heroes of each one of this series 

of fairy tales; “The Two Quarreling Trees”, 

“The Peace Tree” and “The Tree Who Loved to 

Travel”, which expresses children’s passion 

for going places. The Wish Tree is a tale which 

both, helps children to see that trees are 

living beings and encourages them to love 

school. “The Most Beautiful Tree of The World” 

tells the delightful story of seasonal change 

through a tree which changes its hair style... 

What do you think happens when the animals 

try to build an apartment block in the forest? 

What should you say to mysterious neighbours 

when the newcomers are going to destroy 

their trees and habitat? In these eco-friendly 

stories, we also come across numerous fairy 

tale heroes who are trying to remember which 

fairy tale they come from. 

0 2 9

0 3 0 


YAŞAR NE YAŞAR NE YAŞAMAZ 

A Z İ Z N E S İ N 

YAŞAR IS NEITHER ALIVE NOR DEAD 

Prunsoop Publishing, South Korea, 2006 


Translated by Nana Lee 

ISBN 89-7184-469-8 

nesinvakfi@nesinvakfi.org 

He was born in 1915 in Istanbul. Worked as a journalist and published satirical/ 

humoristic magazines. In 1979 he was elected general secretary of the Turkish 

Writers Union and was reelected to the same position for many years to follow. Aziz 

Nesin, who holds a very distinguished place not only in Turkish literature, but also 

in international satirical/humoristic literature, died in 1995. In his stories he gives 

us delightful, detailed pen portraits representing the whole cross-section of Turkish 

society. He uses Turkish folk literature elements in his stories and employs an 

anecdotal or satirical style to criticise social problems. Aziz Nesin introduced modern 

satirical writing techniques into Turkish literature and opened the way for younger 

generations of satirical writers. He was awarded several literary prizes at home and 

abroad. 

Some of Works: Novels: Kadın Olan Erkek (The She-Man), Gol Kralı Sait Hopsait 

(The Goal King Sait Hopsait), Erkek Sabahat (Tomboy), Saçkıran (Ringworm), Zübük, 

Şimdiki Çocuklar Harika (Today’s Kids are Wonderful), Tatlı Betüş (Sweet Betüş), 

Yaşar Ne Yaşar Ne Yaşamaz (Yaşar is Neither Alive nor Dead), Surname (Hayri the 

Barber Surnamé), Tek Yol (The Only Way); Stories: Fil Hamdi (Hamdi the Elephant), 

Damda Deli Var (There’s a Madman on the Roof), Toros Canavarı (The Monster of 

the Toros Mountains), Bay Düdük (Mr Whistle), Gözüne Gözlük (You Need a Pair of 

Glasses), Ah Biz Eşekler (Us Donkeys), Yüz Liraya Bir Deli (A Madman for Hundred 

Liras), Biz Adam Olmayız (We Can’t Be Men), Sosyalizm 

Geliyor Savulun (Socialism is Coming: Stand Aside), Vatan 

Sağolsun (For the Good of the Country), Maçinli Kız İçin 

Ev (Home for a Girl from Maçinli), Memleketin Birinde (In 

One Country), Hoptirinam, Uyusana Tosunum (Go to Sleep 

Fatty), Aziz Dededen Masallar (Tales from Grandpa Aziz). 

One of the greatest Turkish satirical writers, Aziz Nesin’s 

Yaşar Ne Yaşar Ne Yaşamaz book is a fine example of Turkish 

satire which illustrates a universal truth. For this book, 

Aziz Nesin was awarded the Madralı Novel Prize, in 1978. 

Yaşar Yaşamaz is a person who is alive, but seems to have 

died according to the registry office. The whole problem 

starts when he tries to get an identity card for his son at the 

beginning of the school year. Yaşar Yaşamaz, who has given 

up hope of obtaining an identity card for himself, fights 

against all the bureaucracy in order to get an identity card for 

his son. However, the identity card is refused on the grounds 

that he himself has died before the child was born, therefore, 

he does not exist. Yaşar loses his mind and goes insane. 

He is put in prison from where he tells his story.

B A R I Ş M Ü S T E C A P L I O Ğ L U 

Bariş Müstecaplıoğlu was born in the city of İzmit in 1977. He is a graduate of 

Boğaziçi University’s Department of Civil Engineering. His stories have been 

published in magazines such as Yaşasın Edebiyat, Varlık and Kitap-lık. He received 

the İffet Esen Short Story Award in 1995. He wrote his first novel, Korkak ve Canavar 

(The Coward and the Beast, 2002) at theage of 22. The Coward and the Beast 

was the first book of the fantasy series Perg Efsaneleri (The Perg Legends), which 

continued with Merderan’ın Sırrı (The Secret of Merderan, 2002), Bataklık Ülke 

(Marsh Country, 2004) and Tanrıların Alfabesi (The Alphabet of the Gods, 2005) In 

December 2005, his novel Şakird (Şakird), which is about Islamic communities and 

one man’s search for the meaning of life, was published. Kardeş Kanı (Brother’s 

Blood, 2006) and Bir Hayaldi Gerçekten Güzel (Beautiful Dreams, 2009). He also 

wrote a children’s book, Hodi Podi (Hodi Podi). 

Foreign Rights: Kardeş Kanı/Brother’s Blood (Maletz, Poland), Korkak ve Canavar 

/The Coward And The Beast (Arka,Bulgaria), Merderan’ın Sırrı/The Secret of 

Merderan (Arka,Bulgaria) 

KARDEŞ KANI 

BROTHER’S BLOOD 

Maletz, Poland, 2008, 240 pages, Novel 

Translated by Mikolaj Sobczak, Anna Sobczak 

ISBN: 9789752893528 


With the plot of a riveting detective novel, 

Müstecaplıoğlu sheds light on the lives of street 

children, their plight a bleeding social wound, 

thus refreshing our social memories as readers 

in this touching and engrossing novel.Two of 

the heroes of this gripping detective novel, set 

in the streets of Istanbul, are two children who 

have landed on the streets: Tamer and Murat. 

What they create over time is an ever-expanding 

organization: Brotherhood. Then, a journalist 

is killed and an act of terror shocks the country, 

all triggered by the bloody pursuit of a young 

woman looking for her brother’s murderers… A 

novel that reads like a fast-paced detective film, 

Kardeş Kanı is the story of street violence and 

the criminal organizations that profit from it. 

0 3 1

0 3 2 


B E H İ Ç A K 

YAZAR YÜKSEK TANSİYONLU ÇINAR AĞACI 

THE PLANE TREE THAT HAD HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE 

Schulbuchverlag Anadolu, Germany, 2007 

Behiç Ak was born in 1956; he is a cartoonist, writer of children’s books, playwright 

and documentary filmmaker. Behiç Ak studied architecture at Yıldız University and 

Istanbul Technical University. His children’s books have been published in Turkey, 

Japan and Korea and his cartoon strip books have been published in Turkey and 

Germany. His cartoons have been exhibited in many cities in Turkey, as well as in 

Holland, Germany and Sweden. Ak’s plays have been staged in many theatres both at 

home and abroad. His 1994 documentary film, “the History of Censorship in Turkish 

cinema - Black Curtain,’’ won the Best Documentary award, in the same year, at the 

Ankara Film Festival. Many of his works have been translated into German. 

WORKS: Plays: Fay hattı ( Fault Line), Tek Kişilik Şehir (One Person City), Bina 

(Building), Ayrılık (Separation), Hastane (Hospital), İmaj Katili (The Image Murderer), 

Newton Bilgisayardan Ne Anlar (What Would Newton Know about Computers ?), 

Benim Küçük Global Köyüm (My Little Global Village), İki Çarpı İki (Two Times 

Two), Children’s Books: Yüksek Tansiyonlu Çınar Ağacı (The Plane Tree That Had 

High Blood Pressure), Gökdelene Giren Bulut (The Cloud That Floated into the 

Skyscraper), Büyükannem ve Miyop Ejderha (My Grandma and the Short-sighted 

Dragon), Uyurgezer Bir Fil (A Sleepwalking Elephant), Rüzgârın Üzerindeki Şehir (The 

City Above the Wind), Kedi Adası (Cat Island), Bizim Tombiş Taştan Hiç Anlamıyor 

(Our Fatty Doesn’t Know Anything About Stones), Ben Ne Zaman Doğdum (When 

Was I Born?), Benim Bir Karışım (My Hand Span), Tombiş Maskeli Baloya Katılmak 

İstemiyor (Fatty Doesn’t Want to go to the Masked Ball), Karadenizdeki 

Yunus (Black Sea Dolphin), Doğum Günü Hediyesi (The Birthday Present), 

Ayşe’nin Bulut Projesi ( Ayşe’s Cloud Project), Dikkat Su ( Look out Water), 

Dikkat Dünya (Look out World), Bilyalar (Marbles), Kim Kime Dum Duma ( 

Do Your Own Thing), Ben Yapmadım Ögretmenim (It Wasn’t Me Sir), Galiba 

Seni Seviyorum (I Think I Love You), Ne Biçim Kurbağasın Sen? (What Kind 

of Frog are You?), Iletişim Karikatürleri (Communication Cartoons), Zelzele 

(Quake), Was Kümmerts Mich? (What do I Care?), Yıldızların Tembelliği 

(The Stars’ Laziness). 

30 pages, Children’s Books, Translated by Sabina Adatepe 

ISBN: 9789944717113 

behicak@yahoo.com 

Ayşe and Ahmet spent all their time either sitting 

in their dad, Ibo’s lap, or right at the top of their 

village’s only tree, a huge plane tree. They believed 

that the tree had high blood pressure just like their 

dad. When you looked at the plane tree that had 

high blood pressure, from the mushroom topped 

roofs, or through the tiny windows of the village 

houses, the tree looked like a giant hovering over 

the sea. One day Ahmet shouted excitedly, “The 

plane tree has dried up!”

B E J A N M A T U R 

Bejan Matur was born of an Alevi Kurdish family in Maraş. She studied Law at 

Ankara University, but never practiced. In her university years, she was published 

in several literary periodicals. Her first book, Rüzgâr Dolu Konaklar (Winds Howl 

Through the Mansions, 1996), won several literary prizes. She published four more 

poetry books: Tanrı Görmesin Harflerimi (God Must Not See My Letters, 1999), Ayın 

Büyüttüğü Oğullar (Sons Reared by the Moon, 2002), Onun Çölünde (In His Desert, 

2002), and most recently İbrahimin Beni Terketmesi (Abraham Forsaking Me, 

2008). A collection from her poems was published in English as In the Temple of a 

Patient God (Arc Publications, 2004) and in German-French as Winddurchwehte 

Herrenhauser (PHI, 2006) and transaled into Catalan and Swedish. She is currently 

living in Istanbul and writing political and cultural commentaries in the daily press. 

IN THE TEMPLE OF PATIENT GOD 

Ark Publications, UK, 2004 


Translated by Ruth Cristie 

ISBN: 900072963 


“To read Bejan Matur is to walk into a 

windswept desert strewn with bones and 

broken bodies and stones stained red by 

absent gods. Nothing is whole; nothing 

explains itself; nothing lasts. Horsemen 

gallop out of the night only to fade into the 

mountains on the horizon. Gravestones 

line the roads. Ruined houses howl with 

wind while shepherds sing dirges about a 

shattered, scattered tribe left to wander 

in the dark. It is a haunted, desolate and 

fragmented landscape in which every stone 

glows with a grief beyond words...” 

Maureen Freely 

0 3 3

0 3 4 


B E K İ R Y I L D I Z 

Bekir Yıldız (Urfa - 1933, Istanbul - 1988) spent his childhood in Kastamonu, 

Gaziantep and Adana. He graduated from the Istanbul School of Printing House in 

1955. He went to Germany as a worker in 1962 and he worked there for four years. 

With the money he saved, he bought a printing machine and returned home to 

establish Asya Printing House in Istanbul. Later he shut down the printing house and 

became a full time writer. He collected his observations on Germany from the four 

years he lived there, in a book called Türkler Almanya’da (Turks in Germany, 1966). 

The theme of his second book came from the city of Urfa and surrounding areas, in 

this book he depicts the tales of Chief Reso. He was awarded the May Literary Award 

for his book Kara Vagon (The Black Wagon) in 1968, Sait Faik Short Story Award for 

his book Kaçakçı Şahan (Sahan, the Smuggler) in 1970 and the Milliyet Publications 

Novel Award for his novel Darbe (The Coup) in 1990. In addition to his novels and 

short stories, he has also written interviews, articles and children’s books. 

Some of His Works: Short Stories: Kaçakçı Şahan (Sahan, the Smuggler), Sahipsizler 

(The Abandoned), Evlilk Şirketi (The Marriage Company), Beyaz Türkü (The White 

Song), Alman Ekmeği (German Bread), Dünyadan Bir Atlı Geçti (A Horseman Passed 

Through Earth), İnsan Posası (Human Pulp), Demir Bebek (The Steel Baby), Mahşerin 

İnsanları (People of Judgement Day), Bozkır Gelini (The Steppe Bride), Seçilmiş 

Öyküler (Selected Short Stories); Novels: Halkalı Köle (The Ringed Slave), Aile 

Savaşları (The Family Wars), Ve Zalim ve İnanmış ve Kerbela (And the Cruel and the 

Believer and Karbala), Darbe (The Coup), Kara Vagon (The Black Wagon); Children’s 

Books: Şahinler Vadisi (The Valley of Falcons), Canlı Tabanca (The Animated Gun), 

Arılar Ordusu (The Army of Bees), Ölümsüz Kavak (The Immortal Poplar Tree), Kör 

Güvercin (The Blind Dove). 

Foreign Rights: Evlilik Şirketi/The Marriage Company (The Netherlands), Halkalı 

Köle/The Ringed Slave (Russia). 

ÖLÜMSÜZ KAVAK 

THE IMMORTAL POPLAR TREE 

Rotendam Kunstishing, The Netherlands, 1982 


ISBN: 9759099837 

info@ozyurekyayinevi.com 

The Immortal Poplar Tree is the first book Bekir Yıldız wrote for children. 

The protagonist of the book is an immortal poplar tree which lives at a 

time when books are collected and burnt. The Immortal Poplar Tree is 

a story told by this poplar tree. Freedom is not something gained easily, 

because freedom has many enemies. Read what this little poplar tree has 

to say, and you will understand this as well.

B E Ş İ R A Y V A Z O Ğ L U 

Beşir Ayvazoğlu (1953, Sivas) graduated from the Department of Literature at the 

Institute of Education. He is a well-known journalist and television producer, but 

besides his identity as a journalist, he is also recognized as a man of letters due to 

his particular emphasis on literature and poetry in his essays. He has published 

voluminous biographies on Mevlânâ, Fuzuli, Yahya Kemal, Ahmet Haşim, Peyami 

Safa, Tarık Buğra and Nazım of Florina. He is a prominent representative of the 

otherwise rather inconspicuous community of Turkish conservative intellectuals. By 

managing to stay away from ideological fanaticism thanks to an objective attitude, 

he is able to produce works of informative value for the public at large. He is the 

editor-in-chief of the monthly Türk Edebiyatı Dergisi (Turkish Literature Revue). 

He has published books of poetry, novels, stories, plays and interviews. Besides 

addressing current cultural and literary issues in his newspaper column, he also uses 

the essay form to write on current social issues. 

Some of His Works: Aşk Estetiği (The Aesthetics of Love), Güller Kitabı (The Book 

of Roses), İslam Estetiği (The Aesthetics of Islam), Tarık Buğra Güneş Rengi Bir 

Yığın Yaprak (Tarık Buğra-A Pile of Gold Coloured Leaves), Defterimde Kırk Suret 

(Forty Figures in My Book), Peyami-Hayatı Sanatı Felsefesi Dramı (Peyami-His life, 

Art, Philosophy and Personal Drama), Siretler ve Suretler (Attitudes and Figures), 

Kuğunun Son Şarkısı (The Last Song of the Swan), Ömrüm Benim Bir Ateşti-Ahmet 

Haşim’in Hayatı Sanatı Estetiği Dramı (My Life was a Fire-Ahmet Hasim’s Life, Art 

and Philosophy and Personal Drama, Bozgunda Fetih Rüyası (Dream of Conquest 

during Defeat), Divanyolu-Bir Caddenin Hikâyesi (Divanyolu-The Story of a Street), 

1924-Bir Fotoğrafın Uzun Hikâyesi (1924-The Long Story of a Photograph), Neyin 

Sırrı (The Secret of the Ney), Yahya Kemal (Encyclopaedic Biography), Florinalı 

Nâzım ve Şaşaalı Edebî Hayatı (Nazım from Florina and his Glorious Literary Life), 

Yahya Kemal’in İstanbul’u (Yahya Kemal’s Istanbul), Alatav’dan Şardağı’na (From 

Alatav to Sardag) 

İSLAM ESTETİĞİ - THE AESTHETICS OF ISLAM 

Logos A, Macadonia, 2002 

Translated by Ali Payaziti 

ISBN: 9753460309 

bilgi@kapiyayinlari.com 

The book explores the philosophical and spiritual background 

of Turkish and Islamic art. The book argues that the ban 

on image depiction led Islamic artists to steer away from 

figurative art towards the abstract, which resulted in a whole 

new aesthetic fed by Tasavvuf, and this went on to create 

dazzling pieces of art over the centuries. 

0 3 5

0 3 6 


5 ÇOCUK 5 İSTANBUL 

5 CHILDREN 5 ISTANBUL 

Elf Publishing, Georgia 

Translated by Tamar Alpenidze 

B E T Ü L S A Y I N 

32 pages, Children’s Book, Short Story 

ISBN: 9756227087 

info@gunisigikitapligi.com, 

hande@gunisigikitapligi.com 

Betül Sayın was born in Istanbul in 1958 and graduated from the Department 

of Architecture at the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts. She has been working as a 

professional illustrator since 1989. She has illustrated and prepared numerous 

children’s books and children’s magazines and some of her works have been 

published as UNICEF greeting cards. Sayın’s latest book 5 Çocuk 5 İstanbul (5 

Children 5 Istanbuls) featured on the International Board On Books for Young 

People (IBBY) Honours List in 2006 in the illustration category. The illustrator, who 

manages to take children on a trip into a dream world with her magical artwork, 

lives in Istanbul with her husband and daughter. 

Foreign Rights: 5 Çocuk 5 İstanbul/5 Children 5 Istanbuls (Elf Publishing, Georgia), 

(Edition Orient, Germany) 

Written and illustrated by Betül Sayın, the 

book depicts the story of pre-school children in 

Istanbul. The author relates the five different eras 

of Istanbul through five different characters. The 

colourful pictures and the unique structure of 

the book, which begins in the present and looks 

backwards to prehistoric times, offer children 

a unique reading and learning experience. 

Mert who lives in a crowded neighbourhood of 

present day Istanbul visits his ill grandmother. 

In his grandmother’s attic, he finds a fez which 

belongs to Hamdi who had lived in Ottoman 

Istanbul... Anxious to go to festivities held for the 

Ottoman Sultan, Hamdi finds a mirror decorated 

with purple stones in the Covered Bazaar when 

he goes there with his sister. The purple mirror 

belongs to Helen who had lived in the Byzantine 

era... An old coin sold in a shop catches the 

attention of Helen who goes to watch the races at 

the Hippodrome with her family. The coin bearing 

the figure of a fish belongs to Milya who helps 

his grandfather, a fisherman in Byzantion... The 

boat of Milya and his grandfather is filled with 

the fish they have caught. On the way back from 

the ceremony held at the temple, Milya finds an 

old piece of ceramic pottery on the street, a piece 

from a dish made by the mother of the Girl-witha-Bone-Hairpin, 

who lives in a cave near Istanbul 

in prehistoric times.

B İ L G E K A R A S U 

Bilge Karasu (1930-1995) graduated from the Philosophy Department of Istanbul 

University and taught at Hacettepe University for many years. One of Turkey’s 

most respected writers, he published four books of short stories, three novels and 

four collections of essays. His first novel Gece (The Night) is the winner of the 1991 

Pegasus Literature Award; Uzun Sürmüş bir Günün Akşamı (The Evening of a Very 

Long Day) won the 1971 Sait Faik Short Story Award, and the English translation of 

Karasu’s Göçmüş Kediler Bahçesi (The Garden of Departed Cats) by Aron Aji won 

the 2004 National Translation Award in the USA. Usually referred to as “the sage 

of Turkish literature,” Bilge Karasu is an influential reference point in the progress 

of Turkish fiction writing. A perfectionist, a philosopher, and a master of literary 

arts, he left behind a body of work, which skillfully outlines a world unmatched in its 

crystal clear transparency. 

Foreign Rights: Göçmüş Kediler Bahçesi/The Garden Of Departed Cats (Die 

Garten entschwundener Katzen, Literaturca, Germany), (New Directions, USA), 

(Scripta, Greece), (Amphora, Russia), (Estriendomudo, Peru); Gece/Night (Die 

Nacht, Literaturca, Germany), (Luisiana State University Press, USA), (La Nuit, La 

Difference, France), Uzun Sürmüş Bir Günün Akşamı/The Evening of a Very Long 

Day (Scripta, Greece) 

GÖÇMÜŞ KEDİLER BAHÇESİ 

THE GARDEN OF DEPARTED CATS 

New Directions, UK, 2003, 232 pages Novel 

Translated by Aron Aji 

ISBN: 9789753422296 


In an ancient Mediterranean city, a tradition is 

maintained: every ten years an archaic game of 

human chess is staged, the players (visitors versus 

locals) bearing weapons. The game may prove 

as fatal as the attraction our narrator feels for 

the local man who is the Vizier of the home team. 

Their “romance” provides the skeletal structure 

of the novel. Each of their brief interactions works 

as a single chapter. And interleaved between their 

chapters are a dozen fable-like stories, which 

work independently of the main narrative but, in 

curious and unpredictable ways echo and double 

its chief themes: love, its recalcitrance, and its 

refusal to be rushed… 

0 3 7

0 3 8 


B U K E T U Z U N E R 

Buket Uzuner was born in 1955, in Ankara. She graduated as a biologist from 

Hacettepe University. She has worked as a lecturer and researcher at universities in 

Turkey and abroad. Her first short story was published in Dönemeç magazine. Her 

stories and articles have been published in various periodicals like Yarın, Türk Dili, 

Oluşum, Varlık, Sanat Olayı, Cönk, Gergedan and Argos. She edited the women’s 

and travel sections in Rapsodi Magazine (1989, 1992). She served on the executive 

committee of the Turkish PEN Writers’ Association between 1993 and 1995. In 1989, 

she received a commendation at the Yunus Nadi Short Story competition and was 

awarded the Yunus Nadi Novel Prize in 1993, for her book, entitled, Balık İzlerinin 

Sesi (The Sound of Fish Steps). 

WORKS: Bir Fincan Türk Kahvesi (A Cup of Turkish Coffee), Şiirin Kızkardeşi Öykü 

(Tale, the Sister of Verse), Şairler Şehri (City of Poets), Karayel Hüznü (The Sorrow 

of the North Wind), Güneş Yiyen Çingene (The Sun Eating Gypsy), Ayın En Çıplak 

Günü (The Most Naked Day of the Month), Benim Adım Mayıs (My Name is May), 

İstanbullular (Istanbullites), Uzun Beyaz Bulut - Gelibolu (Long White Cloud - 

Gallipoli), Kumral Ada Mavi Tuna (Mediterranean Waltz), Balık İzlerinin Sesi (The 

Sound of Fish Steps), İki Yeşil Su Samuru (Two Green Otters), New York Seyir Defteri 

(New York Log Book), Bir Şehir Romantiğinin Günlüğü (The Diary of a City Romantic), 

Bir Siyah Saçlı Kadının Gezi Notları (Travel Notes of a Brunette). 

GELİBOLU-UZUN BEYAZ BULUT 

GALLIPOLI-LONG WHITE CLOUD 

Psichogios, Greece, 2005, 323 pages, Novel 

Translated by Thanos Zaragalis 

ISBN: 9752890296 

everest@alfakitap.com, 

www.istanbultelifofisi.com 

This is the amazing account of an eightyfive year old 

mystery, which unfolds through the chance encounter 

of two people, one, a young New Zealand woman 

who comes to Turkey to search for the grave of her 

grandfather who died in the battle for Gallipoli, the 

other, an old Turkish grandmother who wanders around 

Gallipoli National Park, hunched over her walking 

stick. This book tells the story of a period that currently, 

no country allows to be written in history books; it is a 

challenge to humanity. How can the same man be a war 

hero in two enemy countries? Can history be seen as a 

linear process? Should history be rewritten?

B U R A K T U R N A 

Burak Turna was born in Istanbul in 1975 and gained his university degree in 

Business Studies from the Girne American University in Cyprus. He then worked 

as a translator and economics reporter, occupying a variety of media posts. His 

writing career began with the sensational debut Metal Fırtına (Metal Storm), and 

his imagination has never ceased to amaze his readers since then. Metal Storm kept 

its top spot on the bestsellers list for fourteen weeks. Turna has published SistemA, 

which is about the rationale behind all his novels, including Metal Storm. 

Works: Metal Fırtına (Metal Storm, 4 volumes novels), Bigeran, SistemA, 3. Dünya 

Savaşı (3rd World War). 

Foreign Rights: Metal Fırtına/Metal Storm (Polish, Greek) 

METAL FIRTINA 

METAL STORM 

Livanis, Greece, 304 pages, Novel 

ISBN: 9752631096 

www.burakturna.com, info@burakturna.com 

Metal Storm is a political novel about a 

fictional war between the US and Turkey. 

The book has become so popular that it 

has also attracted the attention of Turkish 

government officials and the international 

media. The Christian Science Monitor 

has also described the book as “one of the 

fastest-selling books in Turkish history,” 

while the Chicago Tribune conducted an 

interview with the author. 

“The hottest selling book in Turkey is a 

thriller that portrays a fictional war between 

the United States and Turkey.” Chicago 

Tribune 

0 3 9

0 4 0 


C A H İ T K Ü L E B İ 

Cahit Külebi (1917-1997) graduated from the Turkish Language and Literature 

Department of a Teacher Training College in Istanbul. He worked as a literature 

teacher, then as chief inspector and as cultural undersecretary at the Ministry 

of Education. He retired in 1972, but continued to work for the Turkish Language 

Institution until 1983. From 1976 onwards he was chairman of the Turkish 

Language Institution. Cahit Külebi wrote about his experiences and collected facts 

relating to Anatolia and Turkey. He wrote poems from the perspective of workers 

who experienced the urban reality and lead urban lives during the social realism 

movement in the 1940s. Unlike other poets involved in this movement, Külebi wrote 

about his own experiences and not about the facts known to everyone. He observed 

Anatolia and Istanbul as well as life in the West. This surely affected his poetry, 

though not to a great extent because he established a strong link between the 

content and form of poetry. 

WORKS: Atatürk Kurtuluş Savaşında (Ataturk and the Independence War), Yeşeren 

Otlar (Greening Grass), Süt (Milk), Şiirler (Poems), Türk Mavisi (Turkish Blue), Sıkıntı 

ve Umut (Boredom and Hope), Yangın (Fire), Bütün Şiirleri (The Complete Poems), 

Güz Türküleri (Autumn Folksongs), Güzel Yurdum (My Beautiful Homeland), Zerdali 

Ağacı (The Wild Apricot Tree), İçi Sevda Dolu Yolculuk (Journey of Love), Şiir Her 

Zaman (Poetry Always), Ecem’in Günlüğü (Ecem’s Diary). 

LYRICS-SELECTED POEMS 

Bata Press, Macedonia, 2007 

Translated by Mariya Leontiç 

ISBN: 9789989819650 


bilgi@bilgiyayinevi.com.tr 

This book consists of 52 poems which are 

characterized by a bright “saz” sincerity, 

a Karacaoğlan like simplicity, together 

with a limpidity of language. The poems, 

from time to time, convey feelings of 

pessimism, insecurity and solitude. 

Half rhymes, inner voices, thoughts 

and feelings, ornamented by elegant 

metaphors make Cahit Külebi one of the 

most popular poets in Turkey.

C A H İ T Z A R İ F O Ğ L U 

He was born in 1940 in Ankara and graduated from the German Language and 

Literature Department at Istanbul University. He went twice to Germany in order 

to improve his German at the Goethe Institute, which allowed him the possibility 

of traveling around Europe and experiencing different cultures. In 1976 he was 

appointed translator/interpreter for the General Director of TRT (Turkish Radio 

Television). He continued to work at TRT for different departments and in different 

capacities until his death in 1987. When he died he was working as an inspector at 

TRT Istanbul Radio. Zarifoğlu became known for his distinctive style of poetry. His 

poems take the form of inner dialogues, without recourse to external voices. In his 

short stories, novels and diaries he reflects his poetic sensitivity. In his children’s 

books, fantasy, extraordinary reality and dreams blend into one. 

Some of His Works: İşaret Çocukları (Signpost Children), Yedi Güzel Adam (Seven 

Handsome Men), Menziller (Target Ranges), Yaşamak (Living), Serçekuş (Sparrow), 

Ağaçkakanlar (Woodpeckers), Katıraslan (Stubborn Lion), Yürek Dede ile Padişah 

(Grandpa Heart and the Sultan), Savaş Ritimleri (War Rhythms), Korku ve Yakarış 

(Fear and Prayer), Bir Değirmendir Bu Dünya (The World is a Wind Mill), Motorlu 

Kuş (The Engine-Powered Bird), Sütçü İmam, Gülücük (Smile), Ağaç Okul (Tree 

School). 

MOTORLU KUŞ 

THE ENGINE-POWERED BIRD 

Yalda Ghalam, Iran, 2008 


Translated by Muhammed Rıza Mehrafza 

ISBN: 9789645745620 

bilgi@beyanyayinlari.com 

Some creatures attach an engine to a 

swallow. Theswallow is really happy with it 

and in time, it forgets that it’s a swallow; its 

wings lose their strength and shrink, leaving 

only the flesh on its body to cling onto the 

engine and its beak becomes useless due to 

theconstant drumming on the dashboard 

so, one day, they decide to take off the engine 

to save the swallow. But, who attached the 

engine to the swallow in the first place? Why 

did they do it? Was the swallow saved in the 

end? The Engine-Powered Bird is a delightful 

account of this adventure. 

0 4 1

0 4 2 


SON CESET - THE LAST CORPSE 

Unionsverlag, Switzerland, 2008 


C E L İ L O K E R 

Translated into German by Nevfel Cumart 

ISBN: 9752931597 

www.turkuvazkitap.com 

Celil Oker was born in Kayseri, Talas, in 1952. After studying at Talas Amerikan 

Junior Shool, he graduated from Tarsus American High School. Subsequently, he 

moved to Istanbul and studied at Boğaziçi University. After graduating from the 

English Language and Literature department, he worked as a translator, journalist 

and encyclopedia writer. Currently he is working as a lecturer in the Communication 

Faculty at Bilgi University. 

WORKS: Kramponlu Ceset (Corpse With Cleats), Son Ceset (The Last Corpse), Rol 

Çalan Ceset (The Corpse that Stole the Role), Çıplak Ceset (The Naked Corpse), Bin 

Lotluk Ceset (The Thousand Lot Corpse) 

Foreign Rights: Kramponlu Ceset/Corpse with Cleats (Kastaniotis Editions, 

Greece), (Unionsverlag, Switzerland); Çıplak Ceset/ The Naked Corpse (Roca 

Editorial de Libros, Spain, 2006), (Uitgeverij Elmar, The Netherlands, 2006), Bin 

Lotluk Ceset (Kastaniotis Editions, Greece) 

The main character of Celil Oker’s 

novels, Detective Ünal, tries to get to the 

bottom of mysteries which are closely 

intertwined with politics, murder and 

shady dealings… When events start to 

unfold after the murder of one of his 

clients -a woman who asks the detective 

to take on an unpaid debt case- the 

plot starts to thicken and the pace 

becomes more frenetic. Readers find 

themselves swept along in a complex, 

but breathtaking adventure, made even 

more compelling by the unexpected twist 

at the end. The Last Corpse is the fifth in 

the Celil Oker detective series, in which 

he successfully recaptures the style of 

the classic detective novel. The author’s 

fluent prose and convincing dialogues 

reveal subtle aspects of contemporary 

life.

C E M M U M C U 

Cem Mumcu was born in 1966, in Akçaabat and is a medical doctor. He writes 

poems, short stories, novels, essays and critical reviews and won the Doruktakiler 

Story Prize in 2004. He works in the Communications Faculty at Marmara University, 

where he lectures on Creative Writing and the Psychology of Art. He also works as the 

general editor for OkuyanUs Publishing House. 

WORKS: Hassas Ruhlar Terazisi (Balance for Sensitive Souls), Hayal Kırıklığı 

(Disappointment), Makber (Grave), Muallakta - Araf’ta ve Düşte (In Limbo - In 

Purgatory and In a Dream), Sahici Aşklar Külliyatı (Real Love Compilation), Terapi 

Şeysi (Therapy Thing), Üçüncü Sayfa Güzeli (Page Three Girl). 

MAKBER 

GRAVE 

Ráció Kiadó, Hungary, 2007 


Translated by Edit Tasnadi 

ISBN: 9789639605299 


We are looking for one, single, definitive 

answer... What is it we want to know, 

comprehend and solve? Is it the details that 

we are after? Or just the same thing in all 

its detail? While we are being assailed by 

this clamour of detail, can we really find the 

answer in such a cacophony? Are we trying to 

understand why we are here, why we will go 

away or why we decide to stay here, knowing 

that we’ll leave one day anyway ? 

0 4 3

0 4 4 


C E M S E L C E N 

Cem Selcen was born in Istanbul in 1962. He completed his elementary and high 

school education in Bursa. In 1984, he received his degree from the Mechanical 

Engineering Department of Yıldız Technical University. His career, which started as 

a mechanical engineer, has continued as the manager of a nightclub. 

WORKS: Elmanın Suçu (Blame the Apple), Saat Kaçtır Acaba (What Time Is It?), 

1578, Öğle Paydosu (Lunch Break). 

Foreign Rights:Elmanın Suçu /Blame the Apple (Trud, Bulgaria) (Fan Noli, Albania) 

ELMANIN SUÇU 

BLAME THE APPLE 

TRUD Publishing House, Bulgaira 


Translated by Paulina Anastasova Mateeca 

ISBN: 9789755703244 


An international crime organization, 

an old man, a rape suspect, a lost gang 

member, two lovers drifting away, and 

an incredible robbery that extends from 

Havana, to Paris and finally to Istanbul... 

Blame the Apple begins in jail. The 

narrator, an anti-hero, is a privileged 

convict whose money affords him 

many privileges in jail. Although he is a 

professional robber, he had not always 

been an unlawful man. In fact, he is quite 

refined. Cem Selcen tells the story of 

this skillful criminal by touching on the 

stories of other people: his friends in jail 

as well as the accomplices with whom he 

robs the Istanbul branch of the Central 

Bank of Turkey.

C E M İ L K A V U K Ç U 

Cemil Kavukçu was born in 1951. He graduated from the Geophysical Engineering 

Department at Istanbul University. His short stories have been published in various 

journals since 1980. He is one of the best short story writers of recent years and 

bases his stories on ordinary people and ordinary lives, from which he creates a rich, 

colorful world. Two recurring features of his works are his focus on minute details 

and the strength of his dialogues, particularly his use of slang. Cemil Kavukçu 

succeeds in fashioning his own style through his use of lucid, uncomplicated 

language. 

WORKS: Suda Bulanık Oyunlar (Dirty Games in Water), Mimoza’da Elli Gram 

(Fifty Grams in Mimosa), Başkasının Rüyaları (Somebody Else’s Dreams), Bilinen 

Bir Sokakta Kaybolmak (Getting Lost in a Familiar Street), Dönüş (Return), Dört 

Duvar Beş Pencere (Four Walls, Five Windows), Gamba, Gemiler de Ağlarmış 

(Ships Also Cry), Nolya, Pazar Güneşi (Sunday Sun), Selo’nun Kuşları (Selo’s Birds), 

Temmuz Suçlu (July is Guilty), Uzak Noktalara Doğru (To Far Away Places),Yalnız 

Uyuyanlar İçin (For Those Who Sleep Alone), Angelacoma’nın Duvarları (The Walls 

of Angelacoma), Otobiyografik Bir Anlatı (An Autobiographical Story) 

BAŞKASININ RÜYALARI 

SOMEBODY ELSE’S DREAMS 




ISBN: 9750703383 

international@canyayinlari.com 

Readers of Somebody Else’s Dreams are 

struck by the strange connections between 

the stories. In this book Kavukçu prompts 

the readers to feel as if they are in search of 

the writer’s personal motivation for writing, 

as he himself draws back the curtain on his 

stories. As we pass through the sharp but 

blurred zone between fiction and reality, 

writer and narrator, hero and writer merge; 

the one melting into the other, resulting in 

our entering a world in which we don’t really 

know who is who. The use of the same heroes 

and same narrators links the stories to each 

other, giving us snapshots taken at different 

moments of the same life. 

0 4 5

0 4 6 


C E V A T Ç A P A N 

Cevat Çapan was born in Darıca in 1933 and studied English at Cambridge 

University. He later taught English Literature and Drama in the English Department 

of Istanbul University from 1960 to 1980, and worked as Professor of Drama in 

Mimar Sinan University from 1980 to 1996. He is currently Professor of English at 

the Yeditepe University in Istanbul. His first large collection of poems entitled Dön 

Güvercin Dön (Return Oh Dove!) was awarded the Behçet Necatigil Prize in 1986. 

His later poems were collected in four other volumes Doğal Tarih (Natural History, 

1989), Sevda Yaratan (Creator of Love, 1994), Ne Güzel Yolculukta Aklımdan Çıkmaz 

(I Cannot Forget What a Beautiful Journey It Was, 2001), and Bana Düşlerini Anlat 

(Tell Me Your Dreams, 2007). A selection of his poems was published in France under 

the title L’hiver est fini in 1996 and in Great Britain under the title Where Are You 

Susie Petchek. He has translated widely American and Greek poets from English into 

Turkish and has also edited anthologies of verse translation. 

Foreign Rights: A Selection from his poetry books Dön Güvercin Dön, Doğal Tarih, 

Sevda Yaratan: Where Are you, Susie Petsheck (Arc Publications, English), L’hiver est 

fini (Creaphis, French) 

WHERE ARE YOU, SUSIE PETSHECK 

Arc Publication, UK, 2001 


Translated by Michael Hulse and Cevat Çapan 

ISBN: 1900072432 

sevi.sonmez@ykykultur.com.tr 

yky@ ykykultur.com.tr 

A.S. Byatt says: “The poems of Cevat Çapan 

sound ancient and traditional, and yet they 

are recognizably related to modernism. They 

are rooted in Turkish life and literature and 

yet they are European, and beyond that, aware 

of a world literature which means something, 

and in which they have a place.” Rather than 

pessimistically dwelling on pain and sorrow, 

he looks to the good, to joy and hope, and his 

poetry, without ignoring life’s disappointments, 

has a knowledge and exaltation of joy and 

enthusiasm. Embracing friendship and 

humanity with the memories of a lifetime, a 

wind of optimism, calling from isolation, calling 

to isolation, blows through his poetry.

C Ü N E Y T Ü L S E V E R 

Dr. Cüneyt Ülsever (Ankara, 1951) graduated from the Department of Economics at 

Boğaziçi University. He completed his masters degree in International Relations at 

The Johns Hopkins University and in Economics at Colombia University. He pursued 

his doctorate in Human Resources and Economics between 1978 and 1983 at Harvard 

University. Ülsever worked in various management positions between 1983 and 1997 

and as a consultant between 1997 and 1999. He has been a columnist in Hürriyet and 

Daily News newspapers and a Human Resources consultant since 1999. The writer is 

known on the literary scene, particularly for his murder novels. 

WORKS: Novels: Kara Dul (Black Widow), Hacı (Hadji), Topal Devrimci Cinayeti (The 

Murder of the Crippled Reformist), Hisarüstü Cinayetleri (Hisarüstü Murders) 

Memoir: Teneke Evin Torunu (The Grandchild of the Tin House) Other works: Kendini 

Arayan Türkiye-Bir Siyaset Modeli Tezi (Turkey in Search of Herself-Thesis of a 

Political Model), 21. Yüzyılda Küreselleşme ve Türkiye Perspektifi-Siyaset Üzerine 

Bir Tez (Globalisation and the Perspective of Turkey in the 21st Century-A Thesis on 

Politics), Neden Liberalizm?-Liberal Teoriye Bir Bakış (Why Liberalism-A Look at 

Liberal Theory), Kendini Arayan Dünya-21. Yüzyılın Paradigmalarını Dünya Liderleri 

İrdeliyor (A World in Search of Herself-Paradigms of the 21st Century Explicates 

World Leaders), İnsan Yönetimi-21. yüzyılda Üretimin Temel Kaynağı İnsana Yeni Bir 

Bakış (Human Resources Management-A New Perspective on the Human Being, the 

Resource of 21st century Production), Huzura Yeniden Yolculuk: XXI. Yüzyılda Bütün 

İnsan (A Journey Back to the Peace of Mind-The Holistic Person in the 21st Century). 

Foreign Rights: Topal Devrimci Cinayeti/The Murder of the Crippled Reformist 

(Foremost Press, USA), Hisarüstü Cinayetleri/Hisarüstü Murders (Foremost Press, 

USA), Hacı/Hadji (Foremost Press, USA). 

HACI - HADJI 

Foremost Press, USA, 446 pages, Novel 

Tanslated by Mert Akcanbaş 

ISBN:9752891705 


26 August 1997… Time, 02.23… Place, Kayseri… 

Hayrullah Gesili, known as Hacı in the entire city of Kayseri, 

is jolted awake by a phone call in the middle of the night, 

informing him about the arrest of his brother as a suspect in a 

double homicide case. As Hacı approaches Ankara in his car, he 

journeys into his past as well. Homicide Detective Yağız Balcı 

realises that one of the slained victims is Sevil Ötüşken, known 

as “100% Sevil”, a consultant to foreign companies who bid 

in the Department of Defence and for government contracts 

in Turkey, the incident could be explained by “reasons” that 

go much “deeper.” Hacı is a follower of shariah who could be 

arrested just because of the salt and pepper beard hanging 

down to his chest, if it were left to the media. Without delay, 

newspapers announce headlines such as “Political homicide”, 

“Islamic green capital renders account in Ankara”, “The 

revenge for 28 February”. As he draws closer to the heart of the 

matter, Yağız Balcı will realise that even the facts behind “those 

that appear to have happened” can be altered, if necessary. 

0 4 7

0 4 8 


Ç E T İ N A L T A N 

Çetin Altan was born in Istanbul in 1927 and graduated from the Faculty of Law at 

Ankara University, but instead of practicing his career, he worked as a journalist for 

various newspapers. Meanwhile, his poems and short stories were first published in 

1946 and he has worked as a columnist in prominent newspapers for more than 60 

years. He currently works as a columnist for the newspaper Milliyet. Altan is a profilic 

writer with more than 50 published books (memoirs, novels, futuristic short stories, 

travel notes, theatrical plays, etc.). He is considered to be one of the leading writers 

of Turkish literature and has written more than 35,000 essays on various subjects. 

He has written 9 theatrical plays, which have all been performed by state and private 

theater groups. 

Foreign Rights: Büyük Gözaltı/The Great Surveillance (French, Swedish, Greek, 

Bulgarian, Romanian and Spanish); Bir Avuç Gökyüzü/A Handful of Sky (French, 

Swedish, Greek, Bulgarian, Romanian and Spanish); Küçük Bahçe/The Little Garden 

(French, Swedish, Greek, Bulgarian, Romanian and Spanish); Viski/Whisky (French, 

Swedish, Greek, Bulgarian, Romanian and Spanish) 

BÜYÜK GÖZALTI 

THE GREAT SURVEILLANCE 

Flammarion, France, 1992 


Translated by Julie Pavesi 

ISBN: 975101459X 

sdiker@inkilap.com 

solina@inkilap.com 

The Great Surveillance was on the 

recommended reading list for high 

schools in France. Critics in the European 

press praised his novels and compared 

his style to that of Kafka. Written with 

an allegoric, literally rich style, Altan’s 

novels are mainly about the loss of 

identity of individuals in society due to 

political and social presures.

D E M İ R Ö Z L Ü 

Demir Özlü was born in Istanbul in 1935 and graduated from the Law Faculty at 

Istanbul University in 1959. After studying Philosophy from 1961 to 1962 at the Paris 

(Sorbonne) University, he returned to Turkey and worked as a research assistant in the 

Department of Law Philosophy and Methodology at Istanbul University Law Faculty 

for four years. He also worked as a lawyer. After the military coup of 1980, he was 

denaturalized, but he was able to return to Turkey in 1989. After 1980, he focused on 

novel, narrative, memoir, diary and travel books. He currently lives in Stockholm. His 

first work, Discomfort (Short Story) was published in 1958. 

Some of His Works: Short Stories: Soluma (Breathing, 1963, TDK Story Award), 

Stockholm Öyküleri (Stockholm Stories,1988, Sait Faik Short Story Award), İstanbul 

Büyüsü (Charm of Istanbul), Geçen Yaz Kentte Kızlar (Girls in City in Past Summer), 

Şapka, Deniz Kıyısı ve Yüz (Hat, Seashore and Face). Novels: Uzun Bir Sonbahar ( A 

Long Fall); Bir Beyoğlu Düşü (A Beyoğlu Dream), Berlin’de Sanrı (Hallucination in 

Berlin); Bir Yaz Mevsimi Romansı (A Romance of A Summer Season, 1990, Orhan 

Kemal Novel Award), Tatlı Bir Eylül (Sweet September), İthaka’ya Yolculuk (Journey 

to Ithaca, World Book Magazine Book of Year, 1998-Yunus Nadi Novel Award), 

Dalgalar (Waves). 

Foreign Rights: Berlin’de Sanrı/ Hallucination in Berlin (Halluzination in Berlin, 

Berlin, Aubau Verlag, Germany, 1992), Hallucination à Berlin, France, 1993) 

İSTANBUL BÜYÜSÜ - CHARM OF ISTANBUL 

Literaturca Verlag, 2002, 148 Pages, Short Story 


ISBN: 9755104194 

ankaraburosu@imge.com.tr 

Demir Özlü is an author who loves Istanbul 

and who can describe it beautifully. Demir 

Özlü is one of the most original and important 

names of the 1950’s, a writer whose place 

in Turkish storytelling is undeniable. His 

main goal has been to investigate depression 

intellectually as an existential problem. 

He has always been inspired by themes of 

morality, tradition, alienation and loneliness. 

He is an intellectual author with a global 

perspective whose stories seem to be possible 

anywhere in the world. 

0 4 9

0 5 0 


ÖLÜ EKMEĞİ - BREAD FOR THE DEAD 

BS-Ansisa, Russia, 1975, 164 pages, Novel 

ISBN: 9789755090467 

www.arkadas.com.tr 

D U R S U N A K Ç A M 

Dursun Akçam (1930, Ardahan-2003, Ankara) the Ankara Gazi Institute of Education 

in 1958. He worked as a teacher, journalist, writer, and unionist. He served as the 

second chairman of the Teachers Union of Turkey. He was arrested after the military 

coup of March 12, 1971, and was sentenced to eight years and ten months in prison. He 

was later acquitted on appeal in the Supreme Court. After the closing of the newspaper 

Demokrat, which he helped to found in 1977, he went abroad due to the military coup 

of September 12, 1980 and did not return home for ten years. His first article entitled 

“Köyden Sesler” (“Voices from the Village”) was published in the journal Varlık in 1952. 

His other works were published in many newspapers and journals. He won first prize in 

the Milliyet Ali Naci Karacan Interview Competition in 1985 with his work Analarımız 

(Our Mothers), the Golden Orange Award at the 12th Antalya Art Festival in 1976 with 

his short story “Haley,” and received the Turkish Language Association’s Novel Award 

in 1977 with his novel Kanlıdere’nin Kurtları (Wolves of Bloody River). 

WORKS: Sevdam Ürktü (My Love Is Frightened), Ucu Ucuna Yaşam (Nearly Life), 

Kanlı Derenin Kurtları (Wolves Of Bloody River), Maral (Asian Elk), Kafdağının Ardı 

(Behind Kaf Mountain), Ölü Ekmeği (Bread for the Dead), Dağların Sultanı (The Sultan 

Of The Mountains), Öğretmeni Kim Öptü? Generaller Birleşin ve Tüm Öyküler (Who 

Kissed The Teacher? Generals Unite And Other Stories), Haley, Doğunun Çilesi (The 

Ordeal of the East), Kan Çiçekleri (The Blood Flowers), Taş Çorbası (Stone Soup), 

Kafkas Kızı (The Caucasian Girl) 

Foreign Rights: Ölü Ekmeği/Bread for the Dead ( Bulgarian and Russian); Alaman 

Ocağı/The German Guild (German) 

Dursun Akcam is one of the masters of the Turkish literary 

world and an important representative of Turkish literature 

focussing on social reality. Ölü Ekmeği (Bread for the Dead) 

is based on his observations on rural life and consists of ten 

short stories: Ölü Ekmeği (Bread for the Dead), Seher Tayfası 

(The Dawn Crew), Tezek Payı (A share of dried cow dung), 

Kahraman (The Hero), Ölü Ölü Ekmeği (Bread for the Dead), 

Pantol (Trousers), Kiraz (Cherry), Seher (The Dawn), Kurban 

(The Victim), Bade (Wine), Yoğurt ve Oğlan Uşağı (Yoghurt and 

the Boy Servant). Dursun Akcam writes with full awareness 

of the social role played by literature and the writer, and acts 

as an intermediary to reflect the expectations of the rural 

population in which he grew up. Dursun Akcam internalises the 

resources of the verbal culture in his works and in the words of 

the literary critic Dogan Hizlan, “With his works, he taught us 

that without understanding the realities of village life, without 

visiting the remotest villages of Anatolia and living there, and 

without digesting the East, it is impossible to understand and 

perceive this country and its people.”

KANAYAN TÜRKÜ - BLEEDING FOLK SONG 

Tribina Makedonska Publishing, Macedonia, 1999 

Translated by Esad Bayram 

ISBN: 9989623155 

D U R S U N Ö Z D E N 

Dursun Özden was born in Niğde in 1950. He graduated from the Department of Press 

and Public Relations at Ankara University. He received diplomas from Kırcali Academy 

Balkans Folklore Institute and Bucharest University as well as Grigore Kiazim Popular 

Music Research Institute. His first poem was published in 1970. He began to work as 

the Kocaeli reporter for Politika newspaper in 1976. He was tried and acquitted in 1971 

and in 1981 for “Crime of Thought”. Özden’s work has been published in literary, culture, 

art, tourism, language, criticism, folklore and research magazines and newspapers and 

broadcast on radio and television. Some of his poetry, analysis, essay and travel writings 

have been published in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Macedonian and Russian. 

He has travelled to 66 countries and ventured to every corner of Anatolia; he conducted 

research on near extinct ethnic cultures in Africa, faith, folklore, the Population Exchange, 

Anatolian Nomads, Turkish culture and traces of Atatürk in the world. Investigative 

reporter Dursun Özden has worked as Press and Public Relations Advisor, manager, 

documentary script writer, editor and editor-in-chief and he is the Turkish representative 

of Assa-Irada (Daily News Agansia), Azer News (English Newspaper), and Daily News 

Travel (Italian) newspapers. He is the recipient of several awards, both at home and 

abroad, in literature, cultural research and press. 

Some of His Works: Poetry: Gökkuşagı Tarlası (The Field of Rainbows), Yeni Zamanlar 

Dervişi (The Dervish of Modern Times), Sevginin Uçları (The Tips of Love), Kanayan 

Türkü (Bleeding Folk Song), Türküler Kanamasın (Don’t Let the Folk Song Bleed), 

Yitik Zaman Işığı (The Light of Lost Time), Dudak İzi (Lip Imprint), Ateşli Al Atlar 

(Fiery Red Horses). Travel: Küba Uzak Değil (Cuba is not Far), Yalansız Cennet Küba 

(Cuba: Paradise with no Lies), Uygur Karızlarına Yolculuk (Journey to Uyghur Kariz). 

Essays: Yüreğimin Açkısı-Deneme (Key to My Heart), Kuşatılmış Yazılar (Writings 

Under Siege) 

ozdendursun@gmail.com, www.dursunozden.com.tr 

The book comprises of 42 poems by the 

traveller poet Dursun Özden about love, 

nature, freedom and peace. The poems 

are written in a sincere, plain, austere 

and accessible language yet enriched with 

powerful imagery. The internal sounds, 

emphases and melodies which occasionally 

end a line, or occur within a line, support 

Dursun Özden’s authentic and free poetry 

technique and make him different..The book 

received the 1999 Al Cahez Poetry Award. 

0 5 1

0 5 2 


E C E A Y H A N 

After graduating from the School of Political Science in Ankara, Ece Ayhan (1931, 

Muğla) worked as a civil servant and kaymakam (governor of a town district). His 

first poem was published in 1954 in the magazine Türk Dili. Ayhan employs a web of 

associations and allusions which give him a distinctive, even unique place in modern 

Turkish poetry. His work embodies the slang as well as the historical texts and living 

street culture. He passed away in 2002. 

He is a master of images, who integrated into his poetry many other art forms, 

including painting and cinema. Ece Ayhan is not only the most original representative 

of the Second New, but also the symbol of explosion in Turkish poetry. 

Some of His Works: Poetry Collections: Kınar Hanımın Denizleri (Mrs. Kınar’s Seas); 

Bakışsız Bir Kedi Kara (A Black Cat with No Gaze); Ortodoksluklar (Orthodoxies); 

Devlet ve Tabiat (The State and Nature); Yort Savul, Sivil Şiirler (Civilian Poems), 

Essay: Bir Şiirin Bakır Çağı (The Copper Age of a Poetry) 

BAKIŞSIZ BİR KEDİ KARA VE 

ORTADOKSLULAR 

A BLIND CAT BLACK AND THE ORTHODOXIES 

Green Integer, USA, 2009 


Translated by Murat Nemet Nejat 

ISBN: 1557131023 


yky@ykykultur.com.tr 

Ayhan takes the reader through the dark 

streets of Galata district of Istanbul, 

a neighbourhood where historically 

European minorities lived alongside red 

light zone. Like a modern-day Rimbaud, 

Ayhan, in this amazing translation, 

explores linguistically and conceptually 

what the Turkish culture and authorities 

outlawed. A daring innovator, Ayhan 

uses language not as a rational wordcarrier, 

but as an instrument to unveil 

new insights into the world of his visions.

E D İ P C A N S E V E R 

Edip Cansever (1928-1986, Istanbul) graduated from Istanbul High School for Boys, 

after which he attended Business School. He quit the school after some time and 

worked in his father’s antique shop in the Grand Bazaar until 1976. He was one of 

the leading members of the “Second New” poetry movement along with Turgut Uyar 

and Cemal Süreya in the fifties. His first poetry book İkindi Üstü (Towards Afternoon, 

1947) was the story of the first contact of a 19-year-old youth with the world and his 

first protests. His second poetry book, Dirlik Düzenlik (Peace and Harmony,1954), 

was influenced by the “Garip” poetry movement. The many poetic influences he came 

under were instrumental in developing his very personal and mature style. He found 

his own language, as well as his own themes, inclinations and predilections by the 

time he published his third and major poetry book Yerçekimli Karanfil (Gravitational 

Carnation,1957). The foundations of Cansever’s poetry, summarized as the “neverending 

search of the individual motivated by his loneliness and alienation”, were laid 

down in this book. 

DIRTY AUGUST: SELECTED POEMS 

Talisman House Publishers, USA 

Translated by Richard Tillinghast- 

Julia Clare Tillinghast Akalın 



Edip Cansever is one of the masters of 

modern Turkish poetry. He bears out T.S. 

Eliot’s remark that “poetry only pursues its 

own function.” He wrote poems that display 

the fine details of poetic craftmanship. From 

some poets, we can remember complete 

verses; Edip Cansever is of a different kind. 

In his work, it is the poetic essence that 

pervades our memories. 

0 5 3

0 5 4 


E G E M E N B E R K Ö Z 

Egemen Berköz was born in Zonguldak in 1941. He completed his elementary and 

middle school education in Zonguldak and high school in Bolu. He studied Italian 

language and literature at the Faculty of Letters at Ankara University (1959-1963). He 

worked as a copywriter. He is the editor of the art page of the newspaper Cumhuriyet. 

He published the journal Alan 67 (1965), and has translated poetry, novels and stories 

from Italian into Turkish. His first poem, Akşam (Evening), was published in 1959 in 

Yeditepe. His poetry has been published in journals such as Dost, Ataç and Yelken. A 

poet of the 1960’s generation, the enthusiasms of 1968 can be detected in his poetry. 

He is concerned with politics and the world. An urban dweller’s anxieties, pains, 

enthusiasms, loves and battles with the city are the subjects of his poetry. He has a 

balanced, clear and original style. 

His Books of Poetry: Çin Askeri Ah Devran (The Chinese Soldier, Oh Fortune, 1966), 

Yalnızlıklar, Yalnızlıklar (Loneliness, Loneliness, 1977), Bu Kitapta Sen Nerdesin 

(Where are you in this Book ?, 1981), Unutma (Forgetting, Collected Poems, 2006). 

BU KİTAPTA SEN NERDESİN? 

WHERE ARE YOU IN THIS BOOK 

Bandecchi e Vivaldi, Italy, 2009 


Translated by Rosa Gali Pellegrini 

ISBN: 975329042X 

egemenberkoz@yahoo.com 

In the introduction of this book Berköz 

says, “As subject matter, I am interested 

in man, and as a man, I am interested 

in me. But, this should not be taken as 

selfishness. Because there are people 

like me who exist in the same chaos, 

contradictions and depressions; in short, 

there are thousands, tens of thousands of 

people who are part of this century and 

this land. I know that when I talk about 

them, I talk about myself, and when I 

talk about myself, I talk about them.” In 

these poems, a middle class Istanbulian’s 

distress, observations and impressions 

are masterfully and clearly crafted.

E L İ F Ş A F A K 

Elif Şafak, born in Strasbourg, France in 1971, graduated from the International 

Relations Department at Middle East Technical University. She holds an MSc. in 

Gender and Women’s Studies and has a PhD in Political Sciences from the same 

university. Her first book of short stories, Kem Gözlere Anadolu (To Evil Eyes: 

Anatolia), was published in 1994. She won the Mevlâna Prize with her first novel 

Pinhan (The Sufi), in 1998. This first book was followed by two more, Şehrin Aynaları 

(The Mirrors of the City) and Mahrem (The Gaze, 2000), for which she was awarded 

the Turkish Writers’ Association Best Novel Award. Elif Şafak, whose articles have 

been published in international newspapers and journals, has been translated into 

more than fifteen languages. Her books are published by eminent international 

publishers such as Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Viking and Penguin. 

WORKS: Pinhan (The Sufi), Şehrin Aynaları (The Mirrors of the City), Mahrem (The 

Gaze), Bit Palas (The Flea Palace), Araf (The Saint of Incipient Insanities), Med- 

Cezir (Ebb and Tide), Baba ve Piç (The Bastard of Istanbul), Siyah Süt (Black Milk), 

Aşk (Love). 

BABA VE PİÇ 

THE BASTARD OF ISTANBUL 

Eichborn, Germany, 2007, 386 pages, Novel 

Translated by Juliane Gräbener-Müller 

ISBN: 9753425538 

www.marionboyars.co.uk 

On one level, The Bastard of Istanbul traces 

the interwoven threads of a story, set over a 

period of 90 years, of the Turkish- Muslim 

Kazancı family and that of an American 

family of Armenian origin. On another 

level, as it is the story of four generations of 

women coming from a family in which men 

always die unexpectedly, leaving the women 

behind, it is a women’s novel. 

0 5 5

0 5 6 


HER TEMAS İZ BIRAKIR 

EACH CONTACT LEAVES A TRACE 

Galata Edition, Germany, 2009 


Translated by Oliver Kontny 

ISBN: 9750504409 

iletisim@iletisim.com.tr 

E M R A H S E R B E S 

Emrah Serbes was born in 1981 in Yalova. After dropping out of various schools, 

he concluded his extended educational career in the Department of Drama in the 

Faculty of Language, History, Geography. From time to time, he conducted interviews 

for Birgün newspaper, and wrote drama critiques for Radikal 2. He worked as the 

Ankara representative of Hayvan magazine. The conversations that he regularly had 

with Ahmet İnam and Cengiz Güleç were collected in a book entitled Şen Profesörler: 

Metaforla Saadet Olmaz (Jovial Professors: Metaphors Don’t Bring Bliss, 2006). 

WORKS: Her Temas İz Bırakır (Each Contact Leaves a Trace), Son Hafriyat 

(Final Excavation), Erken Kaybedenler (Early Losers) 

Foreign Rights: Her Temas İz Bırakır /Each Contact Leaves a Trace (Galata Edition, 

Germany) 

Kızılay, Sakarya Avenue, SSK Office Building, 

Language-History Campus, Atakule, student 

housing... and Police Station... Homicide desk. 

Unable to adapt to the “new legal acquis” 

Behzat Ç., the awkward and “formidable” chief 

of police. He listens to the police wireless, not 

to music. He doesn’t read books, he begins to 

read the newspaper for sports news. He holds 

no political views. It is as if he is “one of us” as 

reflected on the third page news, even his name 

is incomplete. He used to be a Centre Fullback 

who kicked well in the First Amateur League, 

but then he stopped playing football and started 

kicking other people. For instance, those who 

stabbed people in the heart for five liras, those 

who raped 13-year-old girls, those who killed 

their own relatives for honour... There are no 

problems in terms of his own sense of justice, 

evildoers seem to be obvious... But is that really 

the case? Things may disturb Behzat Ç. and his 

sense of justice could sometimes... A murder 

case where tracks of horseshoe get mixed in 

with those of dogs. Why would anyone kill 

this girl? And why in this way? What if we say 

politics was involved? Strange... A detective 

novel, abundant in intrigue, peeking into the 

world of students, other worlds, but especially 

into that of the police.

E N G İ N G E Ç T A N 

Engin Geçtan is a practicing psychotherapist. He taught psychology at several 

universities in Ankara and Istanbul. Between the years 1975-1987, he wrote four 

psychiatry books that have a significant following outside professional readership: 

İnsan Olmak (Being Human), Varoluş ve Psikiyatri (Existence and Psychiatry), 

Normaldışı Davranışlar (Abnormal Behavior), Psikanaliz ve Sonrası (Psychoanalysis 

and After). Later Geçtan began working on novels and scenarios. His novels are 

Kırmızı Kitap (The Red Book), Dersaadet’te Dans (Dance in Dersaadet), Bir Günlük 

Yerim Kaldı İster misiniz? (I Have Space for One Day Only, Taking?), Kızarmış 

Palamutun Kokusu (The Smell of Fried Bonito), Tren (The Train) and most recent 

one, Kuru Su (Dry Water). Drawing on his forty years of experience in psychiatry, 

he published Kimbilir? (Who Knows?) and Hayat (Life), books on psychiatry and 

contemporary life on the verge of chaos. Seyyar (Always Moving) is a book of 

interviews with him. Geçtan currently lives and works as a psychotherapist in 

İstanbul. 

KIZARMIŞ PALAMUTUN KOKUSU 

THE SMELL OF FRIED BONITO 

Dar Kreideh, Lebanon 


ISBN: 9789753423020 


A beautiful novel about Istanbul, the city 

of innumerable cultural and historical 

layers. After many years in New York, the 

main character is enticed by the nostalgic 

smell of fried bonito to return to his native 

Istanbul, only to find that he never really 

knew this city, the city which is not “one”. 

His phantasmagoric journey through 

the different ages and cultures of the 

megalopolis is at once a quest after culture 

and a journey of self-knowledge. With its 

vivid descriptions of the ages and people that 

Istanbul has accommodated, the novel can 

also be read as a literary exploration of what 

it is to be foreign and what “nativeness” 

involves. 

0 5 7

0 5 8 


E N İ S B A T U R 

He was born in 1952. His first article was published in 1970, to be followed by his first 

novels in 1973. He led UNESCO’S ‘’Our Cultural Heritage-from Göreme to Istanbul‘’ 

campaign in 1984. Between 1978 and 1998 he wrote regular weekly articles for 

various periodicals and newspapers and his work was also published in several 

foreign journals. He has been awarded the Cemal Süreya, Golden Orange and Sibilla 

Aleramo awards for his poetry and has won the TDK (Türk Dil Kurumu-Turkish 

Language Institution) award for his essays. Enis Batur is a lecturer at Galatasaray 

University. His novel “Elma” has been translated into Romanian and also “Selected 

Poems of Enis Batur” has published in English. 

WORKS: Eros ve Hgades (Eros and Hgades), Bir Ortaçağ Yalnızlığı (A Medieval 

Solitude), Nil (The Nile), Ara Kitab (Apocrypha), İblise Göre İncil (The Bible 

According to Lucifer), Kandil (Oil Lamp), Meseller (The Book of Sayings), Sarnıç 

(Cistern), Tuğralar (Monograms), Yazılar and Tuğralar, (Writings and Monograms), 

Gri Divan (Grey Divan), Koma Provaları (Coma Rehearsals), Perişey (Fairylike) 

Ondört+X = 14 (Fourteen+X = 14), Taşrada Ölüm (Preparations for Death and Life 

in the Country), (Darb ve Mesel (Blow and Parable), Opera 1-4004 (Opera 1-4004), 

Doğu-Batı Dıvan (Ash Divan), Sütte Ne Çok Kan (What a Lot of Blood There is in 

Milk), Kanat Hareketleri (The Flapping of Wings), Papirüs (Papyrus), Mürekkep 

(Ink), Tüy (Feather), Ağırlastırıcı Sebepler Divanı (Aggravating Factors Divan), 

Abdal Düşü: Düzyazı Şiirler (Abdal’s Dream: Prose Poems). 

ASH DIVAN: SELECTED POEMS OF ENIS BATUR 

Talisman House, Publishers, USA, 2006 

Translated by Saliha Paker, Clifford Endres, 

Selhan S.Endres, Mel Kenne 

ISBN: 1584980494F 


One of Modern Turkish Literature’s foremost 

essayists and poets, Enis Batur, began his 

literary career as a film and music critic. His 

works which are the products of a profound, 

cultural and intellectual knowledge are 

highly regarded for their critical, probing and 

research centered approaches. His poems, 

which usually pose existential questions, 

although written in a prose-like style, still 

retain their clarity.

E N V E R E R C A N 

He was born in 1958 in Istanbul. He did not complete his studies and for a long time 

worked in factories as a manual worker. Between 1984 and 1992 he worked for 

several newspapers and prepared art and literature programs for various television 

channels. Since 1992, he has been the general editor of Varlık Dergisi, which is the 

most influential literature journal in Turkey. Enver Ercan has won several important 

poetry awards. 

WORKS: Eksik Yaşam (An Unfulfilled Life), Sürçüyor Zaman (Time Slip), Geçtiği Her 

Şeyi Öpüyor Zaman (Time Kiss). 

SELECTED POEMS 

Cum Ltd., Bulgaria, 2007 

Translated by Kadriye Cesur Özgür, 

Hüseyin Mevsim 

ISBN: 9789549171723 

varlik@varlik.com.tr, enverercan@yahoo.com 

Enver Ercan is one of the figureheads of 

Turkish poetry that appeared after 1980. 

He uses ordinary words to create novel, 

extraordinary images; his discourse is 

smooth, relaxed and unhurried. He continues 

to struggle with life and poetry. 

0 5 9

0 6 0 


E R D A L Ö Z 

YARALISIN - YOU ARE WOUNDED 

Buntbuch, Germany, 1982, 272 pages, Novel 

Translated by Wolfgang Scharlipp 

ISBN: 9755100876 


Can Publishing House founder Erdal Öz was born in 1935. His father was a civil servant 

and his family traveled and lived in many different parts of Turkey. Öz began to study 

at the Law School at Istanbul University and finished his degree at the University of 

Ankara, though he did not practice law after graduating. It was only when he was 

imprisoned for his political views between 1971 and 1973 that he returned to law 

in order to clear the false charges imputed on him. Erdal Öz belongs to the 1950s 

generation that made great strides in the Turkish short story genre. His books bear 

the traces of his political imprisonment. His novel Yaralısın (You Are Wounded) first 

appeared in the daily newspaper Cumhuriyet in 1973 and was published the following 

year. In 1975, You Are Wounded brought him the Orhan Kemal Literary Award. Erdal Öz 

passed away in 2006. 

WORKS: Novels: Gülünün Solduğu Akşam (The Night His Rose Wilted) 

Odalarda (In the Rooms). Short Stories: Sular Ne Güzelse (If the Waters Are So 

Beautiful), İki Deniz Öyküsü (Two Sea Stories), Kanayan (Bleeding), Havada Kar 

Sesi Var (There is the Sound of Snow in the Air), Cam Kırıkları ( Pieces of Broken 

Glass). Travel: Bir Gün Yine Allı Turnam (Again One Day My Red Crane). 

Memoir: Defterimde Kuş Sesleri (Voices of Birds in My Notebook) 

Foreign Rights: Yaralısın/You are Wounded (Du Bist Verwundet, Buntbuch Verlag, 

Germany, 1982); (Je bent gewond, Ambo & Novib, The Netherlands, 1988) 

One of the works recounting the period 

of terror beginning with the period of the 

Marshall Plan and continuing until the 

military coup of March 12, 1971, it tells of the 

period of detainment spent by a young man 

in Ankara, whose house was raided one night 

by five police officials and who was taken into 

custody because of a sack with books. The 

young man, a recent university graduate, has 

no illegal connections. None of his books are 

banned or confiscated publications. And yet, 

he is taken from his home, beaten, despised, 

tortured, deprived of basic human rights. Two 

months pass by. He has not yet been allowed 

to see his parents. His memories sway back 

to his childhood, to his mother, who used to 

work in a primary school, cleaning floors every 

morning and doing all kinds of chores until 

the school day was over. “You are Wounded” 

was awarded the “Orhan Kemal Novel Prize” 

in 1975.

E R E N D İ Z A T A S Ü 

Erendiz Atasü was born in Ankara in 1947. She graduated from the Faculty of 

Pharmacy at Ankara University in 1968, and was a professor of pharmacognosy at the 

same institution until her retirement in 1997. Her short stories, written with a feminist 

consciousness, have been published in literary journals such as Sanat Edebiyat ‘81, 

Düşün, Çağdaş Türk Dili, and Varlık and her essays and articles on literary topics, 

women’s issues, secular society, and Republican reforms have appeared in journals and 

dailies such as Saçak, Çağdaş Türk Dili, Cumhuriyet Kitap, Varlık, Papirüs, Cumhuriyet, 

and Aydınlık. Atasü’s work has been the subject of various literary studies, which have 

looked at both the context and form of her writings. She is known for approaching 

problematic themes such as the alternative history of women, feminine perspectives on 

the Republican reforms, and women’s conceptualizations of sexual relationships and 

female sexuality, as well as for her usage of imagery and language. Some of her short 

stories have been translated into other languages and been published in anthologies in 

Great Britain, the United States, France, Germany and Holland. 

WORKS: Short Stories: Kadınlar da Vardır (Women Also Exist), Lanetliler (The 

Damned), Onunla Güzeldim (Beautiful With Him), Dağın Öteki Yüzü (The Other 

Side Of The Mountain), Taş Üstüne Gül Oyması (Roses Engraved In Marble), Uçu 

(Evanescence). Novels: Gençliğin O Yakıcı Mevsimi (That Scorching Season Of Youth), 

Açıkoturumlar Çağı (The Age Of Open Debate), Bir Yaşdönümü Rüyası (A Mid-Life 

Dream). Essays: Benim Yazarlarım (My Writers), Kadınlığım, Yazarlığım, Yurdum (My 

Womanhood, Authorship And My Country), İmgelerin İzi (Reflections Of Images), 

Kavram ve Slogan (Concept and Slogan). 

Foreign Rights: Yaş Dönümü Rüyası/A Mid-life Dream (Greece), Lanetliler/The 

Dammed (Germany), Dağın Öteki Yüzü/The Other Side of the Mountain (UK) 

BİR YAŞDÖNÜMÜ RÜYASI - A MID-LIFE DREAM 

Derdanos Publishing House, Greece, 2005 

311 pages, Novel, Translated by Anti Karra 

ISBN: 9789750702129 

www.eredizatasu.com 

This book is about various kinds of repression. 

It is mainly about Feride’s painful confrontation 

in her fifties with the probability that her sexual 

choice has not been the right one after all. The story 

revolves around the mother-daughter relationship 

between Feride and her stepdaughter Şirin, whom 

she loves as her own child. The central story is 

encircled by the social unrest of Turkey’s last 

twenty-five years and the impact of these 

experiences on the characters. The deeper message 

of the book is that an individual’s life is not actually 

a limited patch of time, but rather a passage from 

one’s own past which flows into the future lives of 

others. Confrontations with love, pain, and violence 

uproot the repressed inclinations of the deeper self, 

and the impacts of these confrontations are felt 

beyond one individual lifespan. 

0 6 1

0 6 2 


E S M A H A N A Y K O L 

Esmahan Aykol was born in 1970. She graduated from the Faculty of Law at Istanbul 

University before going to Berlin Humboldt University, where she obtained her 

Masters Degree in Law. Kitapçı Dükkanı (The Bookstore) is Aykol’s first book. One of 

the most well-known Turkish detective story writers, Esmahan Aykol has also written 

a book of poetry entitled O Şehirde Düşlerim Kaldı (I Left my Dreams in That City). 

WORKS: Kelepir Ev (A Bargain House), Kitapçı Dükkanı (Bookstore), Şüpheli Bir 

Ölüm (A Mysterious Death), Savrulanlar (Dispersed) 

Foreign Rights: Kitapçı Dükkanı/Bookstore (Hotel Bosforo, Roca Editorial, Spain, 

2007), (Hotel Bosforus, Diogenes, Switzerland, 2003); Kelepir Ev/A Bargain House 

(Diogenes, Switzerland, 2003); Savrulanlar/Dispersed (Diogenes, Switzerland, 

2007) 

KİTAPÇI DÜKKANI 

BOOKSTORE 

Roca Editorial de Libros, Spain, 2007 


Translated by Karen Eskenazi 

ISBN: 9944860178 

esmahanaykol@yahoo.com 

This book introduces us to Kati Hirşel, a 

German woman who has settled in Tunel, 

Istanbul where she owns a bookstore 

which only sells detective stories. Kati’s 

childhood friend Petra comes to Istanbul 

to make a film, but the director of the 

film gets killed. Katy, who’s a detective 

story addict, tunes into the amateur 

sleuth within her, tries to trace the crime 

back to its source and untangle the web 

of relationships. She finds herself caught 

up in a nail biting adventure in pursuit of 

murderers and victims.

F A K İ R B A Y K U R T 

Fakir Baykurt was born in Burdur in 1929 and worked as a teacher in various villages 

after graduating from Gönen Village Institute in 1948. He also worked as a Turkish 

language teacher after training at Gazi Education Institute. During his teaching 

career, he was elected as president for the Turkish Teacher’s Uninon (TÖS). Fakir 

Baykurt became involved in literature with poetry, although he is mostly known as a 

storyteller and novelist. He won the Yunus Nadi Novel Prize with Yılanların Öcü (The 

Revenge of the Snakes), the TRT Story Prize in 1970 with Sınırdaki Ölü (The Corpse at 

the Border) and the Turkish Language Institute Novel Prize in 1971 with Tırpan (The 

Scythe), the Orhan Kemal Novel Prize in 1978 with Kara Ahmet Destanı (The Epic of 

Kara Ahmet), the Berlin Senate Child Literature Prize in 1984 with Barış Çöreği (The 

Peace Muffin) the German Industry Union (BDI) Literature Prize with Gece Vardiyası 

(The Night Shift). A further selection of his work includes Irazca’nın Dirliği (The Life 

of Irazca), Onuncu Köy (The Tenth Village), Amerikan Sargısı (American Bandage), 

Köygöçüren (Village Migrator), Keklik (Partridge), Yayla (The Plateau) Yüksek 

Fırınlar (High Ovens), Koca Ren (The Big Ren), and Yarım Ekmek (Half a Loaf of 

Bread). Fakir Baykurt died in 1999. 

Foreign Rights: Yılanların Öcü?/The Revenge of the Snakes (German), (Georgian), 

(Russian); Irazca’nın Dirliği/The Life of Irazca (German), (Bulgarian), (Uzbek); 

Anadolu Garajı/Bus Terminal Anatolia (English);Barış Çöreği/The Peace Muffin 

(German); İki Türk Masalı/Two Turkish Fairy Tales (German), Sakarca/Sakarca the 

Cockerel (German); Türkiye’de Köy Enstitüleri/ The Village Institutes in Turkey 

(German) 

YILANLARIN ÖCÜ - THE REVENGE OF THE SNAKES 

Ararat Verlag, Germany, 1981, 221 pages, Novel 

Traslated by Horst Wilfrid Brands 

ISBN: 9750403959 

kenan@literatur.com.tr 

Karataş is a beautiful yet very impoverished village in 

Turkey and Kara Bayram is one of the poor residents 

of the village. He lives in a one room house, left by his 

father, with his good-natured wife, three children and his 

mother Irazca, the pillar of his home. Irazca is a troubled, 

grieving woman, but she is very formidable, too. As they 

go on living standing on their own feet, their peaceful 

existence is disturbed one day. Favoured by Mukhtar 

Cımbıldak Hüsnü, Haceli decides to build a house in 

front of theirs. Of course, Irazca protests and all hell 

breaks loose in the village... and in the town... . A lot of 

things happen to the family... In this novel, Fakir Baykurt 

depicts little power relations prevalent in village life, the 

opportunists who pursue these relations, the extensions 

of these people in politics and bureucracy, and finally 

bright and beautiful people whom those cruel people 

want to crush and eliminate; in short, he touches upon 

the “issues of the country” at the risk of being labelled 

objectionable and becoming the center of much debate, 

and hence animosity, at the time... 

0 6 3

0 6 4 


F A L İ H R I F K I A T A Y 

Falih Rıfkı Atay, who is known for his books on Atatürk, was born in 1894 in Istanbul 

and graduated from the Faculty of Letters at Istanbul University. After the 1908 

revolution, he began writing in the Tanin newspaper. He was a third lieutenant in the 

First World War. He also travelled across Europe in this position. He founded Akşam 

newspaper in 1918. He became a member of parliament as a Bolu deputy. In 1950, he 

withdrew from politics and dedicated all his time to journalism. Falih Rıfkı passed 

away in 1971. 

WORKS: Çankaya, Zeytindağı (The Olive Mountain), Falling Years Çöküş Yılları 

(Years of Decline), Kurtuluş (Survival), Babanız Atatürk (Your Father Atatürk), 

Vahidettin, Atatürkçülük Nedir? (What is Kemalism?) 

Foreign Rights: Zeytin Dağı/The Olive Mountain (Editions Turquoise, France), (Rose 

Verlag, Germany) 

ZEYTİNDAĞI (ÇÖKÜŞ YILLARI) 

THE OLIVE MOUNTAIN (FALLING YEARS) 

Rose Verlag, Germany, 2009 

368 pages, Memoir 

Translated by Nüvit Çalış 

ISBN: 9756461071 

pozitifkitap@pozitifkitap.com 

The name of the book, Zeytindağı 

(The Olive Mountain) comes from a 

mountain on which Cemaş Pasha had his 

headquarters. The author goes to Cemal 

Pasha’s headquarters on a mission. He 

tells his memoirs from the last days of 

the Ottomans to the first days of the 

Republic of Turkey. This book is one of the 

masterpieces on Turkish history.

F A T İ H E R D O Ğ A N 

Fatih Erdoğan was born in 1954 in İzmir, and moved to Istanbul in 1958. He 

graduated from Boğaziçi University, the Department of Mechanical Engineering 

in 1979. He worked as an editor for children’s publications at the Redhouse 

Publishing from 1980 to 1991. He worked in the Munich International Youth Library 

(Internationale Jugendbibliothek München) in 1984. He received his master’s degree 

in 1989 from Istanbul University, Faculty of Letters, the Department of Library 

Science. From 1992 to 2002, he worked as a faculty member in the same department 

and taught “Children’s Literature”, “Desktop Publishing”, “The Publishing World and 

Its Problems”, “Texts for Librarianship” and “Texts for Information Science” courses. 

He received his doctorate in 1999 from the same department. In addition to several 

conference papers and articles about children’s literature, he has written over fifty 

books for children and has translated a number of books. 

SİHİRLİ ŞAPKA 

THE MAGICAL HAT 

Önel Verlag, Germany, 2007 


Translated by Christel Schütte 

ISBN: 9753100191 

mavibulut@mavibulut.com.tr 

When he said “Oh, I wish I were invisible, and 

no one could see me unless I wanted them 

to...” all that Burak actually wanted was to 

go unnoticed by the teacher who was going 

to check their homework in the first period 

at school. The trunk of the oak tree shook 

from one side to another, its branches went 

up and down and an acorn broke off and fell 

on top of Burak’s head. Now Burak finds an 

outlandish, blue hat on his bed that same 

night... 

0 6 5

0 6 6 


F A T M A K A R A B I Y I K B A R B A R O S O Ğ L U 

Fatma Karabıyık Barbarosoğlu was born in Afyon in 1962, and gained her degree 

in Philosophy from Istanbul University in 1984. The title of her master’s thesis is 

“Assessing Sufistic Education”. She gained her PhD in 1994, with a thesis called 

“Fashion and Mentality Relations along the Modernization Process”. She was selected 

as “Story Writer of the Year” by the Turkish Writers’ Association in 2001. Barbarosoğlu 

has been writing in the newspaper Yeni Şafak since 1996. 

Some of Her Works: Moda ve Zihniyet (Fashion and Mentality), Acı Deniz (Bitter 

Sea), Sözün ve Sükûtun Renkleri (Colors of Words and Silence), Gün Akşamsızdır 

(Day without Evening), Senin Hikâyen (Your Story), Hiçbiryer (Nowhere). 

FATMA ALİYE: UZAK ÜLKE 

FATMA ALIYE: FAR LAND 

Asia Publishers, South Korea 


Translated by O. H. Eunkyung 

ISBN: 9789752635067 

fatmabarbarosoglu@gmail.com 

Far Land, by Fatma Karabıyık 

Barbarosoglu, one of the most significant 

writers of contemporary literature, is a 

novel based upon the life of Fatma Aliye, 

who was the first-ever female Muslim 

writer. Far Land has a dual narrative: on 

the one hand we read the story of Fatma 

Aliye, an Ottoman intellectual, writer, 

mother and wife, while on the other we 

focus on the story of another writer, 

who lives in Turkey in the 21st century 

and who is studying Fatma Aliye. In this 

story of the first female Muslim writer, 

Far Land refreshes our understanding of 

what the late Ottoman intellectuals went 

through, and also presents a panorama 

of contemporary Turkey through its 

second heroine.

F A Z I L H Ü S N Ü D A Ğ L A R C A 

Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca was born in Istanbul in 1915 and completed his primary 

education in different parts of Anatolia. He graduated from Kuleli Military High 

School in 1933. In 1950 he resigned from the army to devote himself to poetry. He 

worked for several government offices and retired in 1959. He opened the Kitap 

Publishing House in Istanbul and published the journal entitled Türkçe from 1960 to 

1964. He closed his publishing house in 1970. He has written more than one hundred 

books, including more than twenty books for children, and children are a continual 

theme in his works. His fame rests on the poetry collections published between 1940 

and 1968. He also wrote politically motivated books like Hiroşima (Hiroshima,1970). 

In 1974 Dağlarca received Yugoslavia’s Golden Wreath Award and in 1977 he was 

named “Poet of the Year” at the Rotterdam Poetry Festival. A panel of distinguished 

Turkish men of letters honored him as “Turkey’s leading living poet” in 1976. 

Dağlarca is one of the most widely translated Turkish poets of our time. 

Foreign Rights: Balina ve Mandalina/Whale and Tangerina (Hvalen og mandarinen, 

Vindrose, Danish), (Rotterdamse Kunststichting, Dutch), Hollandalı Dörtlükler/ 

Quatrains of Holland (English), Seçme Şiirler/Selected Poems (Pittsburg, English), 

Cezayir Türküsü/Song of Algeria (L’Oisaeau a quatre ailes, Cheyne, French), (Avantlumiére 

Arfuyen, French), (Rotterdamse Kunststichting, Dutch) 


University of Pittsburg Press, USA, 1969 

Translated by Talat Sait Halman 

ISBN: 9780822952046 



Dağlarca’s poetry is like self-rising yeast. The 

veiled periphery of the whole of his poetic quest 

is concealed within a single poem. His entire 

poetry is contained in a momentous line. His 

poetic quest is part of humanity’s quest. The 

wonder that man has felt since the beginning 

of his existence appeals to the poet, and in a 

sense his work is a kind of anthropology. The 

concept of the human fascinates him, and 

he has a great sensitivity to all stages of the 

human and of humanity. Perhaps the source of 

this sensitivity is rooted in his respect for man 

and in his own humanity. 

0 6 7

0 6 8 


UÇURTMAYI VURMASINLAR 

DON’T LET THEM SHOOT THE KITE 

Kastaniotis Editions, Greece, 1998 


ISBN: 9789755101415 

Fiction: international@canyayinlari.com 

Non fiction: rights@metisbooks.com 

F E R İ D E Ç İ Ç E K O Ğ L U 

Feride Çiçekoğlu studied architecture at METU (Ankara) and obtained her PhD from 

the University of Pennsylvania. After the 1980 military coup in Turkey, she was a 

political prisoner until 1984. She owes her first novel Uçurtmayı Vurmasınlar/Don’t 

Let Them Shoot the Kite to the stint in prison. Adapted by the author to screen, it won 

a number of awards, national and international, including “Prix du Public Rencontres 

Internationales” (Cannes, 1989). Among her other filmed scripts are Journey to Hope 

(Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, 1991) and Suyun Öte Yanı which she rewrote as 

a novella (The Other Side of the Water, 1992). Her short stories were translated into and 

published in several languages. Between 1995-99, she was the editor-in-chief of the 

quarterly journal Istanbul published by the History Foundation. She has been Course 

Director for the graduate program in Film and Television Studies at Istanbul Bilgi 

University since 2005, and she has recently published a book on the representation of 

cities and women in cinema, Vesikalı Şehir (The Prostitute City, 2007). 

Foreign Rights: Uçurtmayı Vurmasınlar/Don’t Let Them Shoot the Kite (Ze Mogen 

Niet Op De Vileger, Beverwijk, Dutch), (Kastaniotis, Greek). 

İnci is a political prisoner. Barış is the son of 

another prisoner who has been jailed for drug 

dealing. The boy has been condemned to grow 

up in prison since there is no one else to take 

care of him. He learns about nature, the world 

outside, and affection through İnci. The film 

version of Don’t Let Them Shoot the Kite won 

many national and international awards, 

including the Golden Orange (Antalya, 

1989) and the Prix du Public Rencontres 

Internationales (Cannes, 1989). Asked about 

Don’t Let Them Shoot the Kite, Çiçekoğlu 

says, “When the iron door closed behind me 

one June afternoon in 1984, leaving me on the 

outside and Barış’s wails on the inside, I never 

dreamed that his voice would one day reach so 

many people. It wasn’t that I hadn’t thought 

of noting down my memories about Barış, but 

I felt that even the words that were actually 

committed to paper usually did not reach the 

limited number of people who were in the 

habit of reading. When Barış’s tiny voice rose 

on the screen, a new opportunity to get Don’t 

Let Them Shoot the Kite published was born. 

This is why the book owes a debt of gratitude 

to the screen.”

F E R İ D U N A N D A Ç 

Feridun Andac was born in Erzurum in 1954. He received his first degree from the 

Faculty of Education at the University of Marmara. He obtained his masters degree 

from the Faculty of Literature at the University of Istanbul. He taught literature 

and comparative literature. In addition to his research work, and essays, his short 

stories and travel writings were published in various magazines and newspapers. 

Andac, who published many books in these fields, became the Editor in Chief of 

Dünya Books from 2002 onwards. He has written columns for Cumhuriyet and Dünya 

newspapers and continues to teach “Contemporary Turkish Literature” in the Faculty 

of Communication and Fine Arts at University of Marmara. 

Some of His Works: Critical Writings: Gerçekçilik Yolunda (In the Path of 

Realism), Yazınsal Gerçekçiliğin Boyutları (Dimensions of Literary Realism), 

EdebiyatımızınYol Haritası/Yazınsal Oluşumun Göstergeleri (A Roadmap for Our 

Literature/ The Indicators of Literary Formation). Essays: Işık Ol (Be the Light), 

Günüme Ağ (Netting for my Day), Söz Uçları (The Edges of Words) Yazı Burçları 

(The Star Signs of Writings), Aynanın Arkası (The Back of the Mirror), Celile’de 

Kuşlar Ölüyor (Birds are Dying in Celile), Babil’e Yolculuk (A Journey to Babylon), 

Günün Gölgedeki İzi (Traces of the Day in the Shadows), Küllenen Her Şey 

(Everything in Ashes), Aşk Hayatı Gölgeler (Love Shadows Life), Susan Bir Yerin Dili 

(The Language of a Silent Place), Zamana Yazılan Sözler (Words Written for Time), 

Öykü Yazmak Öyküyü Düşünmek (To Write a Story, to Imagine a Story), Gönlümün 

Yitik Yurdunda (In the Lost Lands of My Heart) , Kar Masalları (Snow Fairytales), 

Yoksa Aşk Ölür (Or Else Love Dies). Narrative:Ferhad ile Şirin (Shirin and Farhad) 

Foreign Rights : Babam ve Kiraz Ağacı-Seçme Öyküler/My Father and the Cherry 

Tree-Selected Short Stories (CUM Publications, Bulgaria), Kar Masalları/Snow 

Fairytales (Connectum, Bosnia Herzegovina). 

KAR MASALLARI - SNOW FAIRYTALES 

Connectum, Bosnia Herzegovina, 2009 


Translated by Džejla Dautović 

ISBN: 9789958590726 

feridun.andac@dunya.com 

The writer started writing this book during a journey 

to the East, and the stories accumulate as they follow 

the axis of place/belonging/nature, love/passion/ 

loyalty-commitment/break up and journey to 

memory. The stories are written in the narrative style 

of a novel which ensures that each story retains its 

own thematic reality within that story. 

0 6 9

0 7 0 


F E R İ T E D G Ü 

Ferit Edgü (1936) first came on the Turkish literary scene in the 1950’s, publishing his 

poetry in various journals. He later received attention for his short stories. His first 

story was published when he was 18 years old (1954) in the journal Yeni Ufuklar, a 

literary venue for young authors. Before age 32 he had published three more important 

books of short stories, Kaçkınlar (Deserters, 1959), Bozgun (Defeat, 1962) and Av 

(Hunting, 1968). In Bir Gemide (On Board , 1978) and Çığlık (Scream, 1982), he wrote 

about characters unable to feel at home in a bleak world. He began to seek out a new 

reality by creating characters outside of the real world. His craft improved with every 

new book. Ferit Edgü occupies a special place in the Turkish short story due to the 

commentary on the role of language and literature within his stories. His construction 

of reality in his novels Kimse (No One, 1976) and O/Hakkâri’de Bir Mevsim (He/A Season 

in Hakkâri, 1977) can serve as a guide to young authors who seek a distinctive style. 

Some of His Works: Eylülün Gölgesinde Bir Yazdı (It Was a Summer in the Shadow 

of September), Binbir Hece (A Thousand and One Nights), Doğu Öyküler (Eastern 

Tales), İşte Deniz (There’s the Sea), Maria, Do Sesi (The sound of Doh), Avara 

Kasnak (Idler Wheel), Nijinski Öyküleri (Tales of Nijinski), Tüm Ders Notları (All 

Class Notes),Yazmak Eylemi (The Act of Writing), Şimdi Saat Kaç? (What Time is it 

Now?), Yeni Ders Notları (New Class Notes), Seyir Sözcükleri (Words for a Voyage), 

Devam (Continuation), Sözlü/ Yazılı (Oral/Written), İnsanlık Halleri (States of 

Humaneness), Ah Min-el Aşk (Oh, Love), Dağ Şiirleri (Mountain Poems), Görsel 

Yolculuklar (Visual Journeys), Abidin, Avni Arbaş, Osman Hamdi-Bilinmeyen 

Resimleri (Osman Hamdi - Unknown Paintings), Doğa Dostları (Nature Friends). 

Foreign Rights: Hakkari’de Bir Mevsim/A Season in Hakkari (Unionsverlag, 

Switzerland, German, 1997), (Gallimard, France, 1989), (De Martinis & C., Italy) 

(Shobun-sha Publishers, Japan, 1995), (Bardon Chinese Media Agency, China, 1999), 

(Connectum, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2004); Eylül’ün Gölgesinde Bir Yazdı/A Summer 

Under the Shade of September (Unionsverlag, Switzerland, German, 1990). 

HAKKARİ’DE BİR MEVSİM 

A SEASON IN HAKKARİ 

Connectum, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2005 


Translated by Kerima Filan 

ISBN: 9755702857 

posta@selyayincilik.com 

Ferit Edgü, as one of the most eminent figures of Turkish Literature, 

is notable for his use of poetic language and the surrealist style of his 

works. Hakkari’de Bir Mevsim, clearly autobiographical, is regarded 

as Edgü’s most important book, blending real life with fiction and 

describing solititude, poverty and life in the country with perfect 

narrative technique and vivid images.

F E Y Y A Z K A Y A C A N 

Feyyaz Kayacan was born in 1919 in Istanbul. He worked for a long time at the BBC 

Turkish Section. He wrote short stories and poems in French, English and Turkish. 

In 1992 he published Modern Turkish Poetry, in English. His first two books were in 

French, the third Kaşık Havası (A Folk Dance) and fourth Benim Örümceğim Başka 

(My Spider is Different) were in Turkish and his fifth poetry book was in English. 

Better known as a short story writer, Feyyaz Kayacan’s short story collection was 

published by Yapı Kredi Cultural Activities, Arts and Publishing, a month after his 

death, in 1993. 

WORKS: Şişedeki Adam (Bottled Man), Kaşık Havası (A Folk Dance), Sığınak 

Hikayeleri (The Shelter Stories), Benim Örümceğim Başka (My Spider is Different). 

SIĞINAK HİKAYELERİ 

THE SHELTER STORIES 

Rockingham Press, UK, 2007 


Translated by Ruth Christie 

ISBN: 9753630467 



The Shelter Stories comprises six 

magnificient short stories proving how hope 

and wisdom can render life more beautiful. 

The stories focus on a group of Londoners 

clinging onto life by living their own lives to 

the full during the war years. 

0 7 1

0 7 2 


F E Y Z A H E P Ç İ L İ N G İ R L E R 

Feyza Hepçilingirler was born in 1948. She graduated from Istanbul Teacher 

Training College and from the Turkish Language and Literature Department at 

Istanbul University. At present, she is a lecturer at Yıldız Technical University, 

Istanbul. She won the Success Award in 1979, for her play Yanlışlıklar (Mistakes), in 

the Turkish Ministry of Culture, Children’s Works Competition, the Sait Faik Short 

Story Award for Eski Bir Balerin (An Ex-Ballerina) in 1985, the Borski Grümen Award 

(Balkan Writers’ Association) for her short story Ne Güzel Ölmüştüm (What Luck! I 

Was Dead) in 1991 and the Sedat Simavi Literature Award for her short story book 

entitled Savrulmalar (Confusions) in 1997. Her short stories have been translated 

into French, German, English, Serbian and Croatian. 

WORKS: Türkçe “Off” 3 (Turkish is Off 3), Dilim Dilim Ana Dilim (My Mother 

Tongue), Ya Armut Ağacı Olursam (And If I should Turn Into a Pear Tree), Dilin 

Zamana Dokunduğu - Türkçe Günlükleri (When Language Touched Time - Turkish 

Diaries), Yıldızların Suya Döküldüğü-Türkçe Günlükleri (When the Stars Fell into 

the Water - Turkish Diaries), Sorulmadan Dedim “Ah” (I Said “Oh” Without Being 

Asked), Türkçe “Off” (Turkish is Off), Sabah Yolcuları (Morning Voyagers), Türkçe 

Dil Bilgisi Öğretenlere ve Öğrenenlere (For Those Learning and Teaching Turkish 

Grammar), Tanrıkadın (Goddess), Öykünmece (Putting on Airs) Savrulmalar 

(Confusion), Kırmızı Karanfil Ne Renk Solar (Onto What Color Does Red Carnation 

Fade), Üç Nokta Bir Çizgi (Three Dots and a Dash), Kırlangıçsız Geçti Yaz (Summer 

with No Swallows), Ürkek Kuşlar (Timorous Birds), Eski Bir Balerin (An Ex- 

Ballerina), Uçtu Uçtu Pelin Uçtu (Pelin Flew Away), Çirkin Prenses (The Ugly 

Princess), Yanlışlıklar-Altı Çocuk Oyunu (Mistakes-Six Plays for Children). 

FEYZA HEPÇİLİNGİRLER SHORT STORY 

SELECTION 



ISBN: 3935535104 

feyzahep@hotmail.com 

This book by Sait Faik Short Story Award 

winner Feyza Hepçilingirler, contains 

21 short stories on life, human warmth 

and ordinary people, which will give 

great pleasure to the reader through its 

striking use of narrative.

F İ L İ B E L İ A H M E T H İ L M İ 

Filibeli Ahmet Hilmi graduated from the Imperial Galatasaray High School in 

Istanbul. He commenced his imperial service as a clerk in the Office of Public 

Debts. While in service in Beirut, he was compelled to flee to Egypt because of his 

“Young Turk” activities. It was in Egypt that he started up the newspaper Çaylak 

(Rookie). Although he returned to Istanbul in 1901, he was exiled to Libya by Sultan 

Abdulhamid II. While in Libya, he cultivated an interest in Sufism and became a 

member of the Arusiyya dervish order. Ahmed Hilmi returned to Istanbul on the 

proclamation of the Second Constitutional government in 1908, and founded the 

newspaper Ittihad-ı Islâm (Islamic Unity), which enjoyed but a brief existence. The 

author of some forty works, Ahmed Hilmi died in 1913 and is buried in the courtyard 

of the Mosque of Mehmed II at Istanbul. 

AMAK-I HAYAL 

AWAKENED DREAMS 

Treshold Books, USA, 1998 


Translated by Refik Algan and Camille Helminski 

ISBN: 9756963050 

info@kaknus.com.tr, kaknus@gmail.com 

The hero of the novel is a young man called 

Râci. He has studied science, philosophy and 

religion but he is cynical about the meaning 

of life. In a cemetery, he meets Aynalı Baba, 

an old man who wears clothes with pieces 

of mirrors and looks like a madman. Aynalı 

Baba starts teaching Râci by playing a 

reed flute. Râci experiences a set of life-like 

dreams. He meets prophets and holy beings 

and begins to understand the meaning of his 

existence. 

0 7 3

0 7 4 


F İ L İ Z T O S Y A L I 

Filiz Tosyalı was born in Izmir in 1945. She graduated from Üsküdar American Girls 

High School in 1964 and from Bradford Junior College in the USA and from the 

Graphics Department of the State School of Applied Fine Arts in 1966. After working 

as a script writer and graphics artist for advertising companies, in 1978, she began 

to write and illustrate books for preschool children. She attended a three-month 

training and research program in Munich International Children’s Library in 1980. 

She currently works as a freelancer, and has had several books published by private 

publishing houses, the Ministry of Culture and The Environmental Foundation. In 

addition to this, she has participated in numerous national and foreign exhibitions. 

WORKS: Sevmeyi Öğrenirken (Learning to Love), Yaşamayı Öğrenirken (Learning 

to Live), Sevgiyle Yaşarken (Living with Love), Dost Kuzenler-1 (Friendly Cousins-1), 

Dost Kuzenler-2 (Friendly Cousins -2), Kırmızı Motosiklet-1 (The Red Motorcycle 

-1), Kırmızı Motosiklet-2 (The Red Motorcycle -2), Mesajımı Bekle (Wait for my 

Message), Evde ve Ana sınıfında Okul Öncesi Eğitim (Pre-school education in 

Kindergarden and at home), Tekerlekli Sandalye (The Wheelchair). 

KIRMIZI MOTOSİKLET 

THE RED MOTORCYCLE 

Anadolu Verlag, Germany, 2007 

86 pages, Children’s Book, Novel 

Translated by Sabine Adatepe 

ISBN: 9789756022887 

info@buyayinevi.com.tr 

Emir has to take a challenging exam. 

When his nature-loving family decide to 

continue their life in Bayramoğlu during 

winter, too, they buy him a motorcycle, 

thinking that he might revolt at the 

thought of weekends with no friends. Just 

the right size for a 10-year-old child, this 

motorcycle embellishes Emir’s dreams. 

In the meantime, Emir who passes his 

exam, is sent to boarding school at the 

tender age of 10 while he is happy living 

with his family. He thereafter spends the 

weekends with his family.

F Ü R U Z A N 

Füruzan was born in Istanbul, in 1935. She could only continue her school life 

until the end of primary school. Her short stories were published when she was 

very young and she immediately attracted the attention of the literary world. Her 

stories, both long and short are remarkable for the way in which she employs an 

uncomplicated form of language, viewed from an optimistic perspective, while 

never overdramatizing either the characters or the events. Füruzan, whose books 

have been constantly republished, won the Sait Faik Short Story Award in 1972 with 

Parasız Yatılı (Free Boarding School), and in 1975, the Turkish Language Association 

Novel Award for her novel 47’liler (Born in 1947). She has written a film script based 

on her short story Benim Sinemalarım (My Cinemas) which was made into a film 

in 1989. She has also written a play based on her short story Kış Gelmeden (Before 

Winter Comes) in 1997. 

WORKS: Parasız Yatılı (Free Boarding School), Kuşatma (The Siege), Benim 

Sinemalarım (My Cinemas), 47’liler (Born in 1947), Yeni Konuklar (New Guests), 

Ev Sahipleri (Landladies), Redife’ye Güzelleme (Sweet Words for Redife), Gecenin 

Öteki Yüzü (The Other Face of the Night), Gül Mevsimidir (It’s the Season of Roses), 

Berlin’in Nar Çiçeği (The Pomegranate Blossom of Berlin), Lodoslar Kenti (The City 

of the Southwest Wind), Balkan Yolcusu (Balkan Traveler). 

Foreign Rights: Kırk Yedi’liler/Those Born in ‘47 (Sevka Pirvaova, Bulgarian), Sevda 

Dolu Bir Yaz/A Summer Full of Love (Milet Publishing, English), (Europa Verlag, 

Vienna-Münich-Zürich, Aufbau-Verlag, DTV-German), Yeni Konuklar/New Guests: 

(DTV, German), Parasız Yatılı/Free Boarding School (Editions Bleu Autour, French) 

ÖYKÜLER (SEÇMELER) 

SHORT STORY SELECTION 

Connectum, Bosnia Herzegovina, 2008 

Translated by Kerima Filan 

ISBN: 9789958590542 



It would be quite misleading to confine Füruzan’s 

talent for storytelling to her awareness of social 

issues. What makes Füruzan such a wizard of 

detail, in addition to her choice of theme and her 

excellent use of language, is her ability to imbue 

the feeling of all five senses into her stories, not 

only to convey what is there, but also, to imply 

what is not. 

0 7 5

0 7 6 


G A Y E B O R A L I O Ğ L U 

HEPSİ HİKAYE 

ALL STORY 

Cadmus Press, Syria 

124 pages, Short Stories 

Translated by Bakr Sidqi 

ISBN: 9789754709483 


Gaye Boralıoğlu was born in Istanbul on 22nd October, 1963. She studied Philosophy 

in the Faculty of Letters at Istanbul University. She received her masters degree 

with her thesis which examined the relationship between social anthropolgy and 

ethics. She worked as a journalist, an advertising script writer, and a screenwriter. 

She wrote articles about politics, literature and cinema for various magazines and 

newspapers. Her first book of short stories, Hepsi Hikâye (All Story) was published 

in 2001 and her novel constructed from photographs, Meçhul (Unknown), was 

published in 2004. 

A series of stories... a story of series... 

telling about the profession called 

dealing with life, a profession that gets 

harder and harder each day... about the 

perpetual adolescent daze as a basic 

human condition... the abysmal anxiety 

of being misunderstood, inability to 

express one’s self, to pick things up, 

to control one’s relationships... still 

shooting for happiness, dreaming about 

moments of bliss... stories that tell such 

things differently from the way they 

have always been told... 

That’s why, young and fresh... 

That’s why, cool and refreshing... 

That’s why, humorous stories without 

being forced to be humourous... 

Plus... all that through the language of 

women!

JİLET SİNAN 

RAZOR SİNAN 

G Ö N Ü L K I V I L C I M 

Gönül Kıvılcım was born in 1963 in Kırıkkale. She graduated from Boğaziçi 

University in İstanbul with a degree in Economics. She also received an MA in Mass 

Communication at Bergen University, Norway. Kıvılcım has lived and worked as a 

journalist in Berlin and Cologne and worked for the German television broadcaster 

WDR. She has worked for the Turkish newspaper Radikal . Her first book, Kasaba ve 

Yalanlar (A Small Town and Lies) was a collection of short stories, published in 2001. 

Her other books are: Jilet Sinan (Razor Sinan, 2002), Can Publishing House, Parçalı 

Aşklar (Kaleidoscope of Love, 2004) Everest Publishing House. Her story called 

“Kasaba ve Yalanlar”from the book with the same title was translated into German 

for the short story anthology Love, Lies and Ghosts, Unionsverlag, 2006. 



Translated by Orkida Muça 

ISBN: 9789750701450 


The violence in our life. The violence in the 

street. The violence on the tongue. Walking 

among those at the bottom of the society, 

in the streets of a different republic, Gönül 

Kıvılcım displays that multi-layered violence. 

In the streets rape, murder, and suicide are 

ordinary and frequently occurring incidents. 

Kıvılcım’s narrator wanders in the streets 

like an invisible hero and pushes a door we 

have long forgotten: that of conscience. In 

Razor Sinan, this door, which is inclined to 

stay closed in welfare societies, is pushed 

open. In order to settle a conscientious issue, 

the crimes and dreams of glue sniffers and 

street urchins, are displayed, portrayed in 

their language, which is wholy blasphemous. 

This is a world which exists very close to us, 

but also one which will seem frightening to 

most of us. 

0 7 7

0 7 8 


G Ü L İ R E P O Ğ L U 

Gül İrepoğlu was born in stanbul in 1956 and graduated from the Academy of Fine 

Arts at Istanbul University. İrepoğlu is presently a professor and teaches Art History 

at Istanbul University. She has penned various essays and books examining artistic 

links between the cultures of the East and the West. Gül İrepoğlu is a member of 

UNESCO, acting as director for the Cultural Inheritance Committee and chairperson 

for the TAÇ Foundation. Gül İrepoğlu gives lectures and produces a television 

program for the Turkish Radio and Turkish Corporation (TRT) called “Sanat-Mekan”. 

Following her first novel entitled Gölgemi Bıraktım Lale Bahçelerinde (I left My 

Shadow Over The Tulip Gardens), a novel on 16th century miniaturist Levni, İrepoğlu 

published her second historical novel Cariye (The Concubine), set in XXVIII Century 

Ottoman Seraglio. 

Foreign Rights: Gölgemi Bıraktım Lale Bahçelerinde/I Left My Shadow Over The 

Tulip Gardens (Cadmus Press, Syria); Cariye/The Concubine (Oceanida, Greece), 

(Cadmus, Syria), (Damyan Yakov, Bulgaria), (Vivaldi, Romania), (Uklad ANKA, Poland) 

GÖLGEMİ BIRAKTIM LALE BAHÇELERİNDE 

I LEFT MY SHADOW OVER THE TULIP GARDENS 

Cadmus Press, Syria 


ISBN: 9752931618 


Gül Irepoglu’s novel I Left My Shadow over 

the Tulip Gardens portrays a glamorous 

picture of one of the most pompous eras in the 

history of the Ottoman Empire. Throughout 

the pages of this marvelous novel, the reader 

witnesses the stories of sultans, artists, viziers 

and odalisques and becomes acquainted with 

them not as historical figures, but as unique 

individuals who love, hate, fear, desire, suffer 

and who give themselves up to their destiny. 

These skillfully interwoven stories display the 

most fabulous details that shine a light on 

the life and traditions of an important era. 

Although the novel is based on historical facts 

and extensive research, the author’s subtle 

style, descriptive story-telling craft and vivid 

imagination enable us to make the most of an 

unforgettable reading experience.

G Ü L S Ü M C E N G İ Z 

Gülsüm Cengiz was born in 1949 in Sütçüler, Isparta. She graduated from the 

Teacher Training College and worked as a teacher in Istanbul and Balıkesir for 14 

years. After leaving her job, she worked in publishing as an editor and manager, 

which prompted her into opening her own publishing house, Demet Yayıncılık. 

Subsequently, she worked as children’s page editor for various newspapers and 

journals and as a radio programmer. She has won several prizes in Turkey and 

abroad. Her poems have been translated into different languages and have been 

published in journals, anthologies and selected writings. 

WORKS: Akdeniz’in Rengi Mavi (The Mediterranean Sea is Blue), Arı ile Papatya 

(The Bee and the Daisy), Başak’ın Çevre Günlüğü (Başak’s Environmental Diary), 

Bir Dilim Ekmek İçin (For a Slice of Bread), Çiçek ile Kirlikara (Çiçek and Kirlikara), 

Damlacık (Water Drop), Doğanın Öfkesi (Nature’s Anger), Doğum Günü Armağanı 

(Birthday Present), Hayvanlarla Konuşan Çocuk (The Child Who could Speak with 

Animals), Kente Gelen Çam Ağacı (The Pine Tree That Came to the City), Mayısta 

Üzgün Gönlüm (My Heart Feels Sad in May), Taş Devrine Yolculuk (Trip to the Stone 

Age), Herkesin Bir İşi Var (Everybody Has A Job), Aslı Okula Başladı (Aslı Started 

School), Ayşe’nin Günleri (Ayşe’s Days), Bıcırık, Bir Kedinin Günlüğü (A Cat’s Diary), 

Evdeki Altınlar (Gold at Home), Eylül Deyişleri (September Sayings), Kırda Bir Yaz 

Sabahı (A Summer Morning in the Countryside), Kuşlar Kralı Kim Olacak? (Who’ll 

be the King of the Birds?), Küçük Beyaz Güvercin (Little White Dove). 

Foreign Rights: Ayşe’nin Günleri/Days of Ayşe (Nagel und Kimche, Switzerland), 

(Gabriel Verlag, Austria), (Dar ül Haris, Syria). 19 of Cengiz’s children’s books have 

been published in German by Verlag Anadolu and FreiAkademie. 

AYŞENİN GÜNLERİ - DAYS OF AYŞE 

Gabriel Verlag, Austria1997, 256 pages, Children’s Book 

Translated by Hasibe Kalkan Kocabay 

ISBN: 9757837563 

info@evrenselbasim.com, glsmcengiz@gmail.com 

Ayşe is one of us. She may be the classmate 

we are sharing our desk with, or maybe she 

is one of the tens of thousands of children 

living in the same city as us. She is a child 

who loves people, animals and nature with 

all her heart. She looks at life with optimism 

and hope, with the feelings of friendship, 

cooperation and comradery. Ayşe’nin Günleri 

tells us the story of this little girl. 

0 7 9

0 8 0 


G Ü L T E N A K I N 

Gülten Akın was born in 1933 and is Turkey’s most distinguished female poet. 

She studied Law at Ankara University and worked as a barrister in various parts 

of Anatolia. She is at the forefront of poets for whom poetry is synonymous with 

social responsibility. Her poetry has a calm yet powerful voice. Her poems have been 

translated into English, German, Flemish, Danish, Italian, Bulgarian, Arabic, Polish, 

Spanish and Hebrew, and used in academic studies. Akın won the 1961 and 1971 

Turkish Language Association Poetry Awards and the 1992 Sedat Simavi Literature 

Award. 

WORKS: Rüzgâr Saati (Hour of the Wind), Kestim Kara Saçlarımı (Cut My Dark 

Hair), Sığda (In the Shallows), Kırmızı Karanfil (Red Carnation), Maraş’ın ve 

Ökkeş’in Destanı (Epic of Maraş and Ökkeş), Ağıtlar ve Türküler (Elegies and Folk 

Songs), İlahiler (Hymns), Sevda Kalıcıdır (Love Endures), Sonra İşte Yaşlandım (It 

Was Then That I Aged), Sessiz Arka Bahçeler (Silent Back Yards), Uzak Bir Kıyıda 

(On a Distant Shore), Şiir Üzerine Notlar (Notes on Poetry), Seçme Şiirler (Selected 

Poems), Toplu Oyunlar (Collected Plays). 

Foreign Rights: Kadın Olanın Türküsü/ The Song of Women (Das Lied vom Frausein, 

Sardes Verlag, German); Seçme Şiirler/Selected Poems (Contemporary Literature in 

Translation, The Penguin Book of Women Poets, The Penguin Book of Turkish Verse, 

Pacific Quarterly Moana, Contemporary Turkish Literature, International Poetry 

Review, Modern Turkish Poetry, English) 

KADIN OLANIN TÜRKÜSÜ 

THE SONG OF WOMEN 


Translated by Yüksel Pazarkaya 

ISBN: 9783941025004 



The book is consisted of the most 

important poems of Gülten Akın in 

chronological order. The main theme 

of Gülten Akın’s poems is human and 

society and notably several life conditions 

of women. Gülten Akın is recognized as 

a writer who enlivens the international 

poetry with elaborated type of writing 

and specific timbre.

G Ü L T E N D A Y I O Ğ L U 

Gülten Dayıoğlu was born in Kütahya in 1935. She completed her primary and 

junior high school education in different areas of Turkey and graduated from the 

Istanbul Atatürk High School for Girls. She studied Law at Istanbul University, before 

deciding to become a primary school teacher and obtaining her Teaching Certificate. 

She went on to work as a primary school teacher for 15 years. For the last 45 years, 

she has continuously contributed to children’s and young adult’s literature. In 2004, 

the Turkish Ministry of Education named Dayıoğlu the most read author of all time. 

She has also won numerous awards and her stories have been translated into many 

languages and published in several anthologies. 

Foreign Rights: Geride Kalanlar/Those Who Have Stayed (Swedish); Yurdumu 

Özledim/I Miss My Home (Kaufman, German); Geriye Dönenler/Back Home (IKOO 

Publishing House, German); Kalbi Kirik Ayicik/Little Bear with a Broken Heart 

(Russian); Dünya Çocukların Olsa/If the World Belongs the Children (German); 

Fadiş (German) 

MO’NUN GİZEMİ 

BURTCH & DAPHNE AND THE SECRET OF MO 

Xlibris Corporation, USA, 2009 

288 pages, Children’s Book Fantasy Novel 

ISBN: 9789754059809 

oyaalpar@altinkitaplar.com.tr, 

info@altinkitaplar.com.tr 

I was on my way to Australia when I met a 

most peculiar young man on the plane. He was 

a genetic engineer. We had a very interesting 

conversation on cloning and he told me a story 

of a remarkable adventure, which inspired 

met to write this novel. The story was about 

a young girl, Defne, and a young boy, Burc, 

two high school kids who were passionately in 

love with each another. Well, this is how the 

breathtaking novel came about. Each page 

fills the reader with increasing wonder. And 

yet, there are still some questions in my mind 

that I have not been able to answer to this day. 

Was Burc, my travelling companion, a real 

human being? Or had I travelled with a human 

being produced in a laboratory using some 

advanced genetic technology and cloning 

techniques? 

0 8 1

0 8 2 


G Ü N D Ü Z V A S S A F 

Gündüz Vassaf was born in 1946. His works reveal a sharp wit, with an instinctive eye 

for the absurdities of life. Transcending the limitations of genre, he is a storyteller and 

essayist of consummate skill, weaving philosophy, psychology, and literature into a 

web of words. He is part Socratic, part Nietzschean, and wholly original in his quest for 

freedom and individuality. A leading figure in Turkish intellectual life, Vassaf has also 

been writing a weekly cultural column in the newspaper Radikal since 1997. His books 

and articles open the mind to new venues of thought and new inquiries into the state of 

humanity. A unique author, whose works are universal. 

WORKS: Cehenneme Övgü (In Praise of Hell), Cennetin Dibi (Depths of Heaven), 

Tarihi Yargılıyorum (I Judge History), Kırk Yıl Önce Kırk Yıl Sonra Rusya Amerika 

(Forty Years Ago Forty Years Later Russia America), Annem Belkıs (My Mother Belkıs) 

Foreign Rights: Cehenneme Övgü/In Praise of Hell (Dostoyevskyi Publications, 

Russia - Fan Noli, Albania), Annem Belkıs/My Mother Belkıs (Dostoyevskyi 

Publications, Russia), (Steno, Bulgaria). 

ANNEM BELKIS 

MY MOTHER BELKIS 

Steno, Bulgaria 

303 pages, Biography 

Translated by Rüstem Aziz Mümin 

ISBN: 9789754708264 


My Mother Belkıs is a biography of the 

author’s mother, a fascinating tale of a 

woman’s life in transition from East to 

West, spanning the 20th century. The 

book presents everyday life in the late 

Ottoman Empire, the young Republic 

of Turkey, and the United States as 

seen through the eyes of a 94-year-old 

psychologist. My Mother Belkıs takes the 

reader from Koranic school in Macedonia 

to Harvard Graduate School and beyond. 

20,000 copies sold to date. 

“A must for anyone interested in the lives 

of women in the twentieth century.”

G Ü N G Ö R D İ L M E N 

He was born in 1930. Dilmen, who won first prize in the Sinema Tiyatro Dergisi 

(Cinema and Theater Magazine) competition, in 1959, with his one-act play, entitled, 

The Ears of Midas, graduated from the Classical Philology Department, Faculty of 

Humanities, at Istanbul University, in 1960. Dilmen has worked with Israeli and 

Greek theatres and studied theatre at Yale and Washington Universities in the USA. 

Currently, he is a lecturer at Istanbul University State Conservatory. 

WORKS: Galile’nin Günahları (Galileo’s Sins), Osmanlı Dram Kumpanyası (Ottoman 

Drama Company), Hakimiyeti Milliye Aşevi (National Soup Kitchen), Kurban 

(Victim), Aşkımız Aksarayın En Büyük Yangını (Our Love Consumes Aksaray), Ben 

Anadolu (I, Anatolia), Bağdat Hatun (Lady Baghdad), Deli Dumrul (Dumrul the 

Fool), Midas’ın Kulakları (The Ears of Midas), Midas’ın Kördüğümü, (Midas’ Gordian 

Knot), Akad’ın Yayı (Akad’s Bow), Troya İçinde Vurdular Beni (I was Shot in Troy), 

Ayak Parmakları (Toes), Avcı Karkap (Hunter Karkap) Canlı Maymun Lokantası 

(Live Monkey Restaurant), Ak Tanrılar (White Gods), Hasan Sabbah. 

BEN ANADOLU 

I, ANATOLIA 

Editoria & Spettacolo, Italy, 2007 

420 pages, Drama 

Translated by İclal Aydın Margariti 

ISBN: 97899443964431 

pankitap@pankitap.com 

One actress plays sixteen different 

characters, against the background of 

six thousand year- old Anatolia. Each 

woman’s story differs in time and genre, 

ranging from tragedy to comedy, within 

a time span covering thousands of years, 

from the mythological ages to the Turkish 

Independence War. The play has been 

translated into English, German, French 

and Italian and has been staged by various 

theatre companies in Turkey and abroad. 

0 8 3

0 8 4 


H A K A N B I Ç A K Ç I 

Hakan Bıçakçı was born in Istanbul in 1978 and moved to Ankara in 1996 to attend 

university. His first articles were published in the literary magazine Dört Mevsim (Four 

Seasons). He graduated from the Department of Economics at Bilkent University 

in 2001 and subsequently returned to Istanbul. His first novel, Romantik Korku 

(Romantic Fear), came out in 2002, his second novel, Rüya Günlüğü (Dream Diary), in 

2003, the third, Boş Zaman (Spare Time), in 2004, his first book of short stories, Bir Yaz 

Gecesi Kabusu (A Mid-Summer Night’s Nightmare), in 2005 and his fourth novel and 

fifth book, Apartman Boşluğu (The Apartment Shaft), in 2008. He has written many 

articles on literature, film and popular culture for various newspapers and magazines 

in addition to other articles which appear regularly in various publications. He has also 

written feature film scenarios for Asya Film. He currently lives in Istanbul and works as 

an ad writer. 

Foreign Rights: Apartman Boşluğu/The Apartment Shaft (Fan Noli, Albenia), (Etrak, 

Egypt) 

APARTMAN BOŞLUĞU 

THE APARTMENT SHAFT 

Fan Noli, Albenia, 256 pages, Novel 

Translated by Jimmy Lazri 

ISBN: 9753295987 


A musician who confines himself to his 

home in order to compose music, strange 

voices that come from within his home, the 

dark hole on the wall of his flat, and songs 

without writers… A psychological suspense 

story that is based on creativity, inspiration 

and the artistic ego, and which takes place 

in an apartment haunted by a muse… Arif 

is a harmless, quiet man in his thirties 

who has just been dismissed from his job 

where he has worked for many years. He 

lives alone in an old flat in Istanbul. He is 

also the vocalist of a rock group that plays 

in bars, covering songs by foreign groups. 

He is prepared to sacrifice anything if only 

he could sing his own songs, and make an 

album of his own compositions, in other 

words, really make music…

H A K A N Y E L 

Hakan Yel was born in Istanbul in 1968 and studied Archaeology and Art History at 

Ankara University. During his professional life, he worked as a furniture upholstery 

worker, wall paper application laborer, private driver, apprentice in dental prosthesis 

laboratories, waiter in pizzerias, machine operator in fairgrounds, restaurant 

manager, bar manager, product manager, and sales inspector. He currently offers 

training workshops to companies on sales techniques. His first book entitled 

Sultana Dokunmak (Touching the Sultan, 2005) has been reprinted many times. 

The author’s second novel, Lokanta (Restaurant), a horror-suspense novel which 

examines the idea that the aggression and violence taking hold of society day by day 

will soon bring its own sense of justice; it also analyzes the resulting chaos. The book 

was met with a strong response from literary critics with its style that reflected the 

violence it discussed. 

WORKS: Novel: Sultana Dokunmak (Touching the Sultan), Lokanta (Restaurant), 

Rüzgâr Ekenler (Wind Sowers). Non Fiction: Her Şeyi Satarım Ruhum Hariç (I can 

Sell Everything Except My Soul). 

Foreign Rights: Sultana Dokunmak/Touching the Sultan (Celia and Soft Publishing, 

Bulgaria), (Triton, Romania), (Maletz, Poland); Lokanta/Restaurant (Celia and Soft 

Publishing, Bulgaria) 

SULTANA DOKUNMAK 

TOUCHING THE SULTAN 

Celia and Soft Publishing, Bulgaria 


Translated by Alina Asparuhova Karahanova 

ISBN: 9789752105928 

www.hakanyel.com 

Istanbul is shaken by a series of murders 

targeting imams - Muslim prayer leaders. 

The violence of these murders attracts public 

attention. That all of the victims are imams 

make people suspect that the murders are 

related to a specific tariqa (sect). A the same 

time, a substantial amount of arms are 

purchased in Northern Iraq. The purchasing 

of the arms by two old men from Istanbul 

alerts the Israeli and Turkish intelligence 

departments that survey the region on a 

continuous basis. The secret agents tracking 

the arms purchase direct their search to 

Istanbul when the two old men who actually 

purchased the arms are killed. All this 

activity is monitored by a special unit within 

the Turkish state. The Israeli intelligence 

department wants to find out what is 

happening in Istanbul. A female agent called 

Helin, who has been kept dormant in Istanbul 

for a long time, is assigned this duty. 

0 8 5

0 8 6 


A SHORT STORY SELECTION 


Translated by Yüksel Pazarkaya, İnci 

Pazarkaya, Cornelius Bischoff 

ISBN: 9783981041941 


H A L D U N T A N E R 

Haldun Taner was born in 1915 and died in 1986. He was the pioneer of epic and 

cabaret theatre in Turkey. Haldun Taner’s works are marked by a keen sense of 

observation, criticism and humour. He is known for his short stories reflecting 

upon chaotic city life, characterized by its surfeit of contradiction, ignorance 

and absence of good manners. He wrote sketches, short stories, plays, cabarets, 

film scripts, satire, essays and newspaper columns. He became internationally 

famous with his epic play Keşanlı Ali Destanı (The Ballad of Ali from Keşhan). He 

won several national and international literature awards. His works have been 

translated into many languages. 

WORKS: Yaşasın Demokrasi (Long Live Democracy), Tuş (Key), Şişhane’ye Yağmur 

Yağıyordu (It Was Raining in Şişhane), Ayışığında Çalışkur (Çalışkur under the 

Moonlight), Onikiye Bir Var (One Minute to Twelve), Konçinalar, Sancho’nun Sabah 

Yürüyüşü (Sancho’s Morning Stroll), Kızıl Saçlı Amazon (Red Headed Amazon), 

Yalıda Sabah (Morning in the Mansion), Günün Adamı - Dışardakiler (Man of 

the Hour - Outsiders), Ve Değirmen Dönerdi (And the Windmill Turned), Fazilet 

Eczanesi (The Goodwill Pharmacy), Lütfen Dokunmayın (Please Don’t Touch), 

Huzur Çıkmazı (Tranquility Impasse), Keşanlı Ali Destanı (The Ballad of Ali from 

Keşhan), Gözlerimi Kaparım - Vazifemi Yaparım (I Just Close My Eyes and Do 

My Duty), Zilli Zarife (Gaudy Zarife), Vatan Kurtaran Şaban (Şaban, the Nation’s 

Savior), Bu Şehr-i İstanbul Ki (This City: Istanbul), Sersem 

Kocanın Kurnaz Karısı (The Shrewd Wife of the Stupid 

Husband), Astronot Niyazi (Niyazi the Astronaut), Ha Bu 

Diyar (Oh, This Country!), Dün Bugün (Yesterday, Today), 

Aşk-u Sevda (Passionate Love), Dev Aynası (Giant Mirror), 

Yâr Bana Bir Eğlence (A Little Bit of Fun Please), Ayışığında 

Şamata (Fun and Games in the Moonlight), Hayırdır İnşallah 

(Good News, I Hope). 

Haldun Taner focuses his short stories on the celebration 

of life and nature, the praise of sincerity and honesty but, 

more importantly, on the love of human beings. The joy of 

life, the search for happiness and a deep humanism form the 

background to his short stories. Taner, although well aware 

of developments in the modern short story, remains true to 

the traditional approach. He neither looks for novelty in the 

structural form, nor accentuates tension or poetic style in the 

language. For the most part, he is content to employ a plain, 

simple, narrative style.

H A L İ D Z İ Y A U Ş A K L I G İ L 

Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil (1867-1945) was a well-known author of the late Ottoman 

and early Republican years. The author of six novels and numerous short stories, 

he also served the Ottoman government in different posts at home and abroad, 

and for that reason was well informed both about the Ottoman state structure and 

about Ottoman daily life in general. The author also achieved fame for his realistic, 

psychological works, which were influenced by the French realists and naturalists. 

Some of His Novels: Nemide, Bir Ölünün Defteri (The Notebook of a Deceased), 

Ferdi ve Ortakları (Ferdi and his Partners), Mai ve siyah (Blue and Black), 

Aşk-ı Memnu (Forbidden Love), Kırık Hayatlar (Shattered Lives). 

Foreign Rights: Aşk-ı Memnu Forbidden Love (Verbotene Lieben, Unionsverlag, 

German), (Verboden Liefte, Atheneaum-Polak & Van Gennep, Dutch) 

AŞK-I MEMNU 

FORBIDDEN LOVE 

Unionsverlag, Switzerland, 2007 


Translated into German by Wolfgang Riemann 

ISBN: 97510054934 

www.onkagency.com, www.turkishauthors.com 

A story about an extra-marital love affair and 

the difficulty of the status of women in the 

Ottoman period. Bihter, an attractive lady 

married to Adnan who is much older than 

herself, falls in love with Behlül and enters 

into a passionate affair with him. However 

Behlül, a moody adventurist, is bored with this 

relationship after a short while and falls in 

love with Bihter’s stepdaughterBihter. A short 

time before the marriage of Behlül and Nihal, 

the family finds out about the ‘forbidden love’ 

affair of Behlül and Bihter. Bihter cannot take 

the pressure and commits suicide. This leads 

to a chain of events which leaves everyone in 

solitude. 

0 8 7

0 8 8 


H A L İ D E E D İ P A D I V A R 

SİNEKLİ BAKKAL - THE CLOWN AND HIS DAUGHTER 

Manesse Verlag, Random House, Germany, 2008, 

424 pages, Novel , Translated by Renate Orth Guttman 

ISBN: 9750707766 


Halide Edip Adıvar (Istanbul, 1884 -1964) graduated from the Üsküdar Academy 

for Girls in 1901 and started writing newspaper articles about women’s rights in 

1908. This created a backlash from the Ottoman conservatives. During the March 

31st insurgency she went to Egypt for a brief period. She returned to Istanbul in 

1909, and worked as a teacher and inspector. She served in various hospitals during 

the Balkan War. She delivered a very influential speech at the Sultanahmet Square 

in 1919 at a protest rally against the invasion of Izmir. She believed that Turkey 

should be ruled under a mandate regime of the United States. She took part in the 

War of Independence in 1920 as a lance corporal and was promoted to the rank of 

sergeant major. During the remainder of the War of Independence, her ideas began 

to diverge from the political views of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Republican 

People’s Party. After the Progressive Republican Party she supported was closed, the 

Law of Declaration of Peace came into effect and the era of single party rule began. 

She left Turkey together. When she returned to Istanbul in 1939, she was appointed 

chairman of the Department of English Philology at Istanbul University. In 1950, she 

entered the Turkish Grand National Assembly as an independent MP from the candidate 

list of the Democratic Party. She resigned office in 1954 and retreated into seclusion. 

Adıvar was a writer who lived through the transition from the Ottoman Empire to 

the Turkish Republic, an important Turkish Author who witnessed the events of this 

dramatic period and captured their details in her novels. 

Some of Her Novels: Sinekli Bakkal (The Clown and His Daughter), Handan 

(Handan), Ateşten Gömlek (The Shirt of Flame),Türkün Ateşle İmtihanı (The 

Turkish Ordeal), Vurun Kahpeye (Strike the Harlot). 

Adıvar’s first novel, Sinekli Bakkal (The Clown 

and His Daughter), was first published in 

English, and then in Turkish. She struggled to 

overturn the prevalent backward mentality 

regarding women and introduce a new 

understanding of the role of women in the 

Republic. Adıvar never compromised her 

opinions nor relinquished her ideals even in 

the difficult times Turkey went through. Many 

of her characters carry traces of her own life. 

Whether in The Clown and His Daughter, 

Handan (Handan, 1912), Ateşten Gömlek (The 

Shirt of Flame, 1922) or Türkün Ateşle İmtihanı 

(The Turkish Ordeal, 1962), the characters often 

embody the author herself. As a significant 

intellectual of her time, Adıvar influenced other 

writers in her close environment.

H A M D İ K O Ç 

Hamdi Koç was born in 1963. He studied English literature and has translated the 

works of Bechett, Joyce, and Jane Austen. His first novel, Songs on the Death of 

Children, succeeds, in therms of both language and style, in capturing the fantasies 

of a “still” and depressed boy. 

WORKS: Novels: Melekler Erkek Olur (Angels are Male), Çiçeklerin Tanrısı (The 

God of Flowers), İyi Dilekler Ülkesi (The Land of Good İntentions), Çocuk Ölümü 

Şarkıları (Songs on the Death of Children), Kalpten Parçalar (Pieces of the Heart) , 

Bir Eski Kocanın Öğleden Sonrası (One Afternoon of an Ex-Husband). 

MELEKLER ERKEK OLUR 

ANGELS ARE MALE 

Ruffel Verlag, Germany 


Translated by Vedat Çorlu and Sabine Çorlu 

ISBN: 9786051111667 


In his novel Melekler Erkek Olur (Angels are 

Male), Koç tels us about a bored man; bored of 

his car, clothes, lost of money to spend... This is 

a story of our modern days, not yet in the past. 

“I was doing a secret thing.... And I was afraid 

o my wife, my children, my boss, my friends, my 

colleagues... In short, I was afraid of everything 

that owes me, that has the potential to my my 

life harder o even unbearable. One by one and 

all together, I was afraidof all of them” 

0 8 9

0 9 0 


H A N D E A L T A Y L I 

Hande Altaylı was born in Edremit in 1971. After finishing Galatasaray High School 

she studied Public Relations and Politics at Boğazici University. She has worked as 

an ad writer for several agencies and has also composed a selection of lyrics. Her first 

novel Aşka Şeytan Karışır (The Devil Interferes in Love) was published in 2006. Her 

second and most recent novel Maraz (The Sickness) was published in 2009. 

AŞKA ŞEYTAN KARIŞIR 

THE DEVIL INTERFERES WITH LOVE 

Univers, Romania 


Translated by Emilia Comanici 

ISBN: 9756287582 


Ordinary people would not deviate, the 

most innocent ones would not become 

sinners, and the good would not act 

maliciously if only the devil did not 

interfere with love... Aslı goes into love 

blindly with the courage youth gives her. 

Putting the social rules, her morality, 

conscience, and shame aside she falls 

in love with Ömer, her aunt’s lover. In 

the beginning, she does not even care 

that her lover is married. But after bouts 

of jealousy, questioning, dreams and 

disappointments she finds a way out 

by running away. Years later, when she 

thinks she is a mature woman Ömer 

crosses her path again.

H A S A N A L İ T O P T A Ş 

He was born in Denizli’s Çal County in 1958. His first collection of short stories was 

published under the title Bir Gülüşün Kimliği (The Identity of a Smile) in 1987; his 

second book Yoklar Fısıltısı (The Muttering of Nonentities) came out in 1990. With 

his manuscript titled Ölü Zaman Gezginleri (Dead Time Travelers), he won a short 

story contest in 1992. He was awarded an Honourable Mention by the Ministry of 

Culture in the same year for his unpublished book Sonsuzluğa Nokta (Period to 

Eternity). In 1994, he won the Yunus Nadi Prize for Novels with his unpublished 

Gölgesizler (The Shadowless). With his novel Bin Hüzünlü Haz (A Thousand Gloomy 

Pleasures), he won the Cevdet Kudret Prize for Literature. The author also has a 

book, Yalnızlıklar (Desolations), which is written as poetic prose, a novel titled Kayıp 

Hayaller Kitabı (Book of Lost Dreams), and a children’s novel called Ben Bir Gürgen 

Dalıyım (I am a Hornbeam Branch). Toptaş’s last novel Uykuların Doğusu (East of 

Slumber), was published in 2005. 

Foreign Rights: Gölgesizler/The Shadowless (German, Finnish, French) 

GÖLGESİZLER 

THE SHADOWLESS 

Plon, France, 2009 


Translate by Noemi Cingöz 

ISBN: 975293434X 

www.hasanalitoptas.net 

In a village, people disappear without a trace all of a 

sudden, but this is such a case of disappearance that it is 

as if they evaporated or vanished into thin air... Cıngıllı 

Nuri, Güvercin, the mukhtar who goes all the way to the 

city searching for them, Cennet’s son who loses his mind 

and keeps asking why it snows, the barber’s apprentice 

who goes to buy razor blades and then dissapears... 

Gölgesizler is the story of “lost people, lost lives” in which 

fact and fantasy collide, written in a melodious tone, 

almost as if poetry; it is the story of people whose “souls get 

too bored”, “whose skins are too tight for their bodies all of 

a sudden; whose hands do not match their arms and their 

feet to their legs; whose eyes have become insufficient for 

seeing. Gölgesizler is a novel which will grip, tax, surprise 

and enrich the reader with its surrealistic narration and 

extraordinary language bordering the edges. 

0 9 1

0 9 2 


H A S A N E R K E K 

Hasan Erkek was born in 1970 in Adıyaman. He graduated from the Theatre 

Department at Ankara University where he also obtained his Master’s and PhD 

degrees. Currently he is a faculty member at Anadolu University Conservatoire. He is 

a member of the executive committees of the Turkish Playwrights Association (vicepresident), 

Turkey’s ASSITEJ (International Association of Theatre for Children and 

Young People-vice-president) and UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette- 

National Center). 

WORKS: Bir Gençlik Şarkısı (A Song of Youth), Eşik (The Threshold), Don Kişot’un 

Ruhu (The Soul of Don Quixote), Yaşasın Barış (Long Live Peace), Ezginin Güncesi 

(Ezgi’s Diary), Radyo Çocuk Oyunları (Radio Plays for Children), Oyun İçinde 

Anlatı ( The Narration in the Play), Özgürlük Yarışı (Race for Freedom), Bu Dünya 

Hepimizin (This World Belongs to All of Us), Barış Cumhuriyeti (Republic of 

Peace), Radyo Oyunları (Radio Plays), Sahne Çocuk Oyunları-1 (Children’s Stage 

Plays -1), Mızıka (Harmonica), Kağıthelvacı (Wafer Seller) Tahta Otobüs (Wooden 

Bus), Müzik Kutusu (Music Box), Güzel Kemanım (My Beautiful Violin), Güzelyurt 

Çocukları (Children of Beautiful a Country), Bedel (Cost), Sevda Pınarı (Love 

Fountain), Hayatın Çiçekleri (Flowers of Life), Buluşan Yollar (Converging Roads), 

Gençlik Irmağı (Youth River), Umut Kuşları (Birds of Hope), Heyecanlı Bir Senaryo 

(An Exciting Script). 

Foreign Rights: Eşik/The Threshold (Mütercim Publishing, Russian), (Le Seuil, 

Turkish Ministry of Culture, French); Özgürlük Yarışı/Race for Freedom 

(Der Wettstreit um die Freiheit, Frieling Verlag, German) 

EŞİK - THE THRESHOLD 

Mütercim Publishing, Azerbaijan, 2007 

164 pages, Drama 

Translated into Russian by Makbule Muharremova 

ISBN: 9751726336 

yayimlar@kultur.gov.tr, hasanerkek@yahoo.com 

We follow the life story of a family who has had to 

move to the city because of desperate economic 

conditions in the country side. Although the 

family frees itself from the repressive patriarchal 

traditions, it has difficulties in integrating itself 

into urban life. The play centers on the family’s 

struggle to cope with the psychological, cultural 

and economic challenges faced in order to cross the 

threshold, during their process of integration.

H A S A N K I Y A F E T 

Hasan Kıyafet (1938, Kırşehir) was educated at the Village Institute and obtained 

a degree in English from Gazi Eğitim. He worked as a teacher throughout Anatolia. 

He published his first poems and articles in Çaltı newspaper. He translated I. Yılmaz 

Sunucu’s short story Muska from Turkish into English with the name “The Charm”. 

He became well known for his novel Komünist İmam (The Communist Imam) which 

was published in 1969. The novel which is currently on its 54th edition, had wide 

repercussions at the time it was published and politically it cost the writer dearly. 

Kıyafet spent his teaching career in exile, as well being adversely affected by the 

events of 12 March and 12 September like other intellectuals. The writer has over 40 

printed books including his children’s books and his research work. He won many 

awards with is various works: Barac, achievement award in Sebahattin Ali Short Story 

Competition; Diyarbekir’e Girmek (Entering Diyarbekir), Mezapotamia Cultural Centre 

Film Story Competition; Yürüyüş Okulu (The School of Walking), the Turkish Ministry 

of Culture Film Story Competition; Ve Umut Direniyor (And Hope Resists), 

the Disk-Abdullah Baştürk Blue Collar Literature Competition. 

Some of His Works: Novels: Komünist İmam (The Communist Imam), Başlayan 

Kavga (The Beginning of the Strugle) Aliali, Yaşamak Yasak (It is Forbidden to Live), 

Yatırım Çocuklar (Investment Children), Bizim Lise (Our High School), Bismillah 

Sevda ve Sosyalizm (Bismillah, Love and Socialism), İnsan Yokuşu (The Human 

Hill), Umut Direniyor (Hope Resists). Children’s Stories: Çingene Çocuğu (The Gipsy 

Child), Bizim Fabrika (Our Factory), Cin Top (Ball Game), Almanya Afacanları (The 

Little Rascals of Germany), Küçük Kapıcı (The Small Porter), Kurnaz Kurt (The 

Sly Wolf), Kuşkalenin Kuşları (The Birds of Kuşkale), Sığırcık Kayası (The Rock of 

Sığırcık), Uçan Tilki (The Flying Fox). 

KOMÜNİST İMAM 

THE COMMUNIST IMAM 

3C Utigeverij, The Netherlands, 2004, 

184 pages, Novel, Translated by Erhan Gürer 

ISBN: 9758426788 

info@ozyurekyayinevi.com 

What did the Communist Iman mean to say: He emphasised that 

Communism is not a religion, it is an economic movement. In the 

area where the Kop Mountains are located, there lived a legendary 

rebellious imam who was a firm believer and practiser of Islam. Just 

like Robin Hood, he not only took from the rich to give to the poor, but 

in this remote village by the mountains he set up an exemplary village 

where they lived a communal life...Those who called him a communist 

were the feudal land owners and the state... 

0 9 3

0 9 4 


H A S A N L A T İ F S A R I Y Ü C E 

Hasan Latif Sarıyüce was born in 1929. He graduated from Gazi Education Academy 

and worked as a Turkish language and literature teacher in the schools. He served 

one term as an MP. He has had more than a hundred books published, most of which 

have been brought out by the Ministry of Culture. His first poem appeared in Çığır, 

a magazine published in Ankara, in 1947 and subsequently, his short stories were 

published in the magazine, Sesimiz. Since 1947, Sarıyüce has been writing poems, 

tales and novels more specifically aimed at children. 

WORKS: Beyaz Kanatlı Kuş (The Bird with White Wings), Dört İsimli Prens (The 

Prince with Four Names), El Evinde (In Somebody Else’s House), Güle Güle Küçük 

Arkadaş (Bye Bye Little Friend), Kuş Seslerinden Korkan Çocuk (The Child Who 

was Afraid of Bird Song), Tarla Kuşlarının Öyküsü (The Tale of the Skylarks), 

Uğur Böceğinin Düğünü (Marriage of a Ladybird), Üç Ayaklı Oğlan (The Three- 

Legged Boy), Çocuklara Şiirler (Poems for Children), Düş Yağmuru (Dream Rain), 

Altın Öğütler (Golden Advice), Anadolu Efsaneleri 1-2 (Anatolian Legends 1-2), 

Anadolu Masalları Dizisi (Anatolian Tales Series), Ders Veren Türk Masalları 

(Turkish Parables), Keloğlan Masallar Dizisi (Keloğlan Tales Series), Manzum 

Ezop Hikâyeleri (Aesop’s Fables in Verse), Manzum Nasrettin Hoca Hikâyeleri 

(Nasreddin Hodja Tales in Verse), İncili Salkım (Cluster of Pearls), Mavi Kahkaha 

Çiçeği (The Blue Laughter Flower), Mercan Kız (Coral Girl). 

ÇITI PITI HANIM - MISS PETITE 


Yalda Ghalam, Iran, 2008 

Translated by Muhammed Rıza Mehrafza 

ISBN: 9754947627 


ozlem@ bilgiyayinevi.com.tr 

This is the fifth book in the Anatolian Tales Series. 

It contains such charming tales as Çıtıpıtı Hanım 

(Miss Petite), İğci Baba (Pop the Weaver), Ağlayan 

Nar ile Gülen Ayva (The Weeping Pomegranate 

and the Smiling Quince), Karlı Dağları Aşan Kız 

(The Girl Who Crossed Snowy Mountains), Cesur 

Mıstılıcık (Brave Mıstılıcık), Menekşe Yaprağından 

İncinen Kız (The Girl who was Hurt by a Violet 

Petal) and Safoğlan (Naive Boy). These tales have 

been illustrated by Cavit Yaren. This series of tales 

won the Türkiye İş Bankası Literature Award in 1991.

H I F Z I T O P U Z 

Hıfzı Topuz was born in Istanbul in 1923 and graduated from the School of Law at 

Istanbul University in 1948. He received his MA from the University of Strasbourg 

were he studied International Law and Journalism and completed his PhD on 

Journalism. He has also worked at the daily Akşam newspaper, first as the chief of 

intelligence and then as the editor. He was among the founders of the Trade Union 

of Journalists of Istanbul and served as the Chairperson. He worked at the UNESCO 

Headquarters in Paris as head of the Free News Circulation Department (1959-1983). 

He worked for TRT, the Turkish Radio and Television Company, as the Vice General 

Manager responsible for the radio channels (1974-75). In 1986, he founded the 

Communications Research Association (ILAD), and he has acted as the chairperson 

since then. He has penned articles for Vatan, Milliyet and Cumhuriyet newspapers as 

well as for various magazines. He gave lectures at the Faculties of Communication 

Studies at the Anatolian University, Galatasaray University and Istanbul University, 

including courses on the press, the history of television and radio, international 

communication, and political communication. 

WORKS: Özgürlüğe Kurşun (Bullets Against Freedom), Çamlıcanın Üç Gülü (Three 

Roses of Çamlica), Başın Öne Eğilmesin (Keep Your Head Up), Meyyale, Gazi ve 

Fikriye (Gazi and Fikriye), Elvada Afrika Hoşçakal Paris (Farewell Africa), Goodbye 

Paris, Taifte Ölüm (Teath in Taif), Eski Dostlar (Good Old Friends). 

BAŞIN ÖNE EĞİLMESİN - KEEP YOUR HEAD UP 

Steno Publishing House, Bulgaria, 2009 



ISBN: 9751411505 

omer@remzi.com, info@kalemagency.com 

Sabahattin Ali always kept his head up. He 

never gave up defending his views in his literary 

works and newspaper articles. In his short life 

lasting only for 41 years, he not only produced 

outstanding works of Turkish literature 

which were translated into many languages 

worldwide, he also demanded independence, 

freedom and modernization for his country. 

He lived dreaming of these values. After a life 

blighted by prison and exile he paid the final 

price for this dream and was slaughtered in the 

Forest of Istiranca. In this novel, author Hıfzı 

Topuz, using real documents while developing 

his own style, holds a mirror to the tragic life 

of Sabahattin Ali from his youth up until the 

day he was murdered. Sabahattin Ali certainly 

features among the unforgettable names in 

Turkish literature. 

0 9 5

0 9 6 


H İ L M İ Y A V U Z 

Hilmi Yavuz was born in1936. He graduated from the Philosophy Department at 

London University. He has worked as a lecturer at Mimar Sinan University, Istanbul 

Technical University and Boğaziçi University. Hilmi Yavuz, who started writing 

poems as part of the Second New poetry movement, has managed to fashion his 

unique style by producing poems that are refined, intensive and profound. Hilmi 

Yavuz, who continues to write poems, won the Yeditepe Poetry Award in 1978 and the 

Sedat Simavi Vakfı Literature Award in 1987. 

WORKS: Bakış Kuşu (Glance Bird), Bedreddin Üzerine Şiirler (Poems on Bedreddin), 

Doğu Şiirleri (Poems of the East), Yaz Şiirleri (Summer Poems), Gizemli Şiirler 

(Mysterious Poems), Zaman Şiirleri (Time Poems), Söylen Şiirleri (Spoken Poems), 

Ayna Şiirleri (Mirror Poems), Hüzün ki En Çok Yakışandır Bize (It’s Melancholy 

That Most Becomes Us), Gülün Ustası Yoktur (The Rose Has No Master), Erguvan 

Sözler (Erguvan Lyrics), Çöl Şiirleri (Desert Poems), Akşam Şiirleri (Evening 

Poems), Yolculuk Şiirleri (Road Poems), Hurufi Şiirler (Hurufi Poems). Felsefe ve 

Ulusal Kültür (Philosophy and National Culture), Roman Kavramı ve Türk Romanı 

(The Concept of Novel and the Turkish Novel), Kültür Üzerine (On Culture), 

Felsefe Üzerine (On Philosophy), Yazın Üzerine (On Literature), Denemeler Karşı 

Denemeler (Essays and Counter Essays), Dilin Dili (The Language of Language), 

İstanbul Yazıları (Istanbul Writings), Taormina, Fehmi K.’nın Acaip Serüvenleri 

(The Strange Adventures of Fehmi K.), Kuyu (The Well), Okuma Notları (Reading 

Notes ), İstanbul’u Dinliyorum (Listening to Istanbul), Ah Kadınlar (Sweet Women). 

SEASONS OF THE WORD: 

SELECTED POEMS OF HİLMİ YAVUZ 

Syracuse University Press, USA, 2007 

Translated by Walter G.Andrews 

ISBN: 0815608799 



This volume is a selection of eighty-seven poems 

taken from a number of works by Hilmi Yavuz. 

Hilmi Yavuz has sought to blend traditional 

and contemporary elements in his poetry and 

has established a harmonious balance between 

form and essence. Moreover, by making use of 

Islamic Mysticism-more specifically, Sufism-he 

has created a new vocabulary. His outstanding 

contribution bears testimony to the venerable 

position he has held in Turkish poetry for the 

last fifty years.

I Ş I K S Ü K A N 

Işık Sükan was born in Istanbul in 1936 as the child of a well-established Istanbullite 

family. As she continued with her training in music and arts, she received her 

education in law and journalism. The author worked in Babıali as a journalist and 

upon her graduation, she worked as a lawyer and legal consultant. Her children’s 

books entitled Prens Kardu (Prince Kardu) and Altın Kalem Masalı (The Tale of the 

Golden Pen) were published in two volumes. Işık Sükan visited the elderly ladies of 

Istanbul, inquiring about life during the last period of the Ottoman Empire, how 

they lived and entertained in their youth. She penned Asitane Efsaneleri (Legends of 

Constantinople) as a result. Music, plastic arts, drawing and literature have always 

been part of her life. Sükan also has a keen interest in architecture, history and 

Sufism. 

WORKS: Asithane Efsaneleri (Legends of Constantinople, Short Story), Aklın 

Ötesinde (Beyond the Mind, Poetry), Prens Kardu (Prince Kardu, Children’s Book), 

Altın Kalem Masalı (The Tale of the Golden Pen, Children’s Book). 

ASİTANE EFSANELERİ 

LEGENDS OF CONSTANTINOPLE 

Arab Scientific Publishers, Lebanon, 2008 


Translated by Abdulkadir Abdelli 

ISBN: 9752561526 

info@kaknus.com.tr, kaknus@kaknus.com.tr 

The book is a collection of 23 short stories 

depicting the lifestyle and traditions of 

Ottoman culture. The stories will allow you to 

draw an extremely interesting and realistic 

mental picture of Ottoman women. You will 

learn quite a lot about the social structure 

and values of the Ottomans as well as the 

relationships between men and women. You 

will capture details which are about to fall 

into oblivion, such as the colloquial language, 

common household items, traditions and 

manners. The stories, which take place in the 

atmosphere of âsitâne (capital city), one of 

the many names given to Istanbul throughout 

history, will certainly offer tremendous reading 

pleasure. 

0 9 7

0 9 8 


I Ş I L Ö Z G E N T Ü R K 

Işıl Özgentürk was born in Gaziantep in 1948 and after graduating from the Faculty 

of Law at Istanbul University started her writing career. Her first works were in 

children’s literature. In the competitions held by Arkın Publishing House, she won 

awards with her children’s stories and poems. Then she started to write for adults. 

For many years she conducted interviews for Cumhuriyet newspaper. She wrote film 

scripts and plays. She wrote the script for the film “Seni Seviyorum Rosa” (I love 

you Rosa), which she also directed. She has won many awards in international film 

festivals and represented Turkey in various festivals overseas. Her children’s plays 

have been performed by Istanbul City Theatres. Özgenturk has written film scripts 

for the cinema and directed films. At present, she continues to write for Cumhuriyet 

newspaper. 

WORKS: Children’s Books: Mavi Karaca (The Blue Deer), Düyaya Masallar 

(Fairytales for Duya), Geniş Mavi Bir Gök (A Wide Blue Sky), Kuş Ne Yana Öter? (In 

Which Direction Do Birds Chirp?), Hayat Okulu (The School of Life), Güneşe Giden 

Yiğitler (Brave Men off to the Sun), Yokuşu Tırmanır Hayat (Life Climbing up the 

Hill), Hançer (The Dagger). Other Works : Küçük Sevinçler Bulmalıyım (I Need to 

Find Little Pleasures, Play), Büyülü Bir Yolda (On a Magical Road, Travel Writing), 

Hiçbirimiz Masum Değiliz (None of Us Is Innocent, Articles), Sessizlik ve Sırdır 

Ötesi (Beyond Is Silence and Mystery, Short Stories and Poems), Tırmanır Hayat 

(Life will Climbe, Short Stories) 

HAYAT OKULU 

THE SCHOOL OF LIFE 

Express Verlag, Germany, 1983 


ISBN: 9789944942584 

The School of Life consists of interesting 

stories told by little children. Those 

children, whose stories we’re told about 

in The School of Life, attempt to take on 

the toughest jobs, in order to survive. 

Some sell flowers, some sell newspapers 

and others clean shoes...

İ H S A N O K T A Y A N A R 

İhsan Oktay Anar was born in Yozgat in 1960. He studied at the Philosophy 

Department at Ege University and obtained his Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees 

from the same university. At present he is a faculty member at Ege University. He 

is one of the most important names in recent Turkish literature. Each of his books 

is notable for its use of detailed historical knowledge, resulting from meticulous 

research. The structure of his novels usually comprises a central narrative, around 

which the threads of many interconnected stories are intricately woven... Puslu 

Kıtalar Atlası (The Atlas of Hazy Continents) has been translated into more than 20 

languages. 

WORKS: Puslu Kıtalar Atlası (The Atlas of Hazy Continents, 1995), Kitab-ül Hiyel 

(Book of Mechanics, 1996), Efrâsiyâb’ın Hikâyeleri (Tales of Afrasiab, 1997), Amat 

(Amat, 2005), Suskunlar (The Mute, 2007). 

Foreign Rights : Puslu Kıtalar Atlası/The Atlas of Hazy Continents (Magyar 

Napló, Hungary), (Ammann Verlag, German, Switzerland), (Actes Sud ,France), 

(Munhakdongne Publishing, Korean); Kitab-ül Hiyel/Books of Mechanics (Actes 

Sud, France); Efrâsiyabın Hikâyeleri/Tales of Afrasiab (Rácıó Kiadó, Hungary). 

PUSLU KITALAR ATLASI 

THE ATLAS OF HAZY CONTINENTS 

Munhakdongne Publishing, South Korea, 2008 


Translated by Nana Lee 

ISBN: 9754704724 


This was İhsan Oktay Anar’s first novel. The 

book, which was first published in 1995, 

attracted attention for its content and 

form. The book won critical acclaim and 

has been reprinted several times. Anar, who 

has been described as a “breath of fresh air 

for Turkish literature,” is able to convey to 

the reader, his profound understanding of 

history, emanating from his philosophical 

background. His limpid use of language 

has sparked interest in history amongst his 

readers. 

0 9 9

1 0 0 


İ L H A N B E R K 

İlhan Berk was born in Manisa in 1918, diedin Bodrum in 2008. His first poems 

were published in journals Manisa Halkevi, Uyanış, Varlık, Çığır to name a few. He 

graduated from the French department of Gazi Education Institution and taught 

for ten years. His poems were mostly realist until 1953 and after this date his poetry 

became the forerunner of “Second New” movement. He is the most prominent 

member of this movement. History and sexuality are the main themes of his poetry. 

Berk has been a vital force in the modernization of Turkish poetry. 

Foreign Rights: Madrigals (Sherman Books, English), (Histoire secrete del poésie, 

Artuyen, French); Galile Denizi/The Sea of Galile: Mar de Galilea (Ediciones del 

Oriente y del Mediterraneo, Spanish&Turkish); Güzel Irmak/River (Rio Hermoso, 

Ediciones del Oriente y del Mediterraneo, Spanish&Turkish); Seçilmiş Şiirler/ 

Selected Poems (Talisman House, English), (Logos Publishing, Albanian), Seçilmiş 

Şiirler/Selected Poems (A Leaf about to Fall, Salt Publishing, English) 

SEÇME ŞİİRLER 

SELECTED POEMS: A Leaf about to Fall 

Salt Publishing, UK, 2006 


Translated by George Messo 

ISBN: 9781844712748 



İlhan Berk is a poet who wrote about the 

theory of poetry just as he wrote poetry, 

considering and defining his own concept of 

the art. More importantly, starting with his 

first poem, he was an innovator in language, 

concept and thematic matter, giving his 

work an importance that continues even 

today. He especially elaborated the issue 

of language, the language of poetry and, 

more importantly, strove to develop his own 

poetic language. Objects, numbers, things 

and abstract concepts are turned into most 

exceptional expressions in his poetry. İlhan 

Berk’s poetry is open to innovation and 

linguistic creativity in each and every word.

İ N C İ A R A L 

Aral was born in Denizli in 1944. She completed Manisa Primary Education School 

and the Arts and Crafts Department of the Gazi Institute of Education serving 

as a teacher in Samsun, Manisa, and Izmir, as well as at the Gazi Institute of 

Education. From 1977 onwards she began writing short stories that were published 

in magazines. Her first collection of stories, Ağda Zamanı (Leg Waxing Time), won 

the 1980 Akademi Press Achievement Award. Kıran Resimleri (Pictures of Death, 

1983) in which the violent events that took place in Kahramanmaraş are depicted, 

won the Nevzat Üstün Short Story Award. This book was translated into French and 

published in 1989. The Yunus Nadi Prize for Novels, which she won for Ölü Erkek 

Kuşlar (Dead Male Birds) in 1992, was another addition to her awards. Aral, who also 

writes essays, memoirs, and stories, is the author of Yeni Yalan Zamanlar (Times of 

New Lies, 1994), Hiçbir Aşk Hiçbir Ölüm (No Love No Death, 1997), İçimden Kuşlar 

Göçüyor (Birds Migrate from within Me, 1998), Mor (Purple, 2003), and Taş ve Ten 

(Stone and Flesh, 2005). 

Foreign Rights: Uykusuzlar/Sleepless (Les Insomiaques, Publisud, France, 

1994); Kıran Resimleri/Pictures of Dead (Scenes de Massacres, L’Harmattan, 

France, 2000); Mor/Purple (Oceinada, Greece, 2008); Safran Sarı/Saffron Yellow 

(Oceinada, Greece). 

SAFRAN SARI 

SAFFRON YELLOW 

Oceinada, Greece 


ISBN 9789759174873 

www.turkuvaz.com 

From İnci Aral, on her 30th Anniversary of 

writing, a notable novel about these days of 

Turkey. 

A young investment banker; an antique 

smuggler woman; a graduate call-girl... İnci 

Aral, narrates the intersecting paths of these 

three characters, on her novel grounded on 

the idea of “No Future”. On the eve of the 

second millenium, these people affected by 

social, economical and cultural turbulences, 

questions their drifts and unforeseen futures. 

On one side there is hefty money, all kinds 

of earthly pleasures, colourful lifes, and on 

the other side soiled and corrupted values, 

dissatisfaction, exploited system and 

degenerated sexuality… 

Saffron Yellow is an adventure of thirtysomethings, 

estranged from their identities, 

loves and hopes on the pursuit of money, 

power and success; first by loosing their 

affections, then their beliefs in future and 

their souls at the end... 

1 0 1

1 0 2 


İ S K E N D E R P A L A 

Iskender Pala was born in 1958 and, after completing his degree in the Faculty of 

Literature at Istanbul University in 1979, he received his PhD in the field of Divan 

Poetry (Ottoman court literature). He then became an associate professor in 1983 

and professor in 1998. As a literature researcher, he published many scientific and 

literary essays in various encyclopedias and periodicals. He wrote course books 

for middle school and high school education. He conducted research on Ottoman 

naval history and published some of his research studies as books. He has attracted 

attention especially in the field of “divan” literature and has 45 books published so far. 

Foreign Rights: Babil’de Ölüm, İstanbul’da Aşk/Death in Babylon, Love in Istanbul, 

(Europa, Hungary), (Ednorog, Bulgaria) 

BABİL’DE ÖLÜM, İSTANBUL’DA AŞK 

DEATH IN BABYLON, LOVE IN ISTANBUL 

Europa Publishing House, Hungary 


ISBN: 9789758950119 


When the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman, the 

Law-maker, is about to conquer Bagdad, 

Fuzuli is examining secret volumes in the 

library of the Academy. He is reading the 

last bits of information before the sultan’s 

soldiers come to the library to pillage it. Just 

before the soldiers arrive, the Syrian librarian 

gives Fuzuli a double-horn handled dagger in 

the shape of a forked-tongued snake’s head. 

The librarian says, “For those who know how 

to die, a dagger means life, and for those who 

know about love, there are but seven truths.” 

Then he asks Fuzuli to safeguard this secret 

forever. Fuzuli is a young poet whose work 

is well-liked. The Ottomans show interest in 

him and enjoy his art; however, certain people 

aim to take the dagger from him.

İ S M E T Ö Z E L 

İsmet Özel (1944, Kayseri) is an important figure in the past forty years of Turkish 

poetry. He studied at the Faculty of Political Sciences of Ankara University. He had 

to discontinue his studies before he graduated and did two years of military service. 

In 1963, the year when his first poems were published, he became a member of 

the Labour Party. He took part in activities such as the editing and distribution of 

the magazine Dönüşüm (Transformation). He became one of the founders of the 

Federation of Clubs of Ideas, which later evolved into the organisation Dev-Genç. In 

1969, at a panel titled “Reformist Young Poets Start a Fight,” he and three friends 

protested against pacifist poetry. Later he and Ataol Behramoğlu founded the 

magazine Halkın Dostları (Friends of the People). It issued 18 numbers before it was 

closed down by martial law. Following the intervention of 12 March 1971, Özel felt 

the need to reassess his opinions and beliefs. He graduated from the Department 

of French Language and Literature at Hacettepe University and became a French 

teacher at the State Conservatory for eighteen years. 

WORKS: Geceleyin Bir Koşu (A Running At Night), Evet, İsyan’ın (Yes, Your 

Rebellion) Cinayetler Kitabı (The book Murder), Şiir Okuma Kılavuzu (Guide for 

Reading Poem), Çenebazlık (Chatty), Celladıma Gülümserken (Smiling to My 

Executioner), Şiirler 1962-1974 (Poems 1962-1974), Şiir Kitabı (The Book of Poetry), 

Erbain (The Forty), Bir Yusuf Masalı (A Yusuf Tale), Of Not Being A Jew. 

Foreign Rights: Faydasız Yazılar (Logos A Publishing House, Macedonia 2002) 

ERBAİN - THE FORTY 


ISBN: 9757796312 

sulekitap@yahoo.com 

İsmet Özel’s poems have been discussed 

in modern Turkish literature not just 

because of his idiosyncratic views on 

poetry, but also because of his political 

opinions and changing views. Despite his 

changing ideology, the quality of his poems 

remained consistent throughout his career. 

Critic Memet Fuat describes İsmet Özel’s 

poetry: “In the beginning İsmet Özel was a 

revolutionary. He tended to dismiss those 

poets who were not bold, quarrelsome 

and ‘militant’ like him. Then one day his 

views changed. He laid aside collectivism 

and militancy and chose Islam. While the 

revolutionaries lost a promising poet the had 

set their hopes on, the Muslim side gained a 

talented poet. 

1 0 3

1 0 4 


J A K L İ N Ç E L İ K 

Jaklin Çelik was born in Diyarbakır, but at a young age moved with her parents to 

Kumkapı, Istanbul. She studied at the Surp Mesropyan Armenian primary school and 

at the Çemberlitaş High School. Çelik, who worked as both a columnist and editor 

for Agos, the Turkish-Armenian Istanbul based paper, has also published stories and 

interviews in various journals. In 1999 she won honourable mention in the Yaşar 

Nabi Nayır Short Story Awards. Her short stories are collected in three books: Kum 

Saatinde Kumpkapı (Stories from the Sandgate, 2000), Yılanın Yolu (The Snake’s 

Trail, 2003) and Kaçak Yolcu (Stowaway, 2005). 

KUM SAATİNDE KUMKAPI 

STORIES FROM THE SANDGATE 

Nettleberry-Çitlembik Publications, USA, 2002 

212 pages, Short Stories 

Translated by Nancy Öztürk 

ISBN: 9789756663127 

kitap@citlembik.com.tr 

Çelik’s book of short stories, Kum 

Saatinde Kumkapı (Stories from the 

Sandgate), contains eleven stories, 

mostly about the Armenian community 

in Turkey. She examines the lives of 

ordinary people and the monotony of 

their life. From time to time, Turks and 

Kurds are also featured in her stories, but 

the author does not place an emphasis 

on ethnic identity. In fact, had it not 

been for their names, such as Kayane, 

Azat, Arşaluys, Onnik or Yerçenik, it 

would be impossible to distinguish these 

characters as belonging to an ethnic 

group which have lived in Anatolia 

for hundreds of years, from any other 

Turkish character.

K A R A C A O Ğ L A N 

The dates of birth and death of Karacaoğlan, one of the 17th century bards, are 

unknown. He is assumed to have been raised among the Turcomen who had lived 

in the Taurus mountains. His poetry hints that he had travelled in Eastern and 

Southeastern Anatolia, had been to Egypt, Tripoli and Rumelia, and had lived 

away from home for many years. Karacaoğlan had not been influenced by divan 

and dervish poetry, had not aspired to write like madrasah and dervish poets, had 

not even used Ottoman prosodic meter. Instead, like a traditional bard, he had 

remained committed to traditions, life and the taste of the public, to the themes of 

love and homesickness. He had been a village and tribal poet of love and nature, 

voicing the beauties of nature and countryside, love, joys and sorrows in village life. 

The poems of Karacaoğlan, who appears to have written mostly ballads, semai, and 

occasionally epic poems, are those which first come to mind today when one speaks 

of Turkish popular poetry-singing. The life of Karacaoğlan was turned into a story in 

Yaşar Kemal’s book Üç Anadolu Efsanesi (Three Anatolian Legends). 

KARACAOĞLAN BÜTÜN ŞİİRLERİ 

KARACAOGLAN THE COLLECTED POEMS 

Kelag-E Sefid, Iran 


Translated by Şepnal Şeydaiy 

ISBN: 9759950972 

The book presents all of the poems of 

Karacaoğlan, the most significant name in 

Turkish popular poetry-singing. The themes 

explicit in the focus on human beings of 

Karacaoğlan’s poetry are nature and love. 

Separation, homesickness, and death are 

other themes that become evident in the 

totality of his poems. The poet voices his 

emotions in a realistic way and expresses 

his thoughts in a clear and accessible style. 

He relies more on reality than fantasy. The 

source of his joy of living is his passion for 

the beautiful, for the loved one, and nature. 

The essence of his lyrical diction exhibits 

the features of his characters’s being and 

thought. Nature, the essential part of 

nomadic life, is one of the main themes of his 

poetry. He expresses the nature of the places 

he visited in a magnificent way. Another 

important theme in his poetry, the existence 

of love, becomes even more beautiful with 

his metaphors of nature. The joy experienced 

with the lover, the pain brought on by her 

are shared with nature. He deals with the 

concept of love/lover, which form the focal 

point of his poetry in addition to nature, in a 

different way to that of the traditional rules 

of love poetry. 

1 0 5

1 0 6 


K E M A L B İ L B A Ş A R 

Kemal Bilbaşar (1910-1983) graduated from the Department of History-Geography in 

the Gazi Educational Institute in 1935. He taught at Nazilli and Izmir Karakaş Middle 

Schools and retired in 1961. After being involved in politics for a while, he settled down 

in Istanbul in 1966. He published his first stories in the Aramak magazine which he 

published together with Cahit Tanyol and İlhan İleri in Izmir (1939). He received his 

first award in the short story competition held by community centers at that time. With 

the exception of the period between 1945 and 1952, Bilbaşar continually published short 

stories and wrote scripts for radio sketches. His short stories, novels and articles were 

published in various newspapers and magazines. He also wrote drama, screenplay and 

textbooks, but tended more towards novel writing after 196l. Kemal Bilbaşar won the 

Ankara Community Center Short Story Competition in 1939 with his story “Budakoğlu”, 

the Turkish Language Institution Novel Competition with his novel Cemo in 1967, and 

May Novel Competition in 1970 with his novel Yeşil Gölge. With 27 reprints, Cemo is 

considered to be themasterpiece of the writer. Bilbaşar died on 21st January, 1983. 

Some of His Works: Novels; Denizin Çağırışı (The Call of the Sea), Ay Tutulduğu Gece 

(The Night of the Eclipse), Cemo (Cemo), Memo (Memo), Yeşil Gölge (The Green 

Shadow), Yonca Kız (The Girl Yonca) Başka Olur Ağaların Düğünü (Agha weddings Are 

Different), Kurbağa Çiftliği (The Frog Farm), Kölelik Dönemeci (The Turn of Slavery), 

Bedoş (Bedos), Zühre (Venus) Short Stories: Anadolu’dan Hikayeler (Tales from 

Anatolia), Cevizli Bahçe (The Walnut Garden), Pazarlık (The Bargaining), Pembe Kurt 

(The Pink Wolf), Irgatların Öfkesi (The Anger of the Workers on the Field), Kurbağa 

Çiftliği (The Frog Farm). 

CEMO - GEMMO 

Peter Owen Unesco Collection, UK, 1976, 223 pages, Novel 

Translated by Enis B. Rey and Mariana Fitzpatric 

ISBN: 0720604246 

www.kemalbilbasar.com 

The first years of the Republic. Cemo is a legend living in the harsh 

geographical conditons of the Eastern Anatolia, in its remorseless air, 

in its nature that makes one excited and exhausted with its thousand 

and one plays. Cemo sets hearts on fire with her burning eyes as black as 

coal, with her black hair bearing the glow of the sky, with her eyebrows 

which turn into daggers when knitted. Cemo is a brave woman who is 

stubborn, not yielding to anything, protecting her people and her life 

with everything she has. She is a symbolic name in Turkish literature 

with her fable-like life in Eastern Anatolia. Kemal Bilbaşar’s Cemo has 

secured her place among unforgettable novel characters. In Cemo, Bilbaşar 

depicts people in a squirarchy, their tribal conventions, convictions, and 

lifestyles in an amazingly realistic way. It is a novel of resistance.

K E M A L Ö Z E R 

Kemal Özer was born in Istanbul in 1935 and studied at the Department of Turkish 

Language and Literature at Istanbul University. He worked for Cumhuriyet 

newspaper and Karacan Publications, and was editor of Varlık magazine for a 

number of years. Kemal Özer set up his own publishing house, Yordam Yayınları, 

and publishes his own books. He served as Vice Chairman of the Turkish Writers 

Syndicate. So far sixty of his books from different genres have been published, 16 of 

which are poetry books. He has received a number of awards for his poems, which 

show a realistic approach to the problems of society. The poetry of Kemal Özer, 

who has taken part in international poetry events in Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, the 

Netherlands, Denmark and Slovakia and has been the guest of Hungarian PEN and 

the Union of Soviet Writers, has been translated into twenty foreign languages and 

has been published in book form in Bulgaria, Denmark and the Netherlands. His 

most important works include Ölü Bir Yaz (A Dead Summer), Kimlikleriniz Lütfen 

(Your IDs please), Oğulları Öldürülen Analar (Mothers with Murdered Sons). The 

writer wrote in many different disciplines of literature from poetry to children’s 

stories, from comical writings to travel books. He passed away in 2009. 

Foreign Rights: Trenler Ne Güzeldir/How Beautiful Trains Are (Öner Verlag, 

Germany). 

TEMMUZ İÇİN YARALI SEMAH 

A WOUNDED SEMAH FOR JULY 


ISBN: 9789944122351 

georgina.ozer@yordamkitap.com 

Kemal Özer, who has embedded the act of 

“bearing witness to events” in his poetry, 

maintains this approach in “A Wounded Semah 

for July”. He views the tragic events that took 

place in Sivas in 1992 through the eyes of poetry. 

These poems, which aim to render visible the 

deaths caused by the fire, and the feelings, 

reactions, pain and drama caused by these 

deaths, are as much an expression of “setting 

out again at the place where the road ends” as 

they are a “witnessing statement” that revolves 

again and again round the central theme of 

the crime that was committed like the semah, 

a religious dance. A Wounded Semah for July 

points a finger of accusation at attempts to bury 

this tragedy, at hopes that it will be forgotten 

1 0 7

1 0 8 


K Ü R Ş A T B A Ş A R 

Kürşat Başar was born in Istanbul in 1963 and graduated from the Department of 

Philosophy at Istanbul University in 1985 where he received his MA from the same 

department. Since 1981, his essays, articles and interviews have been published in 

various newspapers and magazines such as Gösteri, Hürriyet, Yeni Yüzyıl, Güneş, 

Akşam, Star, Picus, Nokta, Aktüel and Tempo. His books Konuştuğumuz Gibi Uzaklara 

(Far Away as we’ve Agreed, 1990), Sen Olsaydın Yapmazdın Biliyorum (You Wouldn’t 

Do it, I Know, 1992), Aşkı Bulmanın ve Korumanın Yolları (Ways to Find and Keep 

Love, 1996), Başucumda Müzik( Music by my Bedside, 2003) are novels; Kış İkindisinin 

Evinde (In the House of the Winter Afternoon, 1998 - Milliyet Haldun Taner Short Story 

Award) is a short story book; İğreti Yaşamlar (Makeshift Lives, 2000) and Çok Güldük 

Ağlamayalım (We’ve Laughed Much, Hope we Don’t Cry Now, 2006) are essays; Doğan 

Hızlan: Bir Roman Kahramanı (Doğan Hızlan: A Protagonist, 2005) is a biography. 

BAŞUCUMDA MÜZİK 

MUSIC BY MY BEDSIDE 

Colibri, Bulgaria, 2008 


Translated by Rozilya Samouilova 

ISBN: 9789752893422 


“If I had been told that I could stop at a 

certain moment in my life and stay there 

forever, I would have chosen one of two 

moments. The first is when I was rocking 

in the swing hanging from the branches of 

a tree in the garden of my childhood. The 

other is the day I first kissed the man I loved 

more than anyone in my whole life… Many 

strived to write the common language of 

falling in love. In fact, it is quite simple: you 

are in love if you feel as if you are rocking on 

a swing when you kiss someone.”

L A T İ F E T E K İ N 

Latife Tekin was born in Kayseri, in 1957. Her family moved to Istanbul in 1966, when 

she was nine years old. She completed her studies at Beşiktaş Girls High School, then, 

worked briefly at the Istanbul Telephone Company. Her first book, Dear Shameless 

Death, was published in 1983. She earned her reputation with this novel, in which she 

gives a surrealistic account of Anatolian village life and its people, in a style similar 

to that of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. After this first 

novel, which is considered as belonging to the genre of magical realism, other works 

followed and have been translated into English, German, French, Italian, Persian 

and Dutch. Tekin’s variety of style and approach has enabled her to become one of 

the most eminent novelists of her generation. 

WORKS: Sevgili Arsız Ölüm (Dear Shameless Death), Berci Kristin Çöp Masalları 

(Berji Kristin: Tales from the Garbage Hills), Gece Dersleri (Night Lessons) Buzdan 

Kılıçlar (Swords of Ice), Aşk İşaretleri (Love Signs), Ormanda Ölüm Yokmuş (No 

Death in the Forest), Unutma Bahçesi (Oblivion Garden), Muinar (Muinar), Bir 

Yudum Sevgi (A Drop of Love). 

Foreign Rights: Buzdan Kılıçlar/Sword of Ice (Marion Boyars, English), (Stock, 

French); Berji Kristin Çöp Masalları/Berji Kristin: Tales from the Garbage Hills 

(Marion Boyars, English), (Unionsverlag, German), (Stock, French), (Giunti, Itailan) 

BUZDAN KILIÇLAR 

SWORDS OF ICE 

Marion Boyars, UK, 2007, 128 pages, Novel 

Translated by Saliha Paker, Mel Kenne 

ISBN: 9789752891005 


“Nobody knows or understands poor people’s souls 

better than other poor people’’. Poverty is the only thing 

which is as certain and razor-edged as death and for 

hundreds of years, poor souls, in order to resist the 

pressure of this reality, have been communicating with 

each other, by means of signs and a secret language 

that rich people can never learn. If they didn’t have this 

knowledge of poverty, which is like an impudent frog 

in their pockets, fully aware that there is no place for 

them in the cruel world of others, how could they bear 

to exist in this perpetual state of trepidation, forcing 

them to tiptoe their way through life. How could anyone 

know this?” 

1 0 9

1 1 0 


L E V E N T M E T E 

Mete was born in Izmir in 1958 and, after graduating with a degree in medicine from 

Hacettepe Medical School, he specialized in thought, language and concentration 

problems in schizophrenia and has won the Turkish Psychiatry Association 

Research Award four times. In addition to his works entitled Şizofreni: En Uzak Ülke 

(Schizophrenia: the Remotest Land, 1998) and Depresyon: Hüzünden Melankoliye 

(Depression: from Sadness to Melancholy, 1999). He has also published the novels 

entitled Terapi (Therapy), Rika’nın Beyni (Inside Rika’s Brain), Büyücüler (Sorcerers), 

and Aşk Hastalığı (Love-Sickness). Mete acted as stage assistant for the play Albay Kuş 

(Colonel Bird) staged at Izmir State Theatre. He is currently the head of the Psychiatric 

Clinic at Izmir’s Atatürk Training Hospital. 

Foreign Rights: Aşk Hastalığı/Love-Sickness (Steno, Bulgarian), (Fan Noli, Albanian ); 

Rika’nın Beyninde/Inside Rika’s Brain (Fan Noli, Albanian) 

AŞK HASTALIĞI 

LOVE-SICKNESS 

Steno Publishing House, Bulgaria 



ISBN: 9789750707094 


info@kalemagency.com 

A man and a woman who try to make sense 

of what has happened to them while being 

dragged away by the sudden exuberant 

feelings that wrecked their lives. Hesitant 

souls who come and go between love, 

passion and emotion on the one hand, 

and spouse and children, conscience and 

reason on the other. Love-Sickness is an 

extraordinary novel about uncontrollable 

passion, deceiving against all odds, inner 

conflicts, and eventually, questioning love 

itself. One day the man goes after the eyecatching 

woman he has been encountering 

on the street for a while. In a few days both 

of their lives are turned upside down and 

a series of swift events take place around 

the main themes of love, eroticism, and 

existential worries.

TUHAF BİR KADIN 

L E Y L A E R B İ L 

Leyla Erbil is one of Turkey’s leading contemporary female writers, author of four 

novels and three collections of short stories, a book of essays and a biographical text 

about one of the best woman writers in the Turkish language, Tezer Özlü. Educated 

in Istanbul, she has worked as a translator. In the 1960s she was involved in the 

activities of the Turkish Labor Party, which was the most influential socialist party 

at the time. Her stories are usually based on emotional and sociological conflicts of 

individuals and their relationship to society. Whether it is a love story or the story 

of a family or about the political and social developments of society, she usually 

presents contradictory states and situations and motivates the reader to reflect 

upon the matter more deeply. One of the author’s main principles is that her works 

are not to be nominated for any of the literary contests or for any organizations that 

distribute awards. 

WORKS: Short Stories: Hallaç (Cotton Fluffer), Gecede (In the Night), Eski Sevgili 

(Old Lover). Novels: Tuhaf Bir Kadın (A Strange Woman), Karanlığın Günü (The Day 

of Darkness), Mektup Aşkları (Love Letters), Cüce (Dwarf), Üç Başlı Ejderha (The 

Three Headed Dragon). Essays: Zihin Kuşları (Mind Birds). Letters: Tezer Özlü’den 

Leyla Erbil’e Mektuplar (Letters from Tezer Özlü to Leyla Erbil). 

Foreign Rights: Tuhaf Bir Kadın/A Strange Woman (Eine seltsame Frau, 

Unionsverlag, German); Karanlığın Günü/The Day of Darknes (Actes-Sud, French) 

A STRANGE WOMAN 

Unionsverlag, Germany, 2005, 154 pages, Novel 

Translated into German by Angelika Gillitz-Acar & 

Angelika Hoch 

ISBN: 9756287454 

www.onkagency.com, www.turkishauthors.com 

A Strange Woman is a novel which could 

also be read as four short stories which are 

independent of each other. The novel had 

wide repercussions when it was published 

and this has continued throughout the 

subsequent decades. The novel was 

considered a pioneer, as for the first time 

in Turkish literature it was confronting 

issues such as virginity, incest and sexual 

and physical abuse. A Strange Woman was 

published at a time when the word feminism 

had not yet entered the Turkish vocabulary 

and mindset; hence feminists consider the 

novel to be a first of its kind. Leyla Erbil made 

important headway in Turkish literature 

with the distinctive style and format she 

developed in this novel, paving the way for 

others to follow. 

1 1 1

1 1 2 


M A R İ O L E V İ 

Mario Levi was born in 1957, in Istanbul and grew up in Şişli, Feriköy and Kadıköy, 

districts of Istanbul, generally inhabited by religious minorities. In 1980, he 

graduated from the French and Roman Philology Department at Istanbul University, 

determined not to continue with any kind of academic study. He wrote his first short 

story in 1975. After 1984, he wrote several articles, predominantly about music, in 

newspapers and periodicals such as Şalom, Cumhuriyet, Cumhuriyet Dergi, Stüdyo, 

İmge, Gösteri, Milliyet Sanat and Argos. His first book, Jacques Brel: Bir Yalnız Adam 

(Jacques Brel: A Lonely Man) was published in 1986, to be followed by his first book 

of short stories in 1990. The story, “Bir Şehre Gidememek” (An Inaccessible City) won 

the Haldun Taner Award in the same year. In 1993, he started writing a novel, which 

would take six years to complete. This novel, entitled İstanbul Bir Masaldı (Istanbul, 

a Fairy Tale) won the Yunus Nadi Novel Award in 2000. At present he is a lecturer at 

Yeditepe University. 

WORKS: Bir Şehre Gidememek (An Inaccessible City), Madam Floridis 

Dönmeyebilir (Madam Floridis May Not Return), En Güzel Aşk Hikâyemiz (Our 

Exquisite Love Story), İstanbul Bir Masaldı (Istanbul, A Fairy Tale), Lunapark 

Kapandı (The Fun Fair Is Closed). 

Foreign Rights: İstanbul Bir Masaldı/Istanbul was a Fairytale (Istanbul war ein 

Märchen, Suhrkamp, German), (Baldini Castoldi, Italian) 

İSTANBUL BİR MASALDI 

ISTANBUL WAS A FAIRY TALE 

Baldini Castoldi Dalai, Italy, 2007 


ISBN: 9752930271 


To be born a foreigner on the “peninsula 

closest to the West” of Istanbul was not my 

fault... Neither was experiencing Istanbul 

like a fairy tale, nor trying to resemble the 

people in other books or the heroes of the 

stories, plays that have shaped my life... 

My Istanbul, at the end of the day, has been 

a fairy tale...

M A V İ S E L Y E N E R 

Mavisel Yener was born in Ankara in 1962 and graduated from the Faculty of 

Dentistry at Ege University. Her short stories, fairy tales, newspaper articles and 

critiques have been published since 1978 and she has penned over thirty published 

books. She won the Second Prize in the Tömer Fairy Tale Competition in 1999, Third 

Prize in the Bu Publishing Humour Stories 2000 competition for her work called 

Üşengeç (Couch Potato); in the Bu Publishing Children’s Novel 2001 competition she 

won First Prize for her work entitled Kayıp Seslerin İzinde (Trailing Lost Sounds). In 

the Tudem Literature Awards, she won the First Prize for her novel Mavi Zamanlar 

(The Blue Times) in 2003. In the “Association for Children’s Book Writers” 23rd April 

Children’s Poetry Awards, she shared the award with Aytul Akal for their joint work 

Mavi Ay (The Blue Moon) in 2004. She is a member of PEN Writers, Literature Union, 

Turkish Writers Union, and the Language Association. She still writes for children. 

Her first book Mavi Elma (The Blue Apple) was published in 1999. She has had more 

than forty children’s books published and children’s plays performed. She has also 

worked as a trainer in children’s literature workshops. 

Foreign Rights: Mavi Elma/Blue Apple (The Safeer, Egypt); Evinden Kaçan Masal/ 

The Fairytale That Ran Away From Home (Shtypshkronja Siprint, Kosovo) 

EVİNDEN KAÇAN MASAL 

THE FAIRYTALE THAT RAN AWAY FROM HOME 

Shtypshkronja Siprint, Kosovo 


Translated by Nehar Şişko 

ISBN: 9789752201156 

www.maviselyener.com 

Did the fairytale get caught after it ran away 

from its creator because it did not want 

to be like the other fairytales with witches 

and giants? What happened when the aged 

book met the computer? What about the 

adventures of the talking armchair and the 

magical socks? Mavisel Yener provides four 

beautiful fairytales written in her simple and 

entertaining style for children to enjoy. Each 

and every child can leaf through the pages 

of the book, pick his/her fairytales and delve 

deep into a sea of dreams. 

1 1 3

1 1 4 


M E H M E D N İ Y A Z İ Ö Z D E M İ R 

Mehmed Niyazi Özdemir was born in Akyazı, in 1942. He graduated from the 

Faculty of Law at Istanbul University in 1967. He completed his doctoral thesis on 

Fundamental Rights in Turkish Public Law, at Marlburg, Bonn and Köln Universities 

in Germany, where he lived for many years. He has written for Zaman and Tercüman 

newspapers in Turkey. He has had his articles published in periodicals such as Ufuk 

Çizgisi, Bayrak, Genç Akademi, Türk Yurdu, İnsan and Kainat. He is particularly 

well-known for his novel, Mehmed Niyazi. He focuses on national issues in his works 

and comments on the social structure of Turkey in his essays. 

WORKS: Bayram Hediyesi (Holiday Present), Var Olmak Kavgası (Fight for 

Existence), Çağımızın Aşıkları (Lovers of Our Age), İki Dünya Arasında (Between 

Two Worlds), Ölüm Daha Güzeldi (Death Was More Beautiful), Yazılamamış 

Destanlar (Unwritten Epics), Çanakkale Mahşeri (The Last Judgment in Çanakkale), 

Dahiler ve Deliler (The Genius and the Insane). 

ÇANAKKALE MAHŞERİ 

THE LAST JUDGMENT IN ÇANAKKALE 

Nun-r Dooel, Macedonia, 2007 


Translated by Seydula Halili 

ISBN: 9754372764 

otuken@otuken.com.tr 

Mehmed Niyazi wrote his novel of the 

Dardanelles War, neither in terms of a 

place, nor a person. The novel starts with 

the first bullet fired and continues the 

account of all the fronts, until the end 

of the conflict. According to the author, 

the historical novel should be faithful 

to reality and only, with the express aim 

of recreating the atmosphere, should 

fictional heroes be used. However, 

Mehmed Niyazi had no need to create 

fictional heroes, as there were so many 

real ones in the Dardanelles War.

M E H M E D U Z U N 

Mehmed Uzun (Siverek, 1953-Diyarbakır, 2007) was a multilingual, multicultural writer 

who published books in Kurdish, Turkish and Swedish. Mehmed Uzun wrote seven novels 

in Kurdish. He was tried for his novel Aşk Gibi Aydınlık Ölüm Gibi Karanlık (As Luminous 

As Love, As Dark As Death) and for his collection of essays, Nar Çiçekleri (Pomegranate 

Flowers) in spring 2001 and was acquitted. That same year he received the Freedom 

of Thought and Expression award from the Turkish Publishers’ Association as well as 

Scandinavia’s most important award, the Torngy Segerstedt Pen of Freedom Award for 

the literature he produced and his stand for the freedom of expression. 

Some of His Works: Ölüm Meleğiyle Randevu (Rendezvous With Angel of Death), 

Dicle’nin Sesi I-Dicle’nin Yakarışı (Voice of Tigris I-Entreaty of Tigris), Dicle’nin Sesi 

II-Dicle’nin Sürgünleri (Voice of Tigris II-Exiles of Tigris), Kürt Edebiyat Antolojisi 

(Anthology of Kurdish Literature), Sen (You), Yaşlı Rind’in Ölümü (The Death of an 

Old Rind), Yitik Bir Aşkın Gölgesinde (In The Shadow of a Lost Love), Kader Kuyusu 

(The Well of Destiny), Nar Çiçekleri (Pomegranate Flowers), Kürt Edebiyatına Giriş 

(An Introduction to Kurdish Literature), Bir Dil Yaratmak (Creating a Language), 

Dengbêjlerim (My Dengbêjs), Zincirlenmiş Zamanlar Zincirlenmiş Sözcükler 

(Chained Times Chained Words), Abdal’ın Bir Günü (One Day of the Abdal), Ruhun 

Gökkuşağı (Rainbow of the Soul), Küllerinden Doğan Dil Ve Roman (A Language 

and a Novel Born out of Its Ashes). 

Foreign Rights: Aşk Gibi Aydınlık Ölüm Gibi Karanlık/As Luminous As Love, As 

Dark As Death (Unionsverlag, German, Switzerland, 1998); Nar Çiçekleri/The 

Pomagranate Flowers (Ortfrod, Sweden); Yitik Aşkın Gölgesinde/In the Shadow of 

a Lost Love (Ortfrod, Sweden) 

DİCLE’NİN SESİ I-DİCLE’NİN YAKARIŞI 

VOICE OF TIGRIS I - ENTREATY OF TIGRIS 

327 page, Novel 

ISBN: 9752732283 

ithaki@ithaki.com.tr 

Mehmed Uzun takes us back to the ancient 

times, to the land of everlasting love and 

people from different religions who live in 

peace together. Kurds, Yezidis, Assyrians, 

Arabs, Jews, Armenians, Turks… Ester 

and Biro’s broken, desperate love… Uzun 

narrates the story of Mir Bedirhan, who 

lives on the Tigris bank of Mesopotamia, his 

achievement of taking over the throne when 

he was only 16, his exile and death by using 

Biro’s words and memory who is passionately 

in love with words and considers them as 

his palace. Biro is a word hunter. He always 

narrates so that people can learn. And for 

listeners to be able to narrate these to others. 

“You want it, then I will tell. Burn the candle 

and listen to the voices of the forgotten 

ones.” 

1 1 5

1 1 6 


M E H M E T A K İ F E R S O Y 

Mehmet Akif Ersoy, was born in Istanbul in 1873 and died in the same city in 

1936. He studied veterinary science at the university. Although his poems give the 

impression of simplicity, due to their reliance on the spoken form of the language, 

Mehmet Akif in fact, had an extremely meticulous approach to form. He displayed 

his inclination towards a plainer form of language in all his poems. He improved the 

expression in the verse, without destroying the natural structure of the language 

and tempered the Divan rhythm, thereby illustrating the extensive possibilities of 

the Turkish language in poetry writing. Mehmet Akif achieved a personal style in his 

works by emphasizing the social identity of language. 

WORKS: Safahat (Phases), Süleymaniye Kürsüsünde (On the Pulpit of 

Süleymaniye), Hakkın Sesleri (The Sound of God), Fatih Kürsüsünde (On the Pulpit 

of Fatih), Hatıralar (Memoirs), Asım, Gölgeler (Shadows). 

SAFAHAT 

PHASES 

Logos-A, Macedonia, 2007 


Translated by Mithat Hoxha 

ISBN: 9789752693319 

Safahat seems to consist of seven 

separate sections. The parts of each 

poem in this book, although entire in 

themselves, seem also to be completely 

separate entities. From this perspective, 

Safahat is neither a book of verse stories, 

nor a collection of poems, neither 

novel, nor some other kind of work. It 

is only Safahat. It is specific to itself 

and unique; it is a literary work which 

expresses Mehmet Akif’s thoughts and 

feelings, desires, complaints, anguished 

cries, sorrows, joys and ideals. Mehmet 

Akif was a poet deeply attached to his 

culture and climate; honest, responsible, 

sensitive, sincere and full of patriotic 

feelings.

M E H M E T C O R A L 

Mehmet Coral was born in Izmir, in 1947. He graduated from Izmir Maarif 

High School and from the Business Administration and Economy Department 

at Amsterdam University. He obtained his Master’s degree from The Hague 

International Law Academy. He started writing in the early 1990s, in Istanbul, to 

where he had moved after completing his academic studies. In 1999, during the 

Balkan people’s literary award, Balkanika, where he represented Turkey, the award 

committee decided to support the translation of all his works into Balkan languages. 

His books have been translated into English, French, Italian and Greek. 

WORKS: Bizans’ta Kayıp Zaman (Lost Time in Byzantine), Konstantiniye’nin Yitik 

Günceleri (The Lost Diaries of Constantine), Sonsuz Meltem (Undying Breeze), 

Işıkla Yazılsın Sonsuza Adım (Write My Name in Light for Eternity), İzmir - 13 Eylül 

1922 (Izmir - September 13, 1922), Zamanın ve Düşüncenin Sınırlarında Uçarken 

(Flying on the Borders of Time and Thought), Paslı Güneş (Rusty Sun), Tımarhane 

Adası (Mad House Island), Meryem Planı (The Maria Plan). 

İZMİR - 13 EYLÜL 1922 

IZMIR - SEPTEMBER 13, 1922 

Kedros Publishers S.A., Greece, 2006 


Translated by Niki Stavrithi 

ISBN: 9752931022 


Mehmet Coral, in İzmir - 13 Eylül 1922 

(Izmir - September 13, 1922) makes his 

hero recall through hypnosis, the factors 

which created the hostility between the 

Greeks and the Turks. İzmir - 13 Eylül 

1922, through the astral voyage of its 

hero, tries to untangle the complex 

historical thread, answer questions 

dating from the Byzantine period to 

the present day that the hero himself 

could not understand and shed light 

on the strategic tussles played out on 

Anatolian soil. 

1 1 7

1 1 8 


M E H M E T K A R A S U 

Mehmet Karasu was born in Antakya (Hatay) in 1950. He graduated from Antakya 

High school and then the Department of Turkish Language and Literature in 

the Faculty of Literature at Istanbul University. He continues to write for various 

magazines. 

WORKS: Eserleri: Doğu’ya Açılan Pencere (The Window Opening to the East), 

Evvel Zaman İçinde Antakya Masalları (Antakya Fairytales from Ancient Times 

- written in collaboration with Nebihe Karasu), Doğa ve Tarih Beldesi Harbiye 

(Harbiye- a Place of Nature and History), Bir Tutam Işık (A Ray of Light), Nusayrilik 

Alevilik ve Çokkültürlülük (The Nusayri, the Alawites and Multiculturism), Pembe 

Yapraklı Utanç Şafak DAPHNE, (Pink Leafed Shame Dawn DAPHNE), Davud el 

Antaki Sempozyumu Bildiriler Kitabı (The Proceedings of the Davud el Antaki 

Symposium), Antiochos Orontes. 

EVVEL ZAMAN İÇİNDE ANTAKYA MASALLARI 

ANTAKYA FAIRYTALES FROM ANCIENT TIMES 

Dar-ül Haris, Syria, 2009 

96 pages, Tales 

Translated by Süha Kıyak 

ISBN: 9750068734 

karasumehmet50@hotmail.com 

This work, consisting of a nursery 

rhyme and 21 fairytales, was written by 

Mehmet Karasu and Nebihe Karasu. The 

fairytales were collected from different 

neighbourhoods and villages of Antakya. 

These fairytales depict the regional 

characteristics of Turkish language, 

the unique storytelling methods of the 

Turkish people, and regional phrases and 

idioms. Each fairytale has a message, 

either explicit or implicit. One such 

message is that to fight that which is evil 

and to champion the truth is a virtue.

M E H M E T M U R A T S O M E R 

Mehmet Murat Somer was born in Ankara in 1959. He received his BA dagree in 

engineering from Middle East Technical University. His career of working at a bank 

outlived his career as an engineer. He gives seminars at companies concerning 

personal development and is an executive adviser. He wrote scripts for movies and 

television series and published essays on classical music in several periodicals. In 

his own words, he still “enjoys being a twenty-seven-year old in Istanbul and the 

Tropics.” He is the scriptwriter of several movies and TV series. He lives in Istanbul 

and Rio de Janerio. His “Hop-Chiki-Yaya” crime series went hit number one on the 

bestseller lists immediately after their release and stayed there for months. His new 

series Champagne Trilogy (Holding, Podium and Backstage) takes the reader into 

the glittering world of Istanbul’s fame, fashion, theatre, financial and publishing 

scene where there is no shortage of power games and revenge... 

Foreign Rights: Hop-Çiki-Yaya Polisiyeleri, Peygamber Cinayetleri/Hop-Ciki-Yaya 

Thrillers, Prophet Murders (UK, France, Greece, Poland, Italy, Germany, Brasil); 

Hop-Çiki-Yaya Polisiyeleri, Buse Cinayeti/Hop-Ciki-Yaya Thrillers, Kiss Murder 

(USA, UK, France, Greece, Germany, Poland, Spain, Brasil, Italy); Hop-Çiki-Yaya 

Polisiyeleri, Jigolo Cinayeti/Hop-Ciki-Yaya Thrillers, Gigolo Murder (USA, Brasil, 

Italy, UK, France); Hop-Çiki-Yaya Polisiyeleri, Peruklu Cinayetler/Hop-Ciki-Yaya 

Thrillers, Wig Murders (UK, France) 

BUSE CİNAYETİ - KISS MURDER 

Penguin, USA, 2008, 208 pages, Novel 

ISBN: 9944 860 51 2 

www.istanbultelifofisi.com, info@istanbultelifofisi.com 

One evening Buse comes to see the uncrowned queen of the 

night, - and the manager of the club which is the meeting 

point and marketplace of vanities. For many years, Buse 

holds compromising letters and photos of an old lover, 

which she has never used for blackmail, though. As there 

are people after her and her apartment got rummaged 

through, she feels threatened. The papers she’s hidden 

in her blind mother’s apartment. What begins as a small 

investigation for a favour and out of curiosity, very quickly 

leads into an unpredictable network of gloomy evil, with 

different parties tugging at its ends. Powerful interests 

seem to be in the game, and when Buse is found murdered 

a few days later, it is clear that there are no punches 

pulled. Her blind mother disappeared without a trace, 

her apartment turned upside down and there is no trace 

of the papers… Not only an arch-conservative politician 

is involved, also the Mafia claims her wishes briskly and 

insistant in an unpleasing way, but the worst is that 

the lady boss must realise that even among her closest 

confidantes in the club some were bought by the Mafia. In 

such a constellation winners are rare, each and everyone 

must try to get away unscarred while picking the attractive 

flowers along the way 

1 1 9

1 2 0 


M E H M E T Z A M A N S A Ç L I O Ğ L U 

Mehmet Zaman Saçlıoğlu was born in 1955 in Bursa. He graduated from Ankara 

College, and then from the School of Applied Fine Arts in 1977 in Istanbul. He worked 

as a faculty member in various universities. His two collections of short stories, Yaz 

Evi (Summer House) and Beş Ada (Five Islands) are considered as among the best 

examples of contemporary short story in Turkey. Rüzgâr Geri Getirirse (If the Wind 

Brings It Back, subtitle: Stories with a Threshold), the third collection of his short 

stories, was published in 2002. With its visual and textual thresholds, the book is 

the first of its kind in contemporary Turkish literature and possibly in the world 

literature. Some of his short stories have been translated into German and English. 

He won many short story awards such as the Yunus Nadi Award in 1993, the Sait 

Faik Story Award in 1994, the Haldun Taner Award in 1998. He also has two books of 

poetry, Sarkaç (Pendulum, 2002), and Günden Önce (Before the Day, 1985). 

WORKS: Poetry: Günden Önce (Before the Day), Sarkaç (Pendulum); Short Stories: 

Yaz Evi (Summer House), Beş Ada (Five Islands), Rüzgâr Geri Getirirse (If the Wind 

Brings Back) 

RÜZGÂR GERİ GETİRİRSE 

IF THE WIND BRINGS BACK 

Napkut Kiado, Hungary, 2008 


Translated by Sallai Bence, Sipos Aron, 

Szemerics Agnes, Szollossy 

ISBN: 9789632630236 

onk@onkagency.com 

In order to get into the stories in this book, 

the reader may have to pass through two 

gates.At the beginning of each story are a 

graphic statement and a threshold text. 

A figure drawn within the usual page 

decoration gives the reader the first clue 

about the story . Then, a poetic threshold of 

no more than two pages greets the reader. 

This text contains various reflections 

of the story. Readers may opt to read 

the book following its original order or 

choose to skip and read the threshold texts 

separately. Such different readings of the 

book can leave the reader with different 

feelings each time.

M E L İ H C E V D E T A N D A Y 

With his poems, novels, dramas and essays, Melih Cevdet Anday (1915-2002) is 

one of the most versatile authors of the 20th century modern Turkish literature. He 

graduated from the Faculty of Letters, History and Geography in Ankara. Due to his 

work as an official for the state railway, he was unable to continue his studies. Later, 

the institution he worked for sent him to Belgium to study sociology. He returned 

to Turkey when World War II began and worked as an advisor at the Ministry 

of Education, General Directorate of the Press, also as a librarian, journalist, 

translator, teacher and freelance author. In 1941, he published a collection of poetry 

Garip (Strange), together with Orhan Veli and Oktay Rifat. With this book the three 

high school friends started the Garip movement, initiating an era of innovation 

in Turkish poetry. Later on, Anday diverged from the Garip movement with his 

collection Kolları Bağlı Odysseus (Odysseus Bound, 1963), and became the pioneer of 

his own philosophical poetry movement. Anday did not believe that poetry had to be 

dominated by emotion rather than reason, nor that it was obliged to serve a socialist 

function. He rejected the hegemony of artistic reason. In his works every word and 

concept is filtered by reason and logic. 

WORKS: Poetry: Rahatı Kaçan Ağaç (The Disturbed Tree), Telgrafhane (The 

Telegraph Office), Yanyana (Side by Side), Kolları Bağlı Odysseus (Odysseus Bound), 

Göçebe Denizin Üstünde Teknenin Ölümü (Death of a Boat on the Nomadic Sea), 

Sözcükler (Words), Ölümsüzlük Ardında Gılgamış (After Immortality: Gilgamish); 

Novels: Gizli Emir (Secret Order), Aylaklar (The Futiles), İsa’nın Güncesi (The Diary 

of Jesus), Raziye (A Love Triangle); Plays: İçerdekiler (Insiders), Mikado’nun Çöpleri 

(Mikado Sticks), Dört Oyun (Four Plays). 

Foreign Rights: Yağmurun Altında/Rain One Step Away, (Charioteer Press, USA, 1980) 

ÖLÜMSÜZLÜK ARDINDA GILGAMIŞ 

AFTER IMMORTALITY: GILGAMISH 

Kelag-E Sefid, Iran, 108 pages, Poetry 

Translated by Şehram Şeydaiy, ISBN: 9754184046 

“The unknown poem, or should I 

say unknowable? There is no other 

subject so close to my heart and yet 

so unknown. I can hear the poem, I 

can even see it; it is almost as if I am 

touching it. I have experienced this 

many times over the years, yet every 

time it leaves me feeling so confused. 

Throughout all of world history a 

poem exists and yet no one can work 

out what it is. You try hard, you 

struggle a lot, you see how it can make 

you happy, you feel as though you are 

acquainted, but then it is lost, only to 

turn up on another occasion wearing 

a different disguise. Lately I have 

been much preoccupied with these 

thoughts.” 

1 2 1

1 2 2 


M E L İ K E G Ü N Y Ü Z 

Melike Günyüz was born in 1968 in Erzurum. She completed her elementary, 

secondary and high school education in Istanbul and graduated from Boğaziçi 

University, the Department of Turkish Language and Literature in 1991. She worked 

as an English teacher for the Ministry of Education from 1992 to 1994. She received 

her master’s degree from Boğaziçi University in 1994 and her doctorate in 2003 from 

Istanbul University, the Social Sciences Institute, the Department of Old Turkish 

Literature with her dissertation Ahmedî Divanı’nın Tahlili (Analysis of the Ahmedi 

Diwan). She has been an editor and publishing director at Erdem Publishing since 

1994. She conducts academic research on children’s literature, prepares Turkish 

course books for elementary education and writes tales for children. She is married 

with two children. 

Foreign Rights: Gakgukların Maceraları/The Adventures of GakGuks (Beijing 

Yuanliu Classic Culture, China), (Wydawnctwo Uklad Anka, Poland), (Tanany Book 

Services, Egypt), (Edition Orient, Germany) 

GAKGUKLARIN MACERALARI 

THE ADVENTURES OF THE RAVENS 

Wydawnctwo Uklad Anka, Poland 


Illustrated by Reza Hammetirad 

ISBN: 9789755016085 

info@erdemyayinlari.com 

Books of The Adventures of The Ravens are Şarkıcı Gukki (Gukki The 

Singer), Ses Yarışması (Singing Contest), Pamuk Karga (Cotton Raven), 

Ay Nereye Kayboldu (Where Has The Moon Gone), Süslü Çikolata 

(Decorated Chocolate), Ay Nereye Kayboldu (Gaki The Blue) 

The Land of Caws is a place where tiny and cute crows live. These black 

crows are adorable characters made up of fingerprints. Gukki the singer, 

a baby crow with the voice of a nightingale, is looking for a place where 

others will enjoy his songs and accept him. Is there such a place? Gaki 

is good friends with their neighbors, the Blue Feathers. But he does not 

want to be just a friend of theirs. He wants to be just like them. He even 

wants to live with them. Could a Caw be like a Blue Feather? Decorated 

Chocolate wants her beak to be just like the beak of a Magpie, so she 

decides to have surgery. Could the beak of a Caw be turned into a Magpie 

beak? What happens if it can be? How would you like to travel to the 

Land of Caws where you can hear the music words played in a simple 

and fun style?

M E M D U H Ş E V K E T E S E N D A L 

Memduh Şevket Esendal (1886-1952) did not find a wide audience in his lifetime and 

was only fully appreciated decades later as one of the first and most creative modern 

Turkish short story writers. The stylish, uncluttered Turkish diction he forged 70 years ago 

seems to have been written today. Along with Sait Faik, he was responsible for developing 

the short story as a genre of Turkish literature and created opportunities for those who 

followed him. Many of Memduh Şevket Esendal’s stories were published in journals 

during the years 1908-1925. After the establishment of the Turkish Republic he took 

an active role in politics, serving as General Secretary of the CHP (Republican People’s 

Party) and Turkish Ambassador to various countries. In this period he used the initials 

“M.Ş.E.” or pennames for his fiction. An edition of his collected stories was published in 

two volumes in 1946, but his entire output was published only after his death. His formal 

contribution to short story writing was well ahead of the conception of literature in his 

time. An unforgettable collection of modern Turkish short stories could doubtless be 

made with a selection from his books Otlakçı (Freeloader, 1983), Mendil Altında (Under 

the Handkerchief, 1983), Bizim Nesibe (Our Nesibe, 1985), Gödeli Mehmet (Mehmet from 

Göde, 1986) and Güllüce Bağları Yolunda (On the Road to Güllüce, 1992). 

AYAŞLI VE KİRACILARI 

AYASLI AND HIS TENANTS 

Unionsverlag, Switzerland, 2009, 


Translated into German by 

Carl Koß Nachwort and Monika Carbe 

ISBN: 9754940517 


Memduh Sevket Esendal, in his novel Ayaşlı 

and his Tenants, considered to be one of his 

most important works, portrays segments 

from the everyday lives of nine households 

each occupying a flat in a building after 

the foundation of the Republic in the city of 

Ankara. He narrates the lives of the “little 

people” who are struggling with the tremors of 

the transition from the collapsed order to the 

new society order. He masterfully depicts the 

relationships between these people who come 

from different educational and occupational 

backgrounds with a different outlook on life; 

he reflects all the characteristics of the period 

in their characters. 

1 2 3

1 2 4 


M E T İ N C E N G İ Z 

Metin Cengiz was born in Kars in 1953 and finished his elementary through high 

school education in Göle, Kars. He studied at Atatürk University in Erzurum and 

Marmara University in Istanbul. He was sentenced and jailed for his political views 

after the 1980 military coup. He currently teaches French and has worked at various 

publishing houses. He has translated French prose and poetry, and written books 

on poetry. He participated in the poetic movement “Yenibütün” (New Whole) and 

published his first poem in the newspaper Demokrat (1980). He has been published 

in journals like Yazko Edebiyat, Varlık, Yeni Düşün and Broy. He has a modern vision 

of poetry which nevertheless draws upon the traditional. His main themes are the 

reality allowed to humans, the sensory world and fragmentation in modern life. His 

poems have been translated into a number of languages including French, English, 

German, Spanish, Italian, Bosnian, Russian, Romanian, Arabic, Hebrew, Azeri and 

Kurdish. 

WORKS: Bir Tufan Sonrası (The Aftermath of a Flood, 1988), Büyük Sevişme 

(Great Lovemaking, 1989), Zehrinde Açan Zambak (The Lily that Blooms in its Own 

Poison, 1992), İpek’a (To İpek, 1993), Şarkılar Kitabı (Book of Songs, 1995), Gençlik 

Çağı (The Age of Youth, 1998), Aşk İlahileri (Love Hymns, 2006), Özgürlük Şiirleri 

(Freedom Poems, 2007), Sonsuzluk Çiseler Büyük Sularda (Eternity Drops in Deep 

Waters), Bütün Şiirleri I (Complete Poems I). 

BİR TUFAN SONRASI VE DİĞER ŞİİRLERİ 

AFTER A DELUGE AND OTHER POEMS 

L’Harmattan, Fransa, 2006, Poetry 

Translated by Metin Cengiz, Gerard Augustin, 

ISBN: 2296012183 

metcengiz@gmail.com 

This book contains Metin Cengiz’s first 

poetry book Bir Tufan Sonrası (After a 

Deluge), and a translation of selected 

poems from his books; Büyük Sevişme 

(The Great Lovemaking), Zehirinde Açan 

Zambak (The Lily that Blooms in its 

Poison), İpek’A (Silk’A), Şarkılar Kitabı 

(The Book of Songs) and Gençlik Çağı 

(The Age of Youth).

M E T İ N K A Ç A N 

Metin Kaçan is one of Turkey’s most eccentric writers. He was born in Kayseri in 

November 1961, and came to Istanbul when he was 6 months old. He emerged 

onto the literary scene with his short stories which were published in humorous 

magazines, after which his first novel, Ağır Roman (Cholera Blues), was published. 

He wrote the scenario for Chlore Blues in 1995, and it was adapted for film by 

Mustafa Altıoklar in 1997. He also worked together with Kemal Aratan on a comic 

book, Going Wherever They Want, about the lives of street children addicted to 

sniffing turpentine and glue. The ballet version of Cholera Blues was produced in 

December 2002 by the Turkish State Opera and Ballet, and it was also staged as a 

play by the Eylül University Theatre Department in Izmir, in January 2003. 

Foreign Rights: Ağır Roman/Cholera Blues (Dağyeli Verlag, Germany), (Actes Sud, 

France); Fındık Sekiz/Hazelnut 8 (Dağyeli Verlag, Germany) 

AĞIR ROMAN 

CHOLERA BLUES 

Dağyeli Verlag, Germany, 2003 


Translated by Michael Hes 

ISBN: 9789750702709 


Gıli Gıli Salih, the protagonist of Metin 

Kaçan’s popular novel Cholera Blues, 

tries to gain a place for himself in the 

world of gangsters, tough guys, whores 

and pimps. He falls in love with a whore 

named Tina. Her ex-lover spills nitric 

acid onto her face in order to take his 

revenge, and flees. Gıli goes after him 

and when he catches the man he kills 

him. This event makes him renowned 

among the gangs, but it also signifies 

the impossibility of his being a “good 

boy” thereafter. One of the most striking 

aspects of this novel is its language 

use, enriched with Gypsy jargon and 

mythical characteristics 

1 2 5

1 2 6 


M E V L A N A C E L A L E D D İ N R U M İ 

M A W L A N A J A L A L A D - D I N M U H A M M A D R U M I 

Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (known as Rumi in the English speaking 

world) was a 13th century Sufi poet who founded the Mevlevi order of Sufism. He was 

born in Balkh (now in Afghanistan) in 1207 and died in Konya (in Turkey) in 1278. 

Rumi’s father Baha ud-Din Walad, also known as “Sultan of the Scholars” left Balkh 

in 1212 and relocated to Anatolia where he was warmly welcomed by Ala’ ud-Din 

Key-Qobad and he continued to preach here. Two years later, upon his death, Rumi 

replaced his father as the Head of Madrassa. In 1244 Rumi met with the Dervish 

Shams from Tabriz who was visiting Konya and it was through this friendship that 

Rumi found his true identity and gave himself completely to Sufism and became 

a poet. Rumi is now considered to be one of the greatest poets in the world. He 

especially had wide spread influence in the Islamic world with his Masnavi (poetic 

form) which is considered to be the essence of eastern Islamic culture, and his works 

also cultivated the Sufism line of dervish lodge and divan poetry for many centuries. 

Comprising of six volumes and around 26 thousand verses, Masnavi is a didactic 

masterpiece full of stories, symbols and words of wisdom explaining the ways of 

Sufism. His work Divan-i Kebir, where he uses Shams-e Tabrizi as his pseudonym, 

contains over 2000 lyric poems and over 1750 rubaiyat (poetic form). 

WORKS: Mesnevi-6 Cilt, (The Masnavi-6 Volumes), Divân-ı Kebir (5 Volumes), Fihi 

Mâ Fih, Mektuplar (Letters), Rubailer (Rubaiyat), Mecâlis-i Seb’a (to the Council of 

Sevens) 

MESNEVİ 

THE MASNAVI 

Janet-45, Bulgaria, 2009 


Translated by Hüseyin Mevsim 

ISBN: 9789544915346 

Rumi’s Masnavi is widely recognized as 

the greatest Sufi poem ever written. The 

thirteenth-century Muslim mystic Rumi 

composed his work for the benefit of his 

disciples in the Sufi order named after him, 

better known as the whirling dervishes. 

In order to convey his message of divine 

love and unity he threaded together 

entertaining stories and penetrating 

homilies. Drawing on folk tales as well as 

sacred history, Rumi’s poem is often funny 

as well as spiritually profound.

M E V L A N A İ D R İ S Z E N G İ N 

He was born in 1966. He is one of the most prominent writers of Turkish children’s 

literature. He graduated from the Faculty of Law, at Istanbul University, in 1989. 

His poems, short stories and essays have been published in many journals and 

newspapers, such as İkindiyazıları, Diriliş, Dergâh, Albatros, Geniş Zamanlar and 

Gerçek. He won the Gökyüzü Publishing House Children’s Literature Award for his 

book of poetry, Kuş Renkli Çocukluğum (My Bird-Colored Childhood) and the Turkey 

Writers’ Association Children’s Literature Award for Korku Dükkânı (Horror Shop) in 

1998. Some of his books have been translated to German, Urdu, Persian and Arabic. 

WORKS: Kuş Renkli Çocukluğum (My Bird-Colored Childhood), İyi Geceler Bayım 

(Good Night, Sir), Sufi ile Pufi (Sufi and Pufi), Çınçınlı Masal Sokağı (Fairy Tale 

Street), Dondurmalı Matematik (Maths with Icecream), Hayâl Dükkânı (Fantasy 

Shop), Kirpiler Şapka Giymez (Hedgehogs Don’t Wear Hats), Korku Dükkânı 

(Horror Shop), Sinir Dükkânı (Nerve Shop), Tehlikeli Bir Kitap (A Dangerous Book), 

Ütüsüz Ayakkabılar (Unironed Shoes), Masal Alan Adam (The Man Who Bought 

Fairy Tales), Para Dağıtan Adam (The Man Who Gave Away Money), Profesör 

Haşır Huşur (Professor Rustler), Saçları Dökülen Adam (Bald Man), Televizyonları 

Bozulan Şehir (The City of Broken Televisions), Tersine Adam (Back-to-Front Man), 

Yağmurlu Şehirdeki Adam (The Man in the Rainy City), Uçan Eşek (Flying Donkey), 

Vay Canına (Oh, My God). 

YAĞMURLU ŞEHİRDEKİ ADAM 

THE MAN IN THE RAINING CITY 

Edition Lingua Mundi, Germany 


Translated by Monica Carbe 

ISBN: 9759005069 

yavuz@kipat.net 

There was a man, who was fifty two years old and 

who lived in a city plagued by heavy rain. Whenever 

it rained that man would go out of his house 

and say to whomever he met “I cough while I am 

reading my newspaper and I hear the voice of a 

deer from deep inside the forest”… 

This book tells that even though a person may seem 

to be an outcast in society, every human being has 

a special value. 

1 2 7

1 2 8 


DESTİNA - DESTINA 

Editions Metailie, France, 


Translated by Valerie Gay-Aksoy 

ISBN: 9789750404801 

kenan@literatur.com.tr 

M İ N E G . K I R I K K A N A T 

Mine G. Kırıkkanat, is an Istanbullite born in Ankara. She graduated from Fevzi 

Atlioglu Primary School, Notre Damme de Sion Highschool and the Department 

of Sociology in the Faculty of Literature at the University of Istanbul. Her writing 

career took off as she was the first female writer of satire and humour in Turkey and 

she continued her career as Cumhuriyet newspaper’s Spain correspondent, Milliyet 

newspaper’s France correspondent and as a columnist for Radikal newspaper. 

Currently she works as a columnist for Vatan newspaper. Kırıkkanat is amongst the 

foreign correspondents affiliated with TV5Monde channel and continues to hold her 

place in the literary world through a number of novels, short stories and essays she 

has written. 

WORKS: Destina, Amerika Amerika (America America), Paris Paris, PandIspanya 

(Sponge cake- travel writings on Spain), Allah Allah Bizim Kontesi Kim Sevdi (God 

Knows who loved our Countess), Yalnız Kalem Unutmaz (The Lonely Pen Won’t 

Forget), Her Şeye Rağmen (Despite Everything), Bir Gün Gece (One Day Night) , 

Carrissima Sevgilim (Carrissima My Love), The Palace of Flies (Sinek Sarayı), Aşk 

Hikayeleri (Love Stories), Good Bad Woman (İyi Kötü Kadın), Gülün Öteki Adı (The 

Other Name of Rose). 

Mine G. Kırıkkanat portrays a near future that has 

not yet taken place in her novel Destina and says 

“Everything I wrote in this novel is correct, none of it 

is real”. In this near future, Istanbul is ruled by the 

Global Governance, and Turks have been assimilated 

into the different countries to which they have 

migrated. The war between the Cross and the Crescent 

(referring to Islam) is over, and it has been replaced by 

a war amongst Christian sects. The winner of this war 

will depend on whether a descendant of Constantine 

the Great, the first Christian emperor of the Roman 

Empire who made Constantinople his capital and 

gave it to the Christian world, can be found or else 

whether he can be destroyed. Three Turkish spies are 

appointed for this mission because of their expertise 

on the subject and the region. They start this journey 

back in time by retracing dreams and find themselves 

in the middle of a tough struggle. Destina is the work 

of a brilliant imagination, page after page it flows 

like scenes from an action film. The reader will hold 

their breath and will not be able to put the book down, 

and the impact of the book will linger on long after it 

has been read… But in the end the truth will always 

prevail.

M İ N E S Ö Ğ Ü T 

Mine Söğüt was born in 1968 in Istanbul. She graduated from the Latin Language 

and Literature Department at Istanbul University and completed her MA in the 

same department. In1990, she started working as a reporter for Güneş newspaper. 

Subsequently she worked for Tempo and Yeniyüzyıl. In 1993, she received a 

commendation for her journalism, from the Türkish Journalists Association. Between 

1996 and 2000, she worked as a script writer for the television documentary series, 

Haberci (Reporter). Since 2001, she has been working in a voluntary capacity as 

editor for the local paper, Cihangir Postası (Cihangir Post). 

WORKS: Beş Sevim Apartmanı (Five Sevim Apartment Block), Kırmızı Zaman 

(Red Time), Sevgili Doğan Kardeş (Dear Brother Doğan), Adalet Cimcoz-Bir Yaşam 

Öyküsü Denemesi (Adalet Cimcoz : A Biography), Şahbaz’ın Harikulade Yılı 1979 

(1979: A Magnificent Year for Şahbaz), Aşkın Sonu Cinayettir-Pınar Kür ile Hayat 

ve Edebiyat (Love Always End in Murder - Conversations with Pınar Kür on Life and 

Literature). 

Foreign Rights: Beş Sevim Apartmanı/ Five Apartment Buildings Named Sevim 

(Cadmus,Syria), (Ruffel, Germany) 

BEŞ SEVİM APARTMANI 

FIVE SEVİM APARTMENT BLOCK 

Ruffel Verlag, Germany, 2008 

130 pages novel 


ISBN : 9750805488 


The cats in Pürtelaş Street were howling. 

Something strange was going on in Five Sevim 

Apartment Block. In five rooms, in the five 

windowed apartment block, lived five weird 

creatures. Those from the elves’ world, those from 

the fairies’ world and those from the elf fairies’ 

world wrote five peculiar stories... Sorry, they wrote 

six stories! I forgot to mention the story of Doctor 

Samim and his diary. Mine Söğüt, with her first 

novel Five Sevim Apartment Block, transports the 

reader to a magical world of elves and fairies. 

1 2 9

1 3 0 


M İ Y A S E S E R T B A R U T 

Miyase Sertbarut was born in Adana. She graduated from the Department of 

Turkish Studies at Gazi University. She is a teacher of Turkish Literature. She 

writes short stories, novels, fairy tales and radio plays. She started writing radio 

plays. She has written many works in different genres. She won the First Prize in 

the Tudem Literature Awards with her two long stories Tuna’nın Büyülü Gemisi 

(Tuna’s Magic Ship) and Kırmızı Kartal (The Red Eagle) in 2003. These books were 

published separately as two books. She won the Second Prize in the Tudem Literature 

Awards in 2004 with her novel Sisin Sakladıkları (Hidden in the Haze) and the 

Honorary Mention with her work entitled Akvaryumdaki Deniz Kızı (The Mermaid 

in the Aquarium). She won the First Prize in the 2006 Tudem Literature Awards 

in the category Preteen Novels for her work Kapiland’ın Kobayları (Guinea Pigs of 

Kapiland). Her first book, Fasulyem Bulutlara Çıkamaz (My Bean Cannot Climb up to 

the Clouds), was published in 1996. 

KAPİLAND’IN KOBAYLARI 

GUINEA PIGS OF KAPILAND 

Önel Verlag, Germany, 2008 


Translated by, Angelika Gillitz-Avar and Angelika Hoch 

ISBN: 9789944691260 

elif@tudem.com 

Scientists from Kapiland and Turkey claim that 

children and teenagers’ inclination to violence is 

a result of a virus and they develop an anti-virus 

syrup. All the children between the ages of seven and 

seventeen drink the syrup, which finally decreases 

their inclination to violence and increases their 

appetite as a side effect. Parents are happy, but 

in time they have difficulty in meeting their need 

for food and clothing. Kapiland now starts selling 

food and clothing to Turkey. Later, however they 

learn that food brought from Kapiland is made of 

genetically modified organisms. In the meanwhile, 

Hayri, a teenager who does not take the medication 

but is also not aggressive, observes everyhing

M U R A T G Ü L S O Y 

Murat Gülsoy was born in Istanbul, in 1967. He studied engineering and psychology. 

At present he lectures on creative writing, in the Department of Western Languages 

and Literature, at Boğaziçi University, as well as being the general editor of Boğaziçi 

University Press. With a group of friends, he published a periodical called Hayalet 

Gemi (Ghost Ship) between 1992 and 2002. He won the Sait Faik Short Story Award 

for Steal This Book, in 2001 and the Yunus Nadi Novel Award for his novel, Bu Filmin 

Kötü Adamı Benim (I’m the Villain in This Film) in 2004. 

WORKS: Oysa Herkes Kendisiyle Meşgul (Whereas Everyone’s Busy with 

Themselves), Bu Kitabı Çalın (Steal This Book), Belki de Gerçekten İstiyorsun 

(Maybe You Really Want It), Binbir Gece Mektupları (A Thousand and One Night 

Letters), Bu Filmin Kötü Adamı Benim (I’m the Villain in This Film), Bu An’ı Daha 

Önce Yaşamıştım (Déjà Vu), Büyübozumu:Yaratıcı Yazarlık (Breaking the Spell: 

Creative Writing), Sevgilinin Geciken Ölümü (The Belated Death of a Sweetheart), 

Kâbuslar (Nightmares), İstanbul’da Bir Merhamet Haftası (A Charity Week in 

Istanbul). 

BU KİTABI ÇALIN - STEAL THIS BOOK 




ISBN: 9789758440726 


Murat Gülsoy’s second book, Bu 

Kitabı Çalın (Steal This Book) 

conveys a feeling of unity throughout, 

although it does consist of seemingly 

independent stories. Murat Gülsoy’s 

short stories do not have the stillness 

of contemporary story telling, quite 

the contrary, they are based on 

events. Gülsoy, assuming that the 

border between reality and fiction is 

completely blurred and that fiction 

has filtered into every corner of life, 

forces back the boundaries of fiction, 

expecting the reader to interact with 

the story. In many of his stories, 

reality and fiction do indeed, evanesce 

into each other, since by playing 

around with the plot, he continually 

surprises the reader, as the narrative 

alternates between reality, the surreal 

and the fantastic. 

1 3 1

1 3 2 


M U R A T T U N C E L 

Murat Tuncel was born in Kars-Hanak in 1952. He graduated from the Turkish 

Department of the Atatürk Faculty of Education at the Marmara University in 

Istanbul. His short stories and works are published in various literary journals 

in Turkey. His first book Dargın Değilim Yaşama (I’m not Angry with Life) was 

published in 1981. He currently lives in Holland and teaches Turkish language and 

Literature at the Rotterdam Conservatory. Many of his short stories are published 

in both Turkish and Dutch anthologies, and some in Russian and Polish. His novel 

on a Hungarian’s life, Üçüncü Ölüm (The Third Death) has been adapted into a film 

script and was awarded the Novel Prize of the “Halkevleri Culture and Art Contest” in 

1997. He won the “Orhan Kemal Short Stories Award” in 2000 with his short stories 

Gölge Kız (The Shadow Girl). His novelks are Dargın Değilim Yaşama (I’m not Cross 

with Life), Mengelez, Güneşsiz Dünya (Sunless World), Beyoğlu Çığlıkları (Beyoğlu 

Screams), Hollandaca (Dutch), Üçüncü Ölüm (Third Death), Yarımağız Anılar (Half- 

Hearted Memoirs) and İnanna. 

Foreign Rights: İnanna (Al Takwa, Syria), (Asia Publishing House, Korea); Maviydi 

Adalet Sarayı/Court of Justise was Blue (3C, The Netherlands) 

INANNA 

Al-Taakwin Hause Publisher, Syria, 2007 


Translated into Arabic by Abdul Kadir Abdelli 

ISBN: 975 434 324 1 

varlık@varlık.com.tr, www.kalemagecy.com 

The individual stories - separately but 

enmeshed in each other - of an “Doğu 

Devşirmesi” (Eastern Devshirme) taken 

away from his mother at an early age 

and raised in Janissary garnisons, and 

the “Küçük Bey” (Little Chief) who was 

banished by his feudal father because 

he wanted to take an Armenian woman 

as a second wife, intersect in İnanna, 

a woman representing the goddess of 

love. The search for identity and love 

by these two protagonists is nourished 

with Anatolian myths that reveal much 

about the history and the Ottoman 

customs and traditions.

M U R A T U Y U R K U L A K 

Murat Uyurkulak was born in 1972 in Aydın. A university dropout, Uyurkulak worked 

as a waiter, technician, translator, journalist and publisher. His first novel Tol: Bir 

İntikam Romanı (Tol: A Revenge Novel) was published in 2002. It was received with 

wide critical acclaim, immediately establishing him as a new and powerful voice in 

contemporary Turkish literature. Tol was adapted for the theater and has enjoyed a 

long and successful run. It is currently being translated to German to be published 

by Unionsverlag in 2008 and also to Bulgarian. His second novel Har: Bir Kıyamet 

Romanı (Har: An Apocalyptic Novel) was published in 2006. 

Foreign Rights: Tol: Bir İntikam Romanı/Tol: A Revenge Novel (Unionsverlag, 

Switzerland, German), (Balkani, Bulgaria), (Galaade, France, 2010); Har: Bir 

Kıyamet Romanı/Har: An Apolcalyptic Novel (Balkani, Bulgaria), (Galata, Germany, 

2010) 

TOL: BİR İNTİKAM ROMANI 

TOL: A REVENGE NOVEL 

Unions Verlag, Germany, 264 pages, Novel 

Translated by Gerhard Meier 

ISBN: 9789753423721 


The long train journey of two 

“defeated and exhausted” characters, 

once targets of the sweeping rage 

of the state and thus both marked 

with the brutal side of the country’s 

recent history. The Poet, a ‘68 political 

activist, and Yusuf, a red diaper child 

of the coup d’état, embark on an 

intoxicated and tormenting process of 

settling accounts with history, society 

and themselves. Meanwhile outside 

the train, all over the country, bombs 

are set off by an “unknown power”, 

destroying the most prominent 

official institutions and buildings that 

represent big money, state terrorism 

and oppression. When The Poet 

and Yusuf arrive at the last station, 

they step out onto a land where “the 

revolution is once again probable”. 

In a fascinating move, this “revenge 

novel” extends its vengeance on to the 

language itself, creatively destroying 

laws of syntax, semantics and 

vocabulary. 

1 3 3

1 3 4 


M U R A T H A N M U N G A N 

Murathan Mungan (b. 1955, İstanbul) spent his early youth in Mardin. He holds an 

MA degree in drama from Ankara University and has worked for the State Theater 

as a dramaturge. One of the most prominent and prolific contemporary writers of 

Turkey, he has published poetry, short stories, plays, novels, screenplays, radio plays, 

essays, film and theater criticism, and political columns. He has over fifteen poetry 

books, among them Osmanlıya Dair Hikâyat (Stories on the Ottomans, 1981), Metal 

(1994) and Yaz Geçer (Summer Too Passes, 1992) which has attained the status of 

a cult book. A selection of his poems were translated and published in Kurdish as Li 

Rojhilatê Dilê Min (In the East of my Heart, 1996). Mungan’s trilogy of plays, “The 

Mesopotamian Trilogy” has enjoyed successful theater runs across Turkey and in 

various countries. Other books by him include his semi-autobiographical narrative 

Paranın Cinleri (Money Djinns), novella Çador (Chador) and best-selling novel 

Yüksek Topuklar (High Heels). His latest book is Kadından Kentler (Cities of Women, 

2008), a best-selling book of short stories. 

Foreign Rights: Çador (Chador Tchador, Actes Sud, France), (Kastaniotis, Greece), 

(Giunti, Italy); (Blumenbar, Germany); (Giunti, Italy); Paranın Cinleri/Money 

Djinns (Scripta, Greece), (Giunti, Italy); Kırk Oda/Forty Rooms (Exandas, Greece); 

Üç Aynalı Kırk Oda/Forty Rooms with Three Mirors (Quarante chambres aux trois 

miroirs, Actes Sud, France); Son İstanbul/The Last Istanbul (Exandas, Greece); 

Geyikler Lanetler/Deer Curses (Exandas, Greece); Kadından Kentler/Cities of 

Women (Blumenbar, Germany) 

KADINDAN KENTLER - CITIES OF WOMEN 

Blumenbar, Germany 


ISBN: 9789753426657 


This book brings together 16 stories 

taking place in 16 different cities 

in Turkey, each telling about the 

confrontation of two women confined 

or cornered by their conditions. Each 

story brings a close look at women 

from different social strata, shedding 

light on Turkey’s transformations 

through the identity of women and 

cities. “I tried to construct a structure 

progressing with moments between 

geography and identities,” says 

Mungan. An immediate bestseller, 

Cities of Women reads like a novel, with 

its vivid characters and subtle details.

M U S T A F A K U T L U 

Mustafa Kutlu was born in Erzincan, in 1947. He graduated from the Turkish 

Language and Literature Department at Erzurum Atatürk University. After working 

as a literature teacher for some time, he started working at Dergah publications. He 

made his first appearance on the literary stage, with several articles published in 

the periodical, Fikir ve Sanatta Hareket. From 1990 onwards, in addition to Dergâh, 

where he became editor, he has had his short stories and articles published in many 

other journals many other journals. He has also written scripts for movies and for 

television. 

WORKS: Ortadaki Adam (Man in the Middle), Gönül İşi (Affair of the Heart), Yokuşa 

Akan Sular (Upstream), Yoksulluk İçimizde (Poverty Is Within Us), Ya Tahammül 

Ya Sefer (Either Be Patient or Leave), Bu Böyledir (This Is How It Is), Sır (Secret), 

Arka Kapak Yazıları (Back Cover Writings), Hüzün ve Tesadüf (Melancholy and 

Coincidence), Uzun Hikaye (Long Story), Beyhude Ömrüm (My Wasted Life), Mavi 

Kuş (Blue Bird), Tufandan Önce (Before the Storm), Rüzgarlı Pazar (Windy Sunday), 

Şehir Mektupları (Letters from the City), Akasya ve Mandolin (Acacia and the 

Mandolin), Yoksulluk Kitabı (The Book of Poverty). 

Foreign Rights: Yıldız Tozu/Stardust (Sternenstaub, Önel Verlag, Germany); 

(Ka Powder, MultiMedia Affairs, Pakistan); Mavi Kuş/Blue Bird (Honar Rasaneh 

Ordibehest, Iran) 

YILDIZ TOZU - STARDUST 

Önel Verlag, Germany, 2007, 64 pages, Children’s Book 


ISBN: 9789755014159 

melike@erdemyayinlari.com, info@erdemyayinlari.com 

This story, set in a small town, portrays a child 

facing the loss of his brother. On a clear summer 

night, Kenan and his brother are lying on their 

backs on the roof of their house, gazing at the 

stars. They each choose a star to call their own. 

Kenan’s brother tells him about stars and says 

that when a star falls, the owner of that star dies. 

Kenan becomes upset. One day their uncle arrives 

from Germany. Now Kenan’s brother has a bicycle. 

He loves his bicycle so much that he does not even 

let Kenan go near it. Kenan begs and pleads, 

but his brother refuses to share his bicycle. One 

morning, there is a loud knock on their door. It is 

Abdurrahman, a close friend of Kenan’s brother. 

He says that Kenan has fallen off the shoulder of 

the road with the bicycle, while everyone thought 

that Kenan was at home. The brother feels 

responsible for the accident. On the roof of their 

house, he gazes at the stars, this time without 

Kenan. He sees a falling star; it is Kenan’s star and 

he runs as fast as he can to catch it.. 

1 3 5

1 3 6 


DÜNYAYA GÜLEN ADAM 

M U S T A F A R U H İ Ş İ R İ N 

THE MAN WHO LAUGHED AT THE WORLD 

Safeer Publishing Company, 83 pages, Children’s Book 

Translated by Sabri Hamm 

ISBN: 978754992489 

kokbilgi@kokyayincilik.com.tr 

Mustafa Ruhi Şirin was born in 1955 in Trabzon. He graduated from the School of 

Journalism and Public Relations, the Department of Radio and Television in 1978. 

He began working at TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation) in 1977. He 

established the Children’s Foundation in 1990. During the 2007-2008 academic 

year he taught children’s literature at Marmara University. He has served as a 

member of juries, consulting boards, commissions and as a negotiator for the 

Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education, State Planning Agency, the Turkish 

Republic Government’s Ten Year Program on Human Rights, Ministry of Justice and 

for universities. He was the spokesperson for the civil society organizations during 

the Habitat II process in Turkey. He administered service, education and research 

projects for children on city and national levels. He also served as a spokesperson 

for the Turkish Action Group during the campaign “Say ‘Yes’ for Children” under 

coordination of UNICEF in 2001. He prepared the First Istanbul Children’s Assembly 

project organized in 2000 by the Istanbul Governorship, served as its general 

coordinator and wrote the Istanbul Children Emergency Action Plan which is the 

first city-scale text of social politics. He was one of the founding members of the The 

Turkish Coalition of Children’s Rights in 2001 and has served as a spokesperson for 

the coalition. 

Foreign Rights: Aslan Kuş/The Lion Bird (Yalda Ghalam Publishing House, Iran); 

Kuş Ağacı/The Bird Tree (Yalda Ghalam 

Publishing House, Iran); Bülbül ile Leylek/ 

The Nightingale and the Stork (Yalda 

Ghalam Publishing House, Iran); Dünyaya 

Gülen Adam/The Man Who Laughed At The 

World (Safeer Publishing, Egypt); Guguklu 

Saatin Kumrusu/The Dove of Cuckoo Clock 

(Önel Verlag, Germany) 

The writer’s man who laughed at the World 

is the folk hero of Anatolia, Nasreddin Hodja. 

Nasreddin Hodja is friends with people of 

any age. We get to know him as a small child. 

As soon as we hear his name, we are ready 

to laugh. However, rather than to make us 

laugh, his purpose is to put us on the right 

path which he does with much tact and 

beauty. He makes us see our contradictions 

through the mirror he holds for us. He is a 

Wiseman. A Wiseman, who always knows 

how to laugh at the world. In this book, he 

tells his own anecdotes to children. As if he 

was joking with the children.

M U Z A F F E R İ Z G Ü 

Muzaffer İzgü was born in 1933 in Adana. His childhood was spent in poverty. As he 

completed his education, he washed dishes, waited tables and sold sodas in movie 

theaters. He graduated from the Diyarbakır School for Teachers. He worked as an 

elementary school teacher for many years before becoming a Turkish teacher in 

secondary schools. He settled in İzmir after retiring. One of the most productive 

authors in Turkish literature, he has written one hundred and thirteen books, sixty 

eight of which are for children, published by Bilgi Publishing. He received the second 

place award in Turkey’s Most Successful Children’s Books competition held by 

TÖMER (Turkish and Foreign Languages Research and Application Centre) in 1997. 

EKMEK PARASI 

DAILY BREAD 

Onel Verlag, Germany, 2008 



ISBN: 9754943389 



The hardships a boy goes through to 

earn his daily bread, the difficulties he 

endures, hungry nights and cold winter 

days with little clothing. With an 

enduring love of life and for people. This 

novel is the story of Muzaffer İzgü’s 

own childhood. When you read it, you 

will realize why the author loves 

children so much. 

1 3 7

1 3 8 


CEMRE 

M Ü G E İ P L İ K Ç İ 

HARBINGER 

Müge İplikçi was born in Istanbul. She graduated from Istanbul University English 

Language and Literature Studies Department. After her master’s degrees at Istanbul 

University and at The Ohio State University, she worked as a teacher and lecturer 

in a wide range of institutions including Kadıköy Girls High School and Istanbul 

Bilgi University. She became famous initially with her stories. She has had four story 

books published: Perende (Somersault, 1998), Columbus’un Kadınları (Columbus´ 

Women, 2000), Arkası Yarın (To Be Continued Tomorrow, 2001), Transit Yolcular 

(Transit Passengers, 2002). Apart from her novels Kül ve Yel (Ashes, and the Wind, 

2004) and Cemre (Harbinger, 2006) and Kafdağı (The Kaf Mountain, 2008), she 

has also had two research studies, Yıkık Kentli Kadınlar (Woman of a Devastated 

City) and Cımbızın Çektikleri (Plucked by Tweezers, together with Ümran Kartal) 

published. Müge İplikçi recounts modern situations and portrays present day people 

in a postmodern creative style. She focuses on human relationships and on the 

position of women in these relationships. In almost all her writings, she emphasizes 

the role of women and the so-called halo, ever so ludicrous, over their heads. Her 

works have been translated into many languages. 

Foreign Rights: Cemre/Harbinger (FanNoli, Albania), (Cadmus, Syria) 



Translated by Jimi Lazri 

ISBN: 9789752894723 


Cemre is the story of women who stand 

their ground against the brutality of the 

world and they never give up questioning 

why. Three generations: 1960s, 1980s and 

2000s. They survive two significant political 

earthquakes. The resonances these big jolts 

cause in the lives and souls of these women… 

With this book Iplikçi successfully brings to 

light the corners of the female world that 

remain hidden under the shadows. Yıldız, 

Nimet, Hülya, Cemre and others. They are 

our faces, our souls… “From the outside, the 

world looked huge, and heavy. She had a 

growing voice which swallowed life. Nimet 

was the world that was spinning in the void. 

From the outside, she took a glance and 

she could make out the void, Nimet, I, was 

astonished at her own speed. I saw Nimet 

many times from the outside. That Nimet’s 

brother threw large stones at Nimet. Nimet 

never said a word. Her brother kept on 

hitting Nimet with his belt covered in dust. 

Nimet’s mother’s headscarf was covered in 

the way…”

N A B İ Z Â D E N Â Z I M 

Nabizâde Nâzim, one of the 19th century novelists, was born in Istanbul in 1893. 

He studied at Besiktas Military Secondary School and High school. He graduated 

from the Military Academy In 1886 and became a staff major. In his early years in 

the army, he taught mathematics and military studies. He was then posted to the 

general staff office, and worked in Syria for two years. He returned to Istanbul, 

suffered from illness during the course of one year and he died in 1893 from bone 

tuberculosis. He featured in several editorials with his poems and scientific articles 

between 1880-1889 and he was also one of the first writers of Servet-i Fünun 

magazine which was launched in 1891. Nabizâde Nâzım was one of the earliest 

representatives of realism in Turkish Literature with his first full length story 

Karabibik, which was based on a story taken from the villages of Antalya and his 

novel Zehra, which portrayed a Turkish family living in Istanbul. 

WORKS: Novels and Stories: Yadigârlarım (My Relics), Zavallı Kız (The Poor Girl), 

Bir Hâtıra (A Memory), Karabibik, Sevdâ (Love), Hâlâ Güzel (Still as Beautiful), 

Haspa (The Minx), Seyyie-i Tesâmüh (The Malignancy of Tolerance), Zehra. 

KARABİBİK 

KARABIBIK 

Manzara Verlag, Germany 


Translated by Patrick Bartsch 

ISBN: 97590880100 

Karabibik depicts the story of a 

village and is the first example of the 

realist literary movement in Turkish 

literature. Karabibik is a work which 

takes a realistic look at an Anatolian 

village and portrays the village and 

the everyday living of the peasants 

and their problems. The protagonist is 

Karabibik and the novella depicts his 

struggle with the land and his survival. 

A few days in the life of Karabibik 

are described through his physical 

conditions as well as his mental well 

being. 

1 3 9

1 4 0 


N A L A N B A R B A R O S O Ğ L U 

Nalan Barbarasoğlu was born in Adapazarı in 1961. She graduated from the 

Department of Systematic Philosophy and Logic in the Faculty of Literature at the 

University of Istanbul in 1982. She continues her career as a script writer and editor. 

Her first article introducing Thomas Kuhn’s book which discussed the concept of 

paradigm was published in Yazko Philosophy. She also wrote for Yazko Somut. She 

started writing short stories in 1980s. Her first story was published in Argos. After 

the stories published in Nar and Adam Öykü magazines, she published her first book 

of short stories Ne Kadar da Güzeldir Gitmek (How Nice It Is To Go, 1996) containing 

ten short stories. She wrote articles in Adam Öykü magazine and Radikal newspaper 

on short story books. She is currently the editor in chief for Eşik Cini literary culture 

magazine. 

WORKS: Ne Kadar Da Güzeldir Gitmek (How Nice It Is To Go), Ayçiçekleri 

(Sunflowers), Her Ses Bir Ezgi (Each Voice a Melody), Gümüş Gece (The Silver 

Night). 

GÜMÜŞ GECE 

THE SILVER NIGHT 

Dağyeli Verlag, Germany, 2008 


Translated by Helga Dağyeli, Bohne ve Yıldırım Dağyeli 

ISBN: 9756363428 

alkım@alkım.com.tr 

It is night time. We talk in whispers and 

fate blends into life with fragile letters. 

In the shadows, the sounds and colours 

of the day multiply and grow. The day 

obscures the moonlight and covers us 

up like a net. It is at night time when we 

rebel against our prescribed lives, it is at 

night time when our fates can change. 

Beginnings and endings are reshaped. 

Life undergoes a change in the mirror of 

the night: it is silver.

N Â M I K K E M A L 

Nâmık Kemal, a poet of the Tanzimat (Ottoman reform movement) era, was born in 

Tekirdağ in 1840. The poet spent his childhood in Kars and Sofia, and became a clerk at 

the Interpretation Chamber after he came to Istanbul in 1857. He met with Şinasi, the 

publisher of Tasvir-i Efkar newspaper and started writing for the paper. When Şinasi had 

to leave for Paris, he started publishing the newspaper himself, but later had to escape 

with Ziya Pasha to Paris after the Young Ottomans fighting against despotism were 

declared exiled. In London he published Hürriyet newspaper with Ziya Pasha. When he 

returned to Istanbul, he started publishing Ibret newspaper, and after a while he was sent 

to Gelibolu as a Governor. After he was dismissed he returned to Istanbul, and staged his 

play Vatan Yahut Silistre (Fatherland or Silistria) which caused a stir and he was exiled 

to Famagusta dungeon in Cyprus. He was then pardoned and appointed as Governor to 

Rhodos and Chios islands. Nâmık Kemal, known as the poet of liberty, became one of the 

most distinguished poets and artists of the Tanzimat reform era with his works which had 

repercussions across almost every genre of literature. He passed away in 1888. 

WORKS: Plays: Vatan Yahut Silistre (Fatherland or Silistria), Zavallı Çocuk (The Poor 

Child), Gülnihal, Celaleddin Harzemşah, Karabela; Novels: İntibah (Awakening), Cezmi; 

History and Biographical Works: Kanije, Silistire Muhasarası (Battle of Silistria), 

Osmanlı Tarihi (Ottoman History), Büyük İslam Tarihi (The Big History of Islam), 

Yavuz Sultan Selim (Selim the Grim), Critical Writings: Tahrib-i Harabat (in response 

to Ziya Pasha’s anthology Harabat), Takib (Second volume of Tahrib-i Harabat), Renan 

Müdafanamesi (The Defence against Renan). 

Foreign Rights: Vatan Yahut Silistre/Fatherland or Silistra (Inner Mongolian Cultural 

Publishing House, China); İntibah/Awakening 

(Inner Mongolian Cultural Publishing House, 

China) 

Awakening is one of the first novels marking the 

history of Turkish literature, it portrays the dangers 

of the extravagance, prodigality and ignorance of life 

characteristic of the rich kids from the Intibah era in which 

the author lived as well as depicting the ways in which 

corrupt, deceitful femme fatales collaborate with certain 

criminal organisations to poison the lives of innocent 

people. The novel also deals with the historical 

facts of the era and the novelist seems to 

take a particular interest in some of the 

İNTİBAH - AWAKENING 

protagonists. The reader will feel as though 

Inner Mongolian Cultural, China, 158 pages, Novel Mehpeyker, Dilaşup, and even Sergüzeşt-i Bey 

still continue to live amongst us and will learn 


a lesson from their experiences. 

ISBN: 9756841966 

1 4 1

1 4 2 


N A Z A N B E K İ R O Ğ L U 

Nazan Bekiroğlu was born in Trabzon in 1957. She gained a degree in Turkish 

Language and Literature at Atatürk University in the Faculty of Arts and 

subsequently worked as a high school teacher for four years. Upon completing her 

doctorate in 1985, she entered the Department of Turkish Language and Literature 

as a tutor in Karadeniz Technical University’s Faculty of Education. She became an 

associate professor in 1995 with a thesis on the poet Nigar Hanım. She continues to 

teach as a full professor. Bekiroğlu, who has written numerous scientific articles, 

essays, and short stories for various periodicals, has also published collections of 

short stories and a variety of research studies. Her first novel, İsimle Ateş Arasında 

(In Between Name and Fire) was published in 2002. 

WORKS: Mavi Lale (The Blue Tulip), Cam Irmağı Taş Gemi-Eski Mısırdan Aşk 

Hikayeleri (Glass River Stone Boat-Love Stories from Ancient Egypt), Yusuf ve 

Züleyha: Kalbin Üzerinde Titreyen Hüzün (Yusuf and Zuleyha:A Love Classic), 

Cümle Kapısı (The Gateway) 

İSİMLE ATEŞ ARASINDA 

IN BETWEEN NAME AND FIRE 

TPG, UK, 2009, 304 pages, Novel 

ISBN: 9753627181 

info@timaspublishing.com 

In her novel In Between Name and Fire, Nazan 

Bekiroğlu questions both official history and 

the status of love in gender relationships as 

she tells a story of the final days and eventual 

annihilation of the Janissary Corps. Bekiroğlu 

has composed a poetic narrative using “old” 

Turkish. “Chronology is transgressed” in this 

story, as topics and the narrator’s identity often 

change. At times it is a janissary who speaks, 

representing various eras in the history of the 

corps; at times it is the tale of a devshirme’s 

recruitment. Bekiroğlu has drawn history from 

the voice of the oppressed. Consequently, we 

witness the enslavement of janissaries, the 

abduction of young children to the ranks of the 

Sultan before they have left the laps of their 

mothers, learned their mother tongues, lived 

their childhood.

N Â Z I M H İ K M E T 

Nâzım Hikmet Ran was born in 1901 in Salonica and died in 1963 in Moscow. He 

is an internationally acclaimed Turkish poet. He attended the Naval Academy 

in Istanbul for five years but had to leave due to poor health. Influenced by his 

grandfather, he started to write poetry in high school and would soon be be known 

among poets of the syllabist movement “Hececi Şairler” as a young voice. In 1920, 

the Alemdar newspaper organised a contest where the jury consisted of famous poets 

and Nâzım was selected for the award. Between 1925 and 1951 he was in and out of 

jail several times and upon his release under the 1950 amnesty, he left the country 

and spent the rest of his life in exile. He was a member of the Communist Party of 

Turkey (TKP) and died in exile in Moscow. He wrote numerous plays and novels as 

well as a vast corpus of lyric and epic poetry. He wrote a series of poems collected in 

five volumes under the title Memleketimden İnsan Manzaraları (Human Landscapes 

from My Country). His works have been translated into all major languages. 

Foreign Rights: Memleketimden İnsan Manzaraları/Human Landscapes from My 

Country (New York Persea Books, English), (Gallimard, French), (Uitgeverij De 

geus, Dutch); Seçme Şiirler/Selected Poems (Anvil Press Poetry, English), (French), 

Biyografi ve Şiirler/Biography and Poems (Editions Turquise, French); Şeyh 

Bedrettin Destanı/The Epic of Sheikh Bedrettin (Uitgeverij Douane, Dutch) 

MEMLEKETİMDEN İNSAN MANZARALARI 

HUMAN LANDSCAPES FROM MY COUNTRY 

New York Persea Books, USA, 544 pages, Poetry 

Translated by Randy Blasing, 

Mutlu Konuk, Edward Hirsch 

ISBN: 9789750803779 

sevi.sonmez@ykykultur.com.tr, yky@ykykultur.com.tr 

Despite writing his first poems in syllabic 

meter, Nâzım Hikmet distinguished 

himself from the “syllabic poets” in 

concept. With the development of his 

poetic conception, the narrow forms of 

syllabic verse were not able to satisfy his 

needs anymore. Breaking the boundaries 

of the syllabic meter, he changed his 

form and preferred writing in free verse 

which harmonized with the rich vocal 

properties of the Turkish language. 

Nâzım has been compared by Turkish 

and non-Turkish men of letters to figures 

such as Lorca, Aragon, Mayakovsky, 

and Neruda. Although his work bears 

a resemblance to these poets and owes 

them occasional debts of form and 

stylistic device, his literary personality is 

unique in terms of the synthesis he made 

of iconoclasms and lyricism, of ideology 

and poetic diction 

1 4 3

1 4 4 


N A Z L I E R A Y 

Nazlı Eray was born in Ankara, in 1945. After graduating from Istanbul Arnavutköy 

American High School for Girls, she studied at the Faculty of Law and in the 

Philosophy Department at Istanbul University. She did not complete her studies 

and worked as a translator at the Ministry of Tourism, between 1965 and 1968. 

She started writing stories during her high school years. She was visiting lecturer 

at Iowa University, for one term in 1977. She is an honorable member of the USA 

International Pen Association. 

WORKS: Ah Bayım Ah (Alas, Sir, Alas), Geceyi Tanıdım (I Met the Night), Hazır 

Dünya (Ready Made World), Eski Gece Parçaları (Old Night Songs), Yoldan Geçen 

Öyküler (Stories Walking in the Street), Aşk Artık Burada Oturmuyor (Love Doesn’t 

Live Here Anymore), Kuş Kafesindeki Tenor (Tenor in the Bird Cage), Elyazması 

Rüyalar (Manuscript Dreams), Aşkı Giyinen Adam (The Man Dressed in Love), 

Arzu Sapağı’nda İnecek Var (Let Me off at the Desire Detour), Kız Öpme Kuyruğu 

(Girl Kissing Queue), Aşık Papağan Barı I-II (The Lovestruck Parrot Bar I -II), Farklı 

Rüyalar Sokağı (Street of Disparate Dreams), İmparator Çay Bahçesi (The Emperor 

Tea Garden), Kapıyı Vurmadan Gir (Come in Without Knocking), Sis Kelebekleri 

(Fog Butterflies), Uyku İstasyonu (Sleep Station), Ay Falcısı (Lunar Soothsayer), 

Deniz Kenarında Pazartesi (Seaside Monday), Düş İşleri Bülteni (Dream Works 

Bulletin), Ekmek Arası Rüya (Sandwich Dreams), Örümceğin Kitabı (The Spider 

Book), Yıldızlar Mektup Yazar (Stars Write Letters), Orpheus. 

ORPHEUS 

The University of Texas, USA, 2006 


Translated by Robert Finn 

ISBN: 9780292714090 

nazlieray@hotmail.com 

This book introduces the legend of 

Orpheus to its readers, re-written from 

Eurydice’s perspective. The novel, with its 

allusions to the film, Last Tango in Paris, 

relates a mysterious, irony-tinged story.

N E C A T İ T O S U N E R 

Necati Tosuner was born in 1944. He became disabled at the age of four. His 

first short story was published in 1963 and he graduated from Pertevniyal High 

School in Istanbul in 1966. He worked at the Press Advertising Council and then 

lived in Germany for some years. Necati Tosuner writes stories naturalistic 

about painful emotions, frustrations and depressive inner worlds. He is adept at 

depicting the complexities of inner life in a plain, economical diction. His stories 

are often very short. Their apparent simplicity belies a masterful craftsmanship. 

He has constructed a smooth diction of short sentences in which the connotations 

and associations of single words carry the meaning of a whole sentence. Necati 

Tosuner’s style can be compared with that of Sait Faik or Orhan Kemal. His works 

are reminiscent of the great masters of contemporary Turkish story writing while 

interwoven with a profoundly personal originality and flair. His diction is his most 

widely noted feature of his high-quality stories and novels. 

WORKS: Short Stories: Özgürlük Masalı (Freedom Tale), Çıkmazda (In the Deadlock), 

Kambur (Hunchbacked), Sisli (Foggy), Necati Tosuner Sokağı/Necati Tosuner 

Street, Çılgınsı (Loony), Bir Tutkunun Dile Getirilme Biçimi (The Way a Passion is 

Articulated), Güneş Giderken (While the Sun was Going), Yakamoz Avına Çıkmak 

(Going out Seasparkle Hunting). Novels: Sancı.. Sancı... (Ache.. Ache.., 1978 Türk Dil 

Kurumu Novel Prize), Yalnızlıktan Devren Kiralık (Rent from the Solitude), Bana Sen 

Söyle (You Tell Me). Essays: Elde Kitap (Book in the Hand). Children’s Book: Keleş 

Osman Evden Kaçıyor (Bald Osman is Running away from Home), Keleş Osman’ın 

“Tarih”le Başı Dertte (Bald Osman is in Trouble with ‘History’), Dayım Balon Olmuş 

(My Uncle Became a Balloon). Play: Fareli Sokağın Kızı (The Girl of Mouse Street) 

SHORT STORY COLLECTION 




ISBN: 9783941025028 

kanatktp@gmail.com 

www.kanatkitap.com 

His stories based on personal observation 

are some of the best in the Turkish 

language. He created an authentic style 

with autonomous, transparent language 

and short sentences. His rich, sensitive 

narratives make him one of the most 

powerful masters of the contemporary 

Turkish short story. 

1 4 5

1 4 6 


N E C İ P F A Z I L K I S A K Ü R E K 

Necip Fazıl Kısakürek was born in Istanbul in 1904 and passed away in 1983. He 

graduated from the Naval School of Heybeliada and then completed a degree in 

Philosophy in the Department of Literature at Istanbul University. He was one of 

the first group of students sent by the Republic to be educated in Europe where he 

studied in the Department of Philosophy at the Sorbonne University in Paris . His first 

poems were published in 1922 in Yeni Mecmua. He worked at various banks where 

he rose in rank to an auditor. He taught History and Geography at Ankara School 

of Languages, the National Conservatory of Arts, the Istanbul National Academy of 

Arts, and Robert College. He published the magazines Ağaç Ağaç (1936) and Büyük 

Doğu (1943-1978). He produced more than 100 works in many genres, including 

Çile (Suffering), a complete collection of his poems. Some of his works include Çöle 

İnen Nur (The Light Leading to the Desert), İdolocya Örgüsü (İdolocya Structure), 

Bir Adam Yaratmak (Creating a Man), Ulu Hakan II. Abdülhamid (Great Emperor 

Abdulhamid II). Kısakürek’s only novel is Aynadaki Yalan (The Lie in the Mirrow). 

Foreign Rights: Bir Adam Yaratmak/Creating a Man (Masud Akhtar Shaikh, 

Pakistan); Para/Money (Masud Akhtar Shaikh, Pakistan); Çile/Suffering (Adiloğlu 

Publishers, Azerbaijan); Reis Bey (Tamga, Tatarstan) 

ÇİLE 

SUFFERING 

Adiloğlu Publishers, Azerbaijan 


ISBN: 9789758180127 

emrah_kisakurek@buyukdogu.com.tr 

A Masterpiece... Stating that his poetry 

books Örümcek Ağı (Spider Web, 1925), 

Kaldırımlar (Pavements, 1928), Ben 

ve Ötesi (Me and the Other, 1932), 

Sonsuzluk Kervanı (Caravan of Eternity, 

1953) and Şiirlerim (My Poems, 1969) 

failed in many ways at adequate self 

expression, Necip Fazıl Kısakürek 

filtered, selected, edited and compiled 

all his poems starting with his first 

published poem in the magazine Yeni 

Mecmua in 1923. And the Poetika... This 

book represents an interplay of poetry 

and artistic understanding.

N E D İ M G Ü R S E L 

Nedim Gürsel began his career at a very young age at a surprisingly profound level 

of achievement with Uzun Sürmüş Bir Yaz (A Long Summer, 1975), which received 

well-deserved attention. He wrote about the attitudes of young intellectuals living 

in the oppressive conditions of the country at the time. He established a fluent 

and poetic style. He took up residence in Paris for a long while and wrote about his 

experience as an intellectual abroad, his longing for Turkey and Istanbul, and the 

psychological effects of being an expatriate. Even while living abroad he participated 

in the lively Turkish literary scene and the possibilities provided by Turkish as a 

literary language. The contribution of his high-quality literary criticism should not 

be overlooked. Nedim Gürsel uses abstractions when thinking about literature, but 

his creative writing is grounded in the concrete. He is always contemporary due to 

his unceasing search for new topics for his stories, novels and travel writing. The 

author has received many awards for his books which have been translated into 12 

languages, especially into French. 

Some of His Works: Short Stories: Kadınlar Kitabı (The Book of Women), Uzun 

Sürmüş Bir Yaz (A Long Lasting Summer), Sevgilim İstanbul (Istanbul My Love), 

Sorguda (In an Interrogation), Son Tramvay (The Last Tram), Cicipapa (The 

Stepfather), Toplu Öyküler (Collected Short Stories), Yedi Dervişler (Seven 

Dervishes) Novels: Boğazkesen, Fatih’in Romanı (Fatih’s Novel), Öğleden Sonra 

Aşk (Love in the Afternoon), İlk Kadın (The First Woman), Allah’ın Kızları (God’s 

Daughters) Poems: Uzun Bir Ayrılık İçin Kırk Kısa Şiir (Forty Short Poems for a Long 

Separation) 

ALLAHIN KIZLARI - GOD’S DAUGHTERS 

Seuil Editions, France, 228 pages, Novel 

ISBN: 9789959916510 


In his new novel God’s Daughters, 

Nedim Gürsel depicts the story of 

the land where Islam was born, the 

pre-Islamic era, and portrays Prophet 

Muhammad as a protagonist. Gürsel 

says that his novel questions the 

concepts of belief and violence in Islam 

and some of the revelations regarding 

Prophet Mohammad’s private life. The 

story tells the story of child and his 

grandfather who defended Medina in 

the battle of Harb-i Umumiye. 

The child grows up to become an adult 

who loses his faith and questions it all 

and then acquires a vast knowledge of 

Islam and the Quran. 

1 4 7

1 4 8 


N E Z İ H E M E R İ Ç 

Nezihe Meriç (1925-2009) is one of the most important contemporary short story 

writers. She was noticed when her first stories were published in the journal Seçilmiş 

Hikâyeler Dergisi (Selected Stories Journal, 1950-52). She is particularly successful 

when describing women and their social sensibilities. She writes from a woman’s 

perspective, meticulously describing events and characters in poetic language. 

Her stories revolve around issues important to women intellectuals. She examines 

the inner wounds of women oppressed in a male-dominated society, confined by 

tradition, in defeat and in rebellion. She is one of the best when it comes to exploiting 

the possibilities of the Turkish language. She is also among the strongest at bridging 

traditional and progressive story writing movements in Turkish literature. The critic 

Asım Bezirci described her as “an important author skilled at reflecting female 

psychology and rebellion in a beautiful descriptive style with a smooth sensibility, 

strong observation, and an interesting choice of themes. 

Some of Her Works: Short Stories: Bozbulanık (Misty) ,Topal Koşma (Running 

Crippled); Menekşeli Bilinç (Violet Consciousness), Dumanaltı (Foggy), Bir Kara 

Derin Kuyu (A Dark Deep Well). Novels: Korsan Çıkmazı (Pirate Deadend), Boşlukta 

Mavi (Blue in the Void), Alacaceren. Children’s Books: Alagün Çocukları (Children of 

Alagün), Küçük Bir Kız Tanıyorum Altı Yaşında (I Know a Six Year Old Girl), Ahmet 

Adında Bir Çocuk (A Boy Named Ahmet), Dur Dünya Çocukları Bekle (Stop World, 

Wait for the Children). 

ALACACEREN 

Inventaire, France, 2005, 76 pages, Novel 

Translated by Noemi Cingöz 

ISBN: 9789750805325 



Bengi and Gün...Two young members of 

a broken family trying to stick together 

at all costs. Bengi hugs her sister, home, 

mother and whatever is left of her father 

with her small body and big heart and 

puts up a roof of love and commitment on 

their lost family. She succeeds in making 

every morning of her life, a morning 

filled with happiness with the help of her 

beloved grandfather.

N U R İ Ç Ö Z Ü 

Nur İçözü was born in 1948. She has worked as a publication director and editor for 

several leading periodicals and has written articles on art in Milliyet and Radikal 

newspapers. She writes a column on children’s and adolescent books for Radikal 

Literature Supplement. She entered the world of children’s and adolescent literature 

with her two-part book, Kar Masalları (Snow Tales) in 1997 and won second prize in 

the Children’s Humoristic Literature competition, in 2000, with her book, Bugün Ne 

Cadılık Yaptım (How Witchy I was Today). 

WORKS: Şiirli Hayvan Öyküleri Dizisi (Poetic Animal Stories Series - 6 Books), 

Sevginin Mırnavcası (Love Mewling), Güneşe Tırmanan Çocuk (The Kid That 

Climbed to the Sun), Çikolata Öyküler Dizisi (Chocolate Stories Series - 10 Books), 

Sevecen Öyküler Dizisi (Caring Stories Series - 10 Books), Altındoğa Öyküleri 

(Golden Nature Stories - 2 Books), En Güzel Kimin İşi? (Who Did the Best Job?), 

Sihirli Düşler Kesesi (Magical Dreams Bag), En Güzel Kimin İşi? II (Who Did the 

Best Job? II), Yüreğimin Kıyısında (On the Shores of My Heart), Bana Derler Küp 

Cadısı (They Call Me Jar Witch), Masal Bahçesi Dizisi (Garden Stories Series - 5 

Books), Farafarafilli (Farafarafili - 2 Books), Siz Olsaydınız Ne Yapardınız? (What 

Would You Do in My Shoes?), Artık Okuyorum Dizisi (I Am Reading Series - 10 

Books), Bugün Ne Cadılık Yaptım? (How Witchy I was Today!), Cadılık Parayla 

mı? (Witchcraft Is not Sold), Dönemeç (The Bend), Reyhan (Reyhan), Bizim Aile 

(Our Family - 2 Books), Badem Çocuk Dizisi (Almond Child Series - 6 Books), Öykü 

Yağmuru Dizisi (Story Rain Series - 5 Books), Korku Tüneli (Ghost Train), Gökten 

İnen Üç Yıldız (Three Shooting Stars), Zamanda Yolculuk Dizisi (Time Travelling 

Series - 10 Books), Tospik Kaplumbağa (The Chubby Tortoise), En Güzel Çiçek 

Yarışması (The Most Beautiful Flower Competition), Tatile Gidiyoruz (We’re Going 

on Holiday). 

BUGÜN NE CADILIK YAPTIM 

HOW WITCHY I WAS TODAY 


ISBN: 975892642X 

info@altinkitaplar.com.tr, nuricozu@yahoo.com 

Bugün Ne Cadılık Yaptım is the story of 

a child who tries to do good but is often 

misunderstood. 

1 4 9

1 5 0 


N U R A N T U R A N 

Nuran Turan was born in 1938. After graduating from Kandilli Girls High School, 

she finished Communications Faculty and Management Economy Institute at 

Istanbul University. She worked for newspapers such as Turan and Milliyet and local 

papers Yeşilköy and Yeşilyurt. Subsequently, she worked as a nursery teacher, as a 

director in a private company and finally, as a member of the Advisory Board for the 

Publication of Children’s Books at the Ministry of Culture. 

Some of Her Works: Serdar’ın Öyküleri (Serdar’s Stories), Sevgi Kitabı (Love 

Book), Nasreddin Hoca ve Serdar (Nasreddin Hodja and Serdar), Atatürk ve Serdar 

Yalova’da (Atatürk and Serdar in Yalova), Atatürk ve Serdar Dolmabahçe’de 

(Atatürk and Serdar at Dolmabahçe Palace), Nur Ana (Mother Nur), Atatürk 

Mersin’de (Atatürk in Mersin, with Doğan Akça), Atatürk ve Serdar Anıtkabir’de 

(Atatürk and Serdar at Atatürk’s Mausoleum), Atatürk’ün Dönüşü (The Return of 

Atatürk), Babaannemin Öykü Sepeti (My Grandma’s Story Basket), Beyaz Yalan 

Balonları (White Lie Balloons), Denizkızıyla Denizdelikanlısı (The Mermaid and the 

Sea Boy), Işık Melekleri (Light Angels), Serdar’ın Zaman Yolculuğu (Serdar’s Trip 

in Time), Kediler Yaz Okulu (Cats’ Summer School), Mevlâna İnternette (Mevlana 

on the Internet), Kaya ile Sinan Yunuslarla (Kaya and Sinan with the Dolphins), 

Trigotlar (Trigoths), Çocuk Sevgidir (Child Is Love), Gılgamış (The Epic of Gilgamis), 

Ata’ya Armağan (A Present for Atatürk), Kaya ile Sinan Masal Dünyasında (Sinan 

and Kaya in Fairy Tale Land), Zaman Çadırı (Time Tent). 

Foreign Rights: Kapadokya’nın Sırları/The Secrets of Cappadocia (Önel Verlag, 

German); Nasreddin Hoca ve Serdar/Nasreddin Hodja and Serdar (Önel Verlag, 

German); Nur Ana/Mother Nur (Anadolu Verlag, German) 

NUR ANA 

MOTHER NUR 




ISBN: 9754581053 

info@erdemyayinlari.com 

White haired and wise, Nur Ana is a 

born story teller. She tells stories about 

Mevlana to the kids around her.

N U R D A N G Ü R B İ L E K 

One of the foremost cultural critics in Turkey, Nurdan Gürbilek is the author of 

Vitrinde Yaşamak (Life in the Shopwindow, 1992), an analysis of the cultural 

dynamics of the 1980s in Turkey. Her other publications include Yer Değiştiren 

Gölge (Shifting Shadow, 1995) and Ev Ödevi (Homework, 1999), collection of essays 

on modern Turkish writers. She is also the author of Kötü Çocuk Türk (Bad Boy 

Turk, 2001), an analysis of some of the significant images and tropes in modern 

Turkish literature and popular culture, and Kör Ayna, Kayıp Şark (Orient Lost, 2004) 

which explores the sexual anxieties accompanying the Ottoman-Turkish literary 

modernization. In her last book Mağdurun Dili (The Language of the Downtrodden, 

2008) she brings a critical look at some “downtrodden” figures in Turkish and 

Russian literature. 

Foreign Rights: Denemeler/Selected Essays (Selected Essays from Living In the 

Shopwindow and Bad Boy Turk, Zed Books, UK) 

SELECTED ESSAYS 

Zed Books, UK 

Translated by Victoria Holbrook 

rights@metiskitap.com 

A collection of essays on Turkey’s cultural climate 

in the last decades from a most insightful literary 

and cultural critic. The first half of the volume 

attends to the 1980’s – a period of radical 

economic, political and cultural change following 

the coup d’état of 1980. The following essays on 

Turkishness and evil explore the rather sinister 

cultural climate of the 1990’s and 2000’s when the 

efforts to redefine Turkish identity predominated 

the cultural scene. Gürbilek takes some of the 

significant images and tropes in modern Turkish 

literature and popular culture as her point of 

departure. With utmost care and justice Gürbilek 

weaves these into a keen understanding of 

their political, social and cultural significance, 

exploring Turkishness not as an autonomous and 

essentialist local truth but rather as an impasse 

always already shaped in relation to the modern 

world, as a double-bind that has always produced 

oppositional sentiments in the cultural sphere. 

1 5 1

1 5 2 


N U R S E L D U R U E L 

Nursel Duruel (1941) is a short story writer who has left her mark on Turkish 

literature, although she has only written a few books. She graduated from Istanbul 

Girls’ High School and majored in Archaeology at Istanbul University. She was 

among the first producers of the TRT (Turkish State Broadcasting Company), and 

for many years she produced radio programmes on various topics, particularly 

literature and arts. Besides having worked as a copywriter, she has also written 

scripts for TV channels, articles for encyclopedias, and worked as Assistant Director 

for BRT (Bayrak Radio and Television Corporation) Radio. She won the 1981 Akademi 

Bookstore Story Award with her story Geyikler Annem ve Almanya (Deers, My Mom 

and Germany), she won the Sait Faik Short Story award in 1983. Deers, My Mom and 

Germany was made into a film by TRT (Turkish Radio Television). Duruel’s second 

short story book Yazılı Kaya (The Inscribed Rock) was published 1992. Her short 

stories have been translated to English, German, French, Greek. 

Foreign Rights: Geyikler Annem ve Almanya/Deers, My Mom and Germany 

(Kultura Publishing House, Macedonia, 1989) 

GEYİKLER, ANNEM VE ALMANYA 

DEERS, MY MOM, AND GERMANY 

Kultura Publishing House, Macedonia, 1989 


Translated by Selma Elmazoviç 

ISBN: 9789750706592 


Nursel Duruel enriched Turkish literature with 

her first book Deers, My Mom and Germany that 

placed her among the masters of contemporary 

Turkish short story writers. The book comprises 

of eight short stories which go back and forth 

between the distant history of the lands of Anatolia 

and the modern day. Individual lives against the 

backdrop of society are embroided with unique 

cultural motifs. The original, sharp and simple 

narrative, and the characters in the story she 

creates, are deeply effective. The short story, which 

gave its name to the anthology, tactfully deals with 

the problems of immigration caused by Turkish 

migrants who travelled to Germany to find work.

O Ğ U Z A T A Y 

Oğuz Atay’s depictions of characters stranded on the margins of society make him 

one of the most masterful writers of modern literature anywhere. In the wake of a 

literary era dominated by social realism and stories of the working class, Atay stands 

out as the first Turkish novelist to turn his attention to urban, educated characters 

who are social misfits, and to employ a modernist, experimentalist style drawing 

upon contemporary Western literary developments, but within distinctly Turkish 

settings. With his impeccable grasp of the intricacies of the art of novel writing and 

his linguistic acrobatics, Atay’s literary works are a challenge to any translator. 

A keen observer of the dilemmas faced by intellectuals and the society at large, 

Atay approaches Turkish realities with a refined sarcasm and profoundly critical 

eye. He brandishes an unparalleled sarcastic wit as he unveils the hollowness and 

shallowness of conventional petit bourgeois values and lifestyle, the futility and 

fragility of which are made obvious to the reader. Though his works are tinged with 

a dark comedic element, Atay’s (always anti-)heroes are portrayed in a uniquely 

endearing light, thanks to his authorial generosity, thus setting him apart from 

many of his Western contemporaries. 

Foreign Rights: Tutunamayanlar/The Disconnected (Athenaeum-Polak & Van 

Gennep, The Netherlands); Korkuyu Beklerken/Waiting for Fear (Edizione 

Lunargento, Italy), (Galata Verlag, Germany) 

TUTUNAMAYANLAR - THE DISCONNECTED 

Edizione Lunargento, Italy 


ISBN: 9754700117 


According to Berna Moran, The Disconnected, 

one of the most important works in Turkish 

literature, “is a revolt by both what it says 

and how it says it”. Further, “Oğuz Atay’s 

successful use of the satire, his sensitivity and 

the various stylistic techniques he employs 

makes The Disconnected a manifestation of 

literary talent”. Atay cunningly makes fun 

of the petty bourgeoisie world and thus, the 

novel becomes “an attack that the connected 

can not understand or simply would reject”. 

The Disconnected won the 1970 Novel 

Prize of TRT (Turkish Radio and Television 

Corporation). 

1 5 3

1 5 4 


POEMS OF OKTAY RIFAT 

O K T A Y R İ F A T 

Anvil Press, UK, 2007, 254 pages, Poetry 

Translated by Ruth Christie, Richard Mckane 

ISBN: 9780856463709 



Oktay Rifat (Trabzon, 1914 - Istanbul, 1988). The poet studied at the Faculty of 

Political Sciences in Paris. The writer worked at the General Directorate of Press and 

Publications and later as a legal advisor for the State Railways in Istanbul. Oktay 

Rifat started writing poetry while still a student at high school in Ankara. His first 

poems, written in syllabic metre, were published in the literary magazine Varlık 

(Existence) from 1936 to 1944. Later he started to use free verse. With Orhan Veli 

Kanık and Melih Cevdet Anday he published a collection of poetry entitled Garip 

(Strange) in 1941, and became one of the pioneers of the Garip literary movement, 

that changed the course of Turkish poetry. Rifat’s poetry from this period approaches 

the everyday life of urban dwellers with an ironic and surprising point of view. In his 

later collection Perçemli Sokak (The Curled Street) the poet turned to a new poetic 

concept, the movement of İkinci Yeni (Second New). Rifat wrote unforgettable poems 

that skillfully employed the vocal richness of Turkish and its ample vocabulary. He 

is regarded as one of the poets who influenced the general course of Turkish poetry 

most; each book presenting a completely different approach. He also wrote plays, 

novels, and theoretical works on poetry. 

WORKS: His Major Poetry Collections: Yaşayıp Ölmek (To Live and Die, 1945), Aşağı 

Yukarı (More or Less, 1952), Elleri Var Özgürlüğün (Freedom Has Hands, 1966) 

Koca Bir Yaz (A Great Summer, 1987). Novels: Bir Kadının Penceresinden (From a 

Woman’s Window/1976), Danaburnu (Snapdragon/1980), Bay Lear (Mr Lear,1982) 

Rifat’s poetry contributed to political diversity. 

Starting with the Garip, and followed by the 

Second New, his poetry defines one of the most 

important stages in Turkish poetry. As a pioneer 

of many movements, Rifat also significantly 

influenced today’s poetry with his imagery, 

his use of language and his expertise in the 

depiction of landscapes, from his first to his last 

poem. Neither in the aftermath of the Garip 

period, nor in the years following Second New 

did he ever lose focus or did his poetry stagnate. 

Prominent poet and writer Gülten Akın’s 

words profoundly characterize him: “When 

universality, the inclination to integrate 

the human being in a broader philosophy, 

and poetical creativity are combined, such 

interesting drifts result. In our opinion, Oktay 

Rifat will last due to his poems accompanied 

from afar by a bright, clear and scientific 

worldview.”

O R H A N K E M A L 

Orhan Kemal ( Adana, 1914- Sofia, Bulgaria, 1970) was influenced by the socialist 

ideas of Nâzım Hikmet, whom he met in Bursa, in 1940. He studied French, philosophy 

and politics with Nâzım Hikmet, who, in fact, advised him to write novels and short 

stories, instead of poems. In 1958, he won the Sait Faik Award with his story entitled 

Kardeş Payı (A Fair Share). In 1967, he was selected as Best Playwright by the Ankara 

Sanatseverler Derneği (Ankara Art Lovers Association) with his 72. Koğuş (Ward 72) 

and won both the Türk Dil Kurumu (Turkish Language Association) and the Sait Faik 

Short Story Awards with Önce Ekmek (Bread First), in 1969. He wrote the stories of poor 

people, workers, students and “the man in the street.” He analyzed the relationship 

between man and society and reflected it in his stories in a realistic style. When he 

died in 1970, he left 51 works, of which 27 are novels and 19 are short stories. Many 

of Kemal’s works have been adapted to stage and screen with great success, helping 

to make Orhan Kemal a well-liked household name throughout Turkey. Since 1972, 

Orhan Kemal’s family has been holding a novel competition in order to introduce his 

humanist approach to new generations, and to honor new Turkish novelists. 

Some of His Works: Ekmek Kavgası (Scratching For a Living), Sarhoşlar (The 

Drunkards), 72. Koğuş (Ward 72), Grev (The Strike), Önce Ekmek (Bread First), 

Yağmur Yüklü Bulutlar (Rain Laden Clouds), Baba Evi (My Father’s House), Avare 

Yıllar (The Idle Years), Murtaza (Murtaza), Cemile (Gemile), Bereketli Topraklar 

Üzerinde (On the Fertile Soil), Suçlu (Guilty), Devlet Kuşu (Windfall), Gavurun Kızı 

(Infidel’s Daughter), Küçücük (Tiny), Dünya Evi (Marriage), El Kızı (Somebody Else’s 

Daughter), Hanımın Çiftliği (Lady’s Farm), Eskici ve Oğulları (The Rag-and-bone-man 

and his Sons), Gurbet Kuşları (Migrant Birds), Kaçak (The Fugitive), Tersine Dünya 

(Reversed World), İspinozlar (Snowbirds), Nazım Hikmet’le Üç Buçuk Yıl (Three and a 

Half Years with Nazım Hikmet). 

Foreign Rights: Baba Evi/My Father’s House (Sifriat Maariv, Israel), (Anatolie, 

English); El Kızı/Somebody Else’s Daughter (Al-Mada, Syria); Baba Evi-Avare Yıllar / 

My Fathers House-The Idle Years (Kastaniotis, Greece, Peter Owens, UK); Dünya Evi/ 

Marriage (Kastaniotis, Greece) 

EKMEK KAVGASI 

SCRATCHING FOR A LIVING 

Lunargento, Italy, 2008 


Translated by 

Barbara La Rosa Salim 

ISBN: 9752894624. 


amy@anatolialit.com 

Orhan Kemal always wrote about people 

who lived in particularly tough conditions, 

who always had to fight just to earn their 

daily bread. While expressing this distress in 

the most elaborate way, he never becomes 

dismayed and always shows the way to reach 

a brighter and more hopeful tomorrow. He 

continually reminds the reader that mankind 

is worthy of a more beautiful, radiant and a 

hopeful life. It is for this reason that Orhan 

Kemal’s writings awaken such a spirit of 

resistance in his readers. 

1 5 5

1 5 6 


MASUMİYET MÜZESİ 

MUSEUM OF INNOCENCE 

O R H A N P A M U K 

Orhan Pamuk was born in Istanbul in 1952. In 2006, he achieved the dual distinction 

of becoming, not only the first Turk to have ever won the Nobel Prize for Literature, 

but also, one of the two youngest ever winners of the Nobel prize. His books have 

been translated into more than fifty languages and have been published in over 

one hundred countries. In 2005, Prospect magazine included him in their list of 

the world’s top one hundred intellectuals, while in 2006, he was chosen as one of 

the world’s one hundred most influential people by Time magazine. He has won 

numerous national and international awards. 

WORKS: Cevdet Bey ve Oğulları (Cevdet Bey and His Sons), Sessiz Ev (The Silent 

House), Beyaz Kale (The White Castle), Kara Kitap (The Black Book), Gizli Yüz 

(Secret Face), Yeni Hayat (The New Life), Benim Adım Kırmızı (My 

Name is Red), Öteki Renkler (Other Colors), Kar (Snow), İstanbul: Hatıralar 

ve Şehir (Istanbul: Memories and the City), Babamın Bavulu (My Father’s 

Suitcase), Masumiyet Müzesi (The Museum of Innocence) 

Random House, UK, 2008, 554 pages, Novel 

Translated by Maureen Freely 

ISBN: 9789750506093 


“It was the happiest moment of my life, 

though I didn’t know it at the time.” This is 

the opening line of the latest magnificent 

romance novel of Orhan Pamuk, Turkey’s 

Nobel prize winning author, who spent 6 

years writing this novel. As you read through 

The Museum of Innocence you will see 

how it deeply affects your thoughts on not 

only love, but also marriage, friendship, 

sexuality, passion, family and happiness 

and you will not want to leave behind the 

fascinating world in the book. The story 

starts on a spring day in 1975 and follows 

the story of a rich kid from Istanbul, Kemal, 

and his distant and poor relative, Fusun, up 

to the present day. The story’s accelerated 

pace, flow of events, and the diversity of the 

protagonists, the sense of humour and its 

power in making the reader experience the 

storms deep inside the human spirit, makes 

it worthwhile to read the book over and 

over again. With The Museum of Innocence, 

Pamuk tells the readers a haunting 

story that will stay in our minds like an 

unforgettable dream.

O R H A N V E L İ 

Orhan Veli (1914-1950) left Istanbul University in 1935 without having completed 

his studies. He worked in the Ankara Post Office until he was called up during World 

War II. On his discharge in 1945 he obtained a post as translator in the Ministry 

of Education but left his job after less than two years to lead a bohemian life. His 

first poems were published journals when he was a high school student. In 1941, he 

published a poem book entitled Garip (Strange) with his high school friends, the poets 

Oktay Rifat and Melih Cevdet Anday, which launched a major poetry movement in 

the Turkish poetry tradition. Orhan Veli was more influenced by the sketch image of 

the Japanese haiku. His legacy was that free verse, and an unlimited range of themes 

became the rule, while traditional meter became an anachronism. While discarding 

rhyme and meter, Orhan Veli expresses an almost nihilistic world view that placed him 

firmly in the company of the modern western man. 

Foreign Rights: Seçme Şiirler/Selected Poems (Editions Bleu Autource, French), 

(Orhan Veli: Poems, Hanging Loose Press, English, 1989), (Listening to Istanbul, 

Selected Poems of Orhan Veli Kanık, Autumn Press, English, 2002); Garip/The 

Stranger (Fremdarting, Dağyeli Verlag, German) 


Editions Bleu Autour, France, 2009 

240 pages, Poems, Translated by Elif Deniz 

ISBN: 9782358480086 



If in a short period of ten years, Orhan Veli was 

able to draw all of the young poets of his time into 

a new style, it is clearly because he discerned the 

need before anyone else. To leave behind a style 

that already promised to earn him a place among 

the masters and to search for a new approach to 

poetry was an act of self-sacrifice, and to embark 

upon an adventure into the unknown. His aim 

was to abandon the rules of form and to change 

the very foundations of the work… From the time 

his book Garip/The Stranger completely shook up 

Turkish Poetry in 1940 until his death in 1950 as 

the result of a brain hemorrhage, he contributed 

poems of unforgettable beauty to Turkish poetry. 

During his short lifetime, he became one of the 

best loved poets in Turkey. 

1 5 7

1 5 8 


KAYIP SÖZ 

LOST WORD 

Editions Phebus, France 


O Y A B A Y D A R 

Translated by Valerie Gay-Aksoy 

ISBN: 9752930271 


One of the most widely read writers of contemporary Turkish literature, Oya Baydar 

has received perhaps more attention, and prompted more debate, than any other 

Turkish author in our time. While bringing literature to the intense and turbulent 

political environment of Turkey, she also exposes hidden issues and uses her novels 

to place them on the agenda. She was one of the founders of the Turkish Socialist 

Labor Party in 1964 and later joined the Turkish Communist Party. In 1965, she 

became a member of the Turkish Labor Party. She was arrested in 1971 after the 

March 12th military coup. Following the military coup in 1980, she was forced to go 

abroad after being sentenced to 27 years in jail because of her writing. She lived as a 

refugee first in Germany, then in different countries and cities of Europe for twelve 

years. Between 1981 and 1982 she lived in Moscow. She witnessed the collapse of the 

socialist system and the fall of the Berlin Wall in Frankfurt, where she lived in exile. 

WORKS: Sıcak Külleri Kaldı (Hot Ashes Remain), Kedi Mektupları (Cat Letters), 

Hiçbiryer’e Dönüş (Returning to Nowhere), Elveda Alyoşa (Farewell Alyoşa), 

Erguvan Kapısı (The Gate of Judas). 

Foreign Rights: Kayıp Söz/Lost Word (Ullstein,German), (Phebus, French), (Lettera, 

Bulgaria); Sıcak Külleri Kaldı/Hot Ashes Remain (Kastaniotis, Greek) 

Ömer Eren, a famous best-selling author, 

frustrated for not being able to write 

anymore, witnesses the accidental shooting 

of a young pregnant Kurdish woman 

whereby she loses her baby. Zelal (the young 

woman) became pregnant after being raped 

in the mountains and has been sentenced 

to death by her family; but she manages to 

escape. Mahmut is a PKK guerilla who has 

been wounded in a clash with soldiers. As he 

“no longer wants to kill or be killed”, he is 

trying to flee the organization. The two meet 

in the mountains and a love reminiscent of 

Oriental legends is born. However, tradition, 

the organization, and the state are opposed 

to their starting a brand new life together. 

In order to help these fugitives from violence 

and perhaps to save himself from the abyss 

he has fallen into, the writer Ömer Eren 

leaves for the most eastern part of Eastern 

Turkey.

Ö M E R S E Y F E T T İ N 

Ömer Seyfettin (1884-1920) was a well-known Turkish short story writer. Trained in 

military school, he began his writing career after fighting in the Balkan War. In his 

early works, he wrote in the elegant style of the Servet-i Fünun tradition. However, 

his later collaboration with Ali Canip Yöntem and Ziya Gökalp in the Genç Kalemler 

(Young Pens) marked the start of a new movement calling for the simplification of 

the Turkish language and Turkish literature. He wrote a famous article “The New 

Language,” which was published under the pseudonym “question mark”. He not only 

defended the idea of a new language, but also used this new style in his own work, some 

of which drew on his own personal history. His penetrating style is marked by a simple, 

ironic language and a bitter conception of reality. Due to his untimely death, he was 

unable to publish his stories and articles in a book format. Thanks to the efforts of his 

devoted friend Ali Canip, and the support of his readers, he became one of the most 

popular Turkish authors. 

PRİMO TÜRK ÇOCUĞU 

THE TURKISH CHILD PRIMO 

Manzara Verlag, Germany 


ISBN: 9753628678 

The story starts in Thessaloniki with the 

opinions of a Turk, who is member of the 

Italian Mason Lodge, about Westerners. 

In actual truth, ever since the days of 

his arrival in Thessaloniki, Kenan Bey 

who never embraced being Turkish and 

Turkish traditions, attempts to live like 

a Westerner. One day he marries an 

Italian lady who does not like Turks at 

all. From this marriage a child, called 

Primo, is born. The growing dislike of 

Turks in the family and his concerns 

regarding Primo’s future, awakens the 

Turk in Kenan Bey. 

1 5 9

1 6 0 


BÜTÜN ŞİİRLERİM 

ALL MY POEMS 

Cum Ltd., Bulgaria, 2008 


Ö Z D E M İ R İ N C E 

Translated by Kadriye Cesur Özgür 

ISBN: 9754186960 

Özdemir İnce (1936, Mersin) graduated from the Department of French at Ankara 

Gazi Institute of Education. He studied French literature and phonetics in Paris 

(1965-66). He worked as a teacher and retired from TRT/Turkey Radio Television 

(1982). He worked as an editor in various publishing houses and is currently a 

newspaper columnist. He has published poetry translations and books on poetry. 

His poetry has been translated into many languages, primarily French. His first 

poem was published in the journal Yağmur in Adana (1954), and later in journals 

like Pazar Postası, Türk Dili, A and Değişim. Although with his first poems he was 

considered to be part of the “Second New” movement, he mostly emphasized the 

relationships of society, man, politics and history from a socialist viewpoint. He 

values innovation and universality in the form and essence of his poetry. 

Some of His Works: Kargı (Lance, 1963), Kiraz Zamanı (Cherry Time, 1969), Rüzgâra 

Yazılıdır (Written on the Wind, 1979), Elmanın Tarihi (History of the Apple, 1981), 

Siyasetnâme (Book of Politics, 1984), Hayat Bilgisi (Social Studies, 1986), Başak ile 

Terazi (Virgo and Libra, 1989), Gürlevik (Gürlevik Waterfalls, 1990), Yazın Ses (The 

Sound of Summer, 1994), Mani Hayy (Ah, Shackle, 1998), Evren Ağacı (The Tree of 

the Universe, 2000), Keskindoreke Fındınfalava (2006) and Magma ve Kör Saat 

(Magma and the Blind Hour, 2007). 

“Özdemir İnce’s poetry holds an important 

place in international, contemporary poetry. 

The existentialist depth of his poems sheds 

light on the upper strata of words; daily facts 

of life and objects become clearer under 

that light.” - Gennadi Aygi (Hıbar, from 

the preface of the translation to Chuvas) 

“Özdemir İnce’s voice from the far coast of 

the Mediterranean Sea moves us.” - Venus 

Kboury - Ghata (Europe magazine, March 

1994). 

“Selected Poems, (1998), displays the most 

striking themes of Özdemir İnce’s poetry: 

The Mediterranean Sea, women, the misery 

of the city, layers of history and mystics and 

running throughout, a vein of fierce criticism 

towards traditional society.” - Timour 

Muhidine (Poesie 2002/93).

Ö Z E N Y U L A 

Özen Yula was born in Eskişehir and his plays have been translated into English, 

German, French, Bulgarian, Finnish, Polish and Japanese, and staged on tour in 

countries including Germany, Austria, Britain, the Netherlands, Japan and Egypt. 

His play Ay Tedirginliği (Lunar Confusion) was staged at the Bonn Biennial in 2002 

and he represented Turkey as a writer at the “Kontext: Europa” festival in Vienna. His 

play Gayri Resmi Hurrem (The Inofficial Hurrem) has been staged in Berlin by the 

Tiyatrom Company, and performed as a reading in Bulgaria. Aşk Evlerden Uzak (Love 

is Far Away) has been translated into Polish and published in Dialog magazine. A 

comparative translation of Sahibinden Kiralık (For Rent) was carried out at Sorbonne 

University. One of his stories has been translated into English and published in the 

Canadian Descant magazine devoted to Turkey. Eksik Kitap, Tuhaf Defter (The Missing 

Notebook, The Peculiar Book) has been published in English, French and Turkish. 

He currently lives in Istanbul and Ankara, working as a freelance writer and theatre 

director. 

SAHİBİNDEN KİRALIK 

FOR RENT 

Escape 34, France, 2009 

Translated by Okan Urun 

ISBN: 9758648024 

ozenyula@hotmail.com 

A segment from the lives of people 

found in the metropolis who have been 

marginalized from society. The story 

depicts the love between a young Kurdish 

man by the name Adnan, who works 

in a big park in the city as a rent boy or 

older men, or as a sex “toy” for married 

couples, and a girl- by the name of Simay 

who builds her life around lies and starts 

working as a prostitute. Not surprisingly, 

the fight for survival at the park and the 

hierarchy of evil will not let their love 

flourish. An old man called Sadık, who 

has been the head of the hierarchy in 

the park for many years, will not allow 

them to have a relationship. Simay will 

have no choice but to take revenge, and 

then move on to a different city under a 

different name where she will grow old 

doing the same job. The men in the park 

will continue their relationships with 

other men in the same brutal manner. 

Generations change but the rules 

remain the same, ensuring that the new 

generation turns out just like the old one. 

1 6 1

1 6 2 


İKİ GENÇ KIZIN ROMANI 

TWO GIRLS 

P E R İ H A N M A Ğ D E N 

Perihan Mağden was born in Istanbul, in 1960. She graduated from Robert College 

and from the Psychology Department at Boğaziçi University. She traveled extensively 

through Asia for 3 years and lived in different countries like India, Japan and USA 

before starting to write newspaper columns. Between 1997 and 2005, she wrote in 

Radikal and in the autumn of 2005, started writing in Yeni Aktüel. Since February 

2007, she has been writing for Radikal. Her novel, İki Genç Kızın Romanı (Two Girls) 

has been made into a film called Two Young Girls. 

WORKS: Haberci Çocuk Cinayetleri (Messenger Boy Murders), Refakatçi 

(Companion), Mutfak Kazaları (Kitchen Mishaps), Pazartesi Yazıları ya da Hiç 

Bunları Kendine Dert Etmeye Değer mi? (Monday Articles or Is It Worth Bothering 

About These?), Kapı Açık Arkanı Dön ve Çık!/Habaset Yazıları (Go on Now, Walk 

Out the Door/Wicked Writings), Radikal Yazıları ya da Fakat Ne Yazık ki Sokak 

Boştu (Radikal Articles or But Unfortunately the Street Was Empty), Herkes Seni 

Söylüyor Sahi Mutsuz musun? (Everybody’s Talking About You; Are You Really 

that Unhappy?), Dünya İşleri (Worldly Business), İki Genç Kızın Romanı (Two 

Girls), Topladım Dağılan Kalbimin Herrr Köşesini (I Glued Back the Pieces of My 

Broken Heart), Korkma Bu Akşam Gelip Çalmam Kapını (Don’t Worry; I Won’t Be 

Knocking on Your Door Tonight), The Best of Perihan Mağden, Aktüel Yazıları ya 

da Hangimiz Uğramadık ki Haksızlıklara? (Aktüel 

Articles or Is There Anyone Out There Who Hasn’t 

Faced Injustice?), Politik Yazılar (Political Writings), 

Biz Kimden Kaçıyorduk Anne? (Mom, Who Were We 

Escaping From?). 

Serpent’s Tail, UK, 2005, 265 pages, Novel 

Translated by Brendan Freely 

ISBN: 9750707919 


Foreign Rights: İki Genç Kızın Romanı /Two Girls 

(German, English, Italian, Hungarian); Haberci 

Çocuk Cinayetleri/Messenger Boy Murders (French, 

Dutch, English, German) 

Perihan Mağden, who holds an eminent 

place amongst contemporary Turkish 

literature novelists, is renowned for her 

skilful use of language. The main theme of 

The Girls is the relationship between two 

girls of contrasting personalities and their 

struggle with life. Fascinating narrative, 

sharp portrayal of life and consummate 

mastery of language are some of the striking 

features of her fiction.

P E Y A M İ S A F A 

Peyami Safa is one of the most important writers in Turkish literature. He was born 

in Istanbul in 1899 and died in 1961. His father İsmail Safa, was one of the most 

well-known poets of his generation. Peyami Safa, because of the deterioration in 

his family’s economic situation and the war years, had to give up school at 13 and 

started working in a printer’s. At 14 years old, he published his first short story Bir 

Mektepli’nin Hatıratı - Karanlıklar Kralı (Memoirs of a School Boy - King of the 

Darkness). In 1918, he and his brother started publishing an evening paper called 

20. Asır (20 th Century) for which Peyami Safa wrote short stories entitled, The Short 

Stories of the Century. He wrote for various newspapers during his life and in fact, 

wrote in every literary genre, apart from poetry. Many of his works bear the pen 

name, Server Bedii. Many of his published works are considered to be classics of 

Turkish literature. 

WORKS: Bir Genç (A Young Man), Gençliğimiz (Our Youth), Siyah Beyaz 

Hikâyeler (Black and White Stories), İstanbul Hikâyeleri (Istanbul Stories), Aşk 

Oyunları (Love Games), Süngülerin Gölgesinde (In the Shadow of the Bayonet), 

Ateşböcekleri (Fireflies), İki Öküz Arkadaş (Two Vulgar Friends), Havaya Uçan At 

(Flying Horse), Mahşer (The Last Judgment), Bir Akşamdı (One Evening), Bir Genç 

Kız Kalbinin Cürmü (The Crime of a Young Girl’s Heart), Sözde Kızlar (So-called 

Girls), Canan (Canan), Şimşek, (Lightning) Dokuzuncu Hariciye Koğuşu (Ward 

Nine), Atilla, Fatih-Harbiye, Bir Tereddüdün Romanı (The Story of a Hesitation), 

Biz İnsanlar (Us Human Beings), Matmazel Noraliya’nın Koltuğu (Miss Noraliya’s 

Chair), Yalnızız (Alone). 

Foreign Rights: Fatih- Harbiye (Mehd-I Temeddün, Iran, 2006), Dokuzuncu 

Hariciye Koğuşu/The Ninth Ward (Mehd-I Temeddün, Iran, 2006) 

DOKUZUNCU HARİCİYE KOĞUŞU 

THE NINTH WARD 

Mehd-I Temeddün, Iran, 2006 


Translated by Musa Rahimi 

ISBN 964818428-3 

The novel tells the story of a sick, lonely 

child’s sufferings, his childish love and 

jealousy, the desire of a young girl to 

know pure love, his search for happiness, 

the delusions and the sobbing inside 

the bare, hospital walls, of a person who 

desperately wants to believe. 

1 6 3

1 6 4 


P I N A R K Ü R 

Pınar Kür was born on the 15 th of April, 1945 in Bursa. She graduated from a high 

school in New York and completed her university studies in New York and in 

Istanbul. She completed her PhD at Sorbonne University, in France, with her thesis 

on Realism and Illusion in Twentieth Century Theatre. She worked as a literary 

advisor at Ankara State Theatre. At present, she is a lecturer at Bilgi University. 

WORKS: Yarın Yarın (Tomorrow Tomorrow), Küçük Oyuncu (Young Actor), Asılacak 

Kadın (Woman to Be Hanged), Bitmeyen Aşk (Eternal Love), Bir Cinayet Romanı (A 

Murder Novel), Sonuncu Sonbahar (Last Autumn), Bir Deli Ağaç (An Insane Tree), 

Akışı Olmayan Sular (Stagnant Waters). 

BİR DELİ AĞAÇ 

AN INSANE TREE 




ISBN: 9752891594 


Bir Deli Ağaç (An Insane Tree) based on love stories 

where solitude and melancholy predominate, 

encourages the reader to question their own lives. Is 

love a branch to which one clings, in order to avoid 

plummeting into the emptiness of life? This book, 

which introduces us to the early short stories of 

Pınar Kür, proves that good literature

R A S İ M Ö Z D E N Ö R E N 

Rasim Özdenören was born in Kahramanmaraş in 1940 and graduated from 

the Faculty of Economics, the Institute of Journalism (1964) and the Faculty of 

Law (1967) at Istanbul University. He completed his MA degree on “Development 

Economics” in the USA. His first short story was published in the Varlık review 

and 2007 was the 50th anniversary of his literary life, and has been celebrated 

with cultural activities, conferences and special editions. Some of his stories were 

adapted to film and won the Special Jury Award in the International Television Films 

Contest in Prague (1978). He received the Thought Award 1978 from the Turkey 

National Culture Foundation as well the Writers Union of Turkey Short Story Award 

in 1978 and the Essay Award in 1986 from the same Union. Özdenören is one of the 

most skillful writers of his generation in the short story genre. Moreover he reached 

a true fame with his specific identifications and literary style. He told the stories of 

a Muslim individual who tries to set up his own world in a world where the bridges 

between the past and the present collapsed. He told today’s people of the deformity of 

the conditions in which people live but which many are not aware of. 

Some of His Works: İmkansız Öyküler (Impossible Stories), Müslümanca Düşünme 

Üzerine Denemeler (Essays on Islamic Ways of Thinking), Aşkın Diyalektiği 

(Dialectics of Love), Yüzler, Ben ve Hayat ve Ölüm (Faces, I and Life and Death), 

Ansızın Yola Çıkmak (Suddenly On the Road), Eşikte Duran İnsan (A Person 

Standing on the Doorstep), Denize Açılan Kapı (The Door Opening to the Sea), 

Hastalar ve Işıklar (The Patients and Lights), Gül Yetiştiren Adam (The Man Who 

Grew Roses), Çarpılmışlar (The Twisted). 

Foreign Rights: Kirli Camlar/Dirty Windows (Selected Stories, Azerbaijan). 

KİRLİ CAMLAR - DIRTY WINDOWS 

Adiloğlu Publications, Azerbaijan, 2006, Short Story 

Translated by Rasim Karaca 

izyayincilik@yahoo.com 

Rasim Özdenören brought a new appearance and 

a new dimension to modern Turkish story telling. 

His stories travel deep into the unconscious of 

the individual to conduct a spiritual analysis 

and in his agreeable style, the stories tell of the 

human tragedies arising from repressed feelings 

impossible to reconcile with the reality of the 

outside world as well as providing the reader 

with the sociological, historical and economic 

backgrounds of the event. 

1 6 5

1 6 6 


R E C A İ Z A D E M A H M U T E K R E M 

Recaizade Mahmut Ekrem (1847-1914), is one of the Tanzimat era poets and writers. 

He was a clerk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mektubi Kalemi (Writing and 

Correspondence Office) and met Namik Kemal. He started writing for the Tasvir-i 

Efkar newspaper. After Namik Kemal escaped to Europe, he started publishing the 

newspaper. He became a member of the State Council in 1877, and taught literature 

at the Civil Service and Galatasaray Highschool and for a few months he became 

Minister for Education and Foundations. He was a member of the Senate until his 

death. His works included poetry, novels, short stories and critical writings which 

reflected his principle that art is for art’s sake. With the death of his three children, 

he expressed his pain by analysing people within the framework of nature, love and 

death. His real success was in making Tanzimat and European opinions and values 

widely available in literature and hence paving way for the reforms brought in by the 

Servetifunun movement. His novel Araba Sevdası (Love of Cars) was one of the first 

examples of the realist movement in Turkish literature. 

Some of His Work: Poems: Tan Vakti Ezgileri (Melodies from the Break of Dawn), 

Gençlik Yadigarı (Relics of Youth), Zemzeme (The Chant), Nijad Ekrem (Nijad 

Ekrem), Short Stories: Muhsin Bey Yahut Şairliğin Hazin Bir Neticesi (Muhsin Bey 

or a Pitiful Consequence of being a Poet), Şemsa; Plays: Afife Anjelik, Vuslat yahut 

Süreksiz Sevinç (Union with the Beloved or Ending Joy), Çok Bilen Çok Yanılır (One 

Who Knows a Lot Errs a Lot). 

ARABA SEVDASI - LOVE OF CARS 

Inner Mongolian CPH, China, 2009 



ISBN: 9756070455 

Love of Cars, considered to be one of the earliest examples of 

a realist novel in Turkish literature, focuses on the erroneous 

westernisation process of the Ottoman Empire which was 

opening up to the West during the Tanzimat era under the 

framework of the Reform movements, and tells the story of 

Bihruz Bey and his romantic love. Bihruz Bey, with his broken 

French, chooses to communicate with hairdressers, shoemakers, 

tailors and waitresses in French and is proud of the way he 

drives a car and dresses elegantly, all of which lands him in 

comical circumstances. The novel depicts stories of the ignorant 

behaviour and hedonistic lives in Istanbul during the Abdulhamit 

period which lasted for 33 years.

R E F İ K A L G A N 

Refik Algan was born in Ankara in 1953 and completed his primary school education 

in Ankara and Istanbul, then graduated from the Kadıkoy Maarif College and 

Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine. He later worked as a medical consultant. His hobbies 

include chess, water color painting and classical lute. His short stories and writings 

were published in Yazı and Oluşum periodicals from 1978 to 1980. He also worked as 

a translator for English and Turkish. After 2003, he returned to literature when his 

stories were published in Geceyazısı and Kitap-lık. His first book, Saat Kulesi (Clock 

Tower) was awarded the 2006 Sait Faik Story Prize. His second short story collection, 

Umursamaz Uykucu (The Indifferent Sleeper), was published in 2007. 

SAAT KULESİ 

THE CLOCK TOWER 

Editorial Cuarto Propio, Chile Argentina 


Translated by Gaston Fontaine 

ISBN: 9750809114 



Refik Algan became well known in Turkish short 

story telling during the period 1978-1980 as a 

innovative writer who experimented with the “short 

text” or “short bytes” which have become popular 

today. After a twenty year old period of silence and 

retreat, he started to dish out new stories. In The 

Clock Tower, short texts each equipped with the 

mainspring of a novel are intertwined with moving 

and masterful stories. 

1 6 7

1 6 8 


R E H A Ç A M U R O Ğ L U 

BİR ANLIK GECİKME - A MOMENTARY DELAY 

UkladANKA, Poland, 2008, 146 pages, Novel 

Translated by Anna Sobczak 

ISBN: 9789752892248 


Reha Çamuroğlu was born in Istanbul on August 20, 1958. He completed his primary 

and secondary education in Ankara and Istanbul, where he graduated from the 

History Department at Boğaziçi University. He worked as publication director for 

the periodicals Kara, Efendisiz, Cem and Nefes and was a contributor to the history 

section in several encyclopedias. His first article was published in Kara in 1986, 

but he made his name with his articles in the journals Cem, Efendisiz and Defter. 

When he was a student he was interested in “center-periphery relations,” within the 

Ottoman Empire and more precisely, in the economic, social and political aspects of 

this center - namely, periphery tension and its intellectual basis and proliferation. 

This interest led him to focus on the history of thought, in particular, Islamic 

heterodoxy. 

WORKS: İkiilebir (One and Two), Son Yeniçeri (The Last Janissary), Bir Anlık 

Gecikme (A Momentary Delay ), Sabah Rüzgârı (Morning Breeze), Kalem Efendisi 

(Master of the Pen), “Enelhak” Demişti Nesimî (And Nesimi Said, “I Am God”), 

Dönüyordu, (It Was Turning), Bektaşîlikte Zaman Kavrayışı (The Concept of Time in 

Bektashism), İsmail (Ismail), Tarih (History), Heterodoksi ve Babaîler (Heterodoxy 

and Babaism), Değişen Koşullarda Alevîlik (Alevism Under Changing Conditions). 

Foreign Rights, Bir Anlık Gecikme/ A Momentary Delay (FanNoli, Albanian), 

(UkladANKA, Poland); Son Yeniçeri/ The Last Janissary (Dosteyevski, Russian), 

(Steno, Bulgarian) 

Istanbul, 1904... Monsieur Charles, who escapes to Istanbul 

with his wife after saving his neck in Belgium, starts earning 

a living in the city as a technician. During meetings with 

his revolutionist friends, he shares with them his expertise 

on explosives. They ask him to take part in the planned 

assassination of the Red Sultan, Abdulhamid II. He accepts 

the offer because of the money. The money can give them 

a calm and carefree existence. However, assassinating 

the Sultan is not an easy job. The bomb planted in the 

Sultan’s car explodes right on time but the Sultan escapes 

the attempted assassination without the slightest injury 

because of a momentary delay in his program. Charles is 

seized and arrested. When his wife is threatened with death, 

he turns whistleblower on his accomplices. One day, the 

Sultan visits Monsieur Charles in prison. Charles tells him the 

whole story that had led him to attempt to assassinate the 

Sultan. The Sultan, pleased about what he has heard, pays 

Monsieur Charles the money he had been promised to realize 

the assassination. Moreover, the Sultan assigns Monsieur 

Charles the duty to act as a special intelligence agent abroad 

on behalf of the Sultan and the Ottoman State…

R E Ş A T N U R İ G Ü N T E K İ N 

Reşat Nuri Güntekin (1889-1956) is the author of 19 novels and 7 collections of 

short stories. One of his most famous novels entitled Çalıkuşu (Goldcrest)is about 

the dynamism and hardship a young girl experiences in a rural town, (both as an 

educated person and as a woman), and about the role she plays in the development 

of the mutual understanding of the two classes, namely the uneducated rural and 

the educated urban. His novels are often based on strong female characters and his 

works are typical examples of the Turkish enlightenment of the revolutionary and 

post revolutionary era. Reşat Nuri Güntekin left us novels that occupy an important 

position in the literature of the period, such as Çalıkuşu (Goldcrest, 1922), Anadolu 

Notları (Notes From Anatolia, 1922), Yeşil Gece (The Green Night, 1928). 

Foreign Rights: Çalıkuşu/Goldcrest (Mlade Ieta, Slovak), Pitulicea (Editore Minerva, 

Rumanian), ( Magyar-Török Barati, Hungarian), (Alma Lettera, Lituvanian), (Mir 

Knigi, Russian), (Uniscorp, Bulgarian) 

ÇALIKUŞU 

GOLDCREST 

Mir Knigi, Russia, 2008 


Translated by Igor Pechenev 

ISBN: 975 10 0012 2 


Feride, a young girl nicknamed 

“Goldcrest” for her naughty behavior at 

the French School in Istanbul, falls in 

love with Kamuran, but finds out three 

days before her wedding that he has 

promised marriage to another woman 

in Switzerland as well. She leaves 

everything behind and takes off to the 

rural areas of Western Anatolia as a 

teacher, which is the beginning of a new 

era in her life. 

1 6 9

1 7 0 


BACAKSIZ SİGARA KAÇAKÇISI 

LITTLE DEVIL CIGARETTE DEALER 

Edition Orient, Germany, 2007 


ISBN: 9753480059 

cinar@cinaryayincilik.com.tr 

R I F A T I L G A Z 

Rıfat Ilgaz (1911-1993) was one of the pioneering socialist-realist poets of the 

1940’s, his poems and articles appearing in the regional press of small towns. He 

graduated from Ankara Gazi Institute of Education in 1938 and was appointed as a 

Turkish teacher to various schools. In 1940, he entered the department of philosophy. 

Together with Ömer Faruk Toprak he published the magazine Yürüyüş (Walking) in 

1942 and worked with such literary notables as Orhan Kemal, Sait Faik, Cahit Irgat, 

A. Kadir, and Nâzım Hikmet (İbrahim Sabri). His first book, Yarenlik (Chit Chat) 

was published in 1943. His poetry was received with extraordinary interest. His book 

of poetry Sınıf (Class, 1944) was withdrawn from circulation upon the declaration 

of martial law and he was sent to prison under Article 142 of the Penal Code for six 

months. Ilgaz joined the staff of Markopaşa (periodical), published by Sabahattin 

Ali, Aziz Nesin and Mim Uykusuz, in 1947. He later became the editor-in-chief of 

this magazine, which was frequently banned by the government and continued its 

publication under different names. He began to work as a journalist in the 1950’s but 

since he was a politically “dangerous” writer, magazines and newspapers did not use 

his name. He worked as a typesetter, proofreader and a reporter for the newspaper 

Tan from 1952 to 1960. He wrote articles under the pen name of Stepne (Spare Tire) 

for Dolmuş (Shared Taxi), a magazine published by Turhan Selçuk and İlhan Selçuk. 

His works Hababam Sınıfı (Outrageous Class, 1957), Pijamalılar (The Pajamas Ward, 

1959), and Don Kişot İstanbul’da (Don Quijote in Istanbul, 1957) were published as 

serials in this magazine. His book of poetry Devam (Continuing), published in 1953, 

was also withdrawn from circulation. Ilgaz succeeded in every kind of writing he 

attempted, producing notable works in all genres. His Outrageous Class was widely 

read, staged, and filmed. He has produced over hundred books. 

Foreign Rights: Karartma Geceleri/The Blackout Nights (Greek); Bacaksız Kamyon 

Sürücüsü/Little Devil Truck Driver (Edition Orient, German); Bacaksız Sigara 

Kaçakçısı/Little Devil Cigarette Dealer (Edition Orient, German) Dördüncü Bölük/ 

Fourth Company (Milet, English); Hababam Sınıfı/The Crazy Class Kopasz Mahmut 

diákjai (Móra, Hungarian) 

Bacaksız Sigara Kaçakcısı, (Little 

Devil Cigarette Dealer) which 

forms part of the series, Bacaksız 

Kamyon Sürücüsü (Little 

Devil Truck Driver), Bacaksız 

Okulda (Little Devil at School), 

Bacaksız Paralı Atlet (Little Devil 

Professional Athlete), Bacaksız 

Tatil Köyünde (Little Devil at 

Holiday Village), relates the 

amusing adventures of a naughty 

little boy.

S A B A A L T I N S A Y 

Saba Altınsay was born in 1961 in Çanakkale. He completed his secondary education 

in Ankara and Izmir, graduating from the Journalist and Broadcasting School in the 

Political Sciences Faculty at Ankara University. After leaving university, he started 

work and published his short stories and travel articles in several newspapers and 

journals. His first book Kritumu was published in 2004. 

KRİTİMU: GİRİT’İM BENİM 

KRITIMU: MY CRETE 

Globosino, Serbia, 2007 

288, pages, Novel 

Translated by Mirjana Marinkoviç 

ISBN 9789750704093 


Kritimu, is Saba Altınsay’s first book. The 

author, who is from a family of Cretan 

origin, relates the story of the compulsory 

population exchanges between Greece and 

Turkey and the events leading up to it on 

Crete. In a period when the Ottoman Empire 

was weakening and beginning to lose its 

influence, there is a heightening of tension 

which flares up into hostility between the 

two populations in Crete, despite the close 

relationship, traditions and language mix 

which had existed hitherto. Kritimu tells the 

story of the sad departure of the Turkish- 

Cretan family Yarmakamakis from the 

island. However the real hero of the book is 

Crete itself, with its incomparable natural 

beauty and soul soothing fragrance. 

1 7 1

1 7 2 


S A B A H A T T İ N A L İ 

Sabahattin Ali (1907-1948) is one of the leading Turkish authors of the early years of 

the Turkish Republic. Educated in Turkey and Germany, his literary output consists 

of three novels, five collections of short stories, one collection of poems and one 

posthumous collection of political articles and numerous translations. He was the 

owner and editor of a very popular weekly periodical called “Markopaşa” which, with 

its political and satirical editorials, became a target of the establishment during the 

second part of the 1940s. His works are focused on the rural, social and psychological 

realities of Anatolia as well as on the urban pseudo-intellectual circle of Istanbul and 

Ankara. He was a strong believer in socialism and was imprisoned more than once 

for his political views and writings. Sabahattin Ali was assassinated while allegedly 

secretly crossing the border to Bulgaria. Why, where, and by whom he was really 

murdered and where he was buried is still a mystery. 

WORKS: Dağlar ve Rüzgâr (Mountains and Winds), Kurbağanın Serenadı (The 

Serenade of the Frog), Öteki Şiirler (Other Poems), Değirmen (The Mill), Kağnı (The 

Oxcart), Ses (Voice), Yeni Dünya (New World), Sırça Köşk (Glass Palace), Kuyucaklı 

Yusuf (Yusuf of Kuyucak), İçimizdeki Şeytan (The Devil Within), Kürk Mantolu 

Madonna (Madonna in a Fur Coat). 

Foreign Rights: Kürk Mantolu Madonna/The Fur Coated Madonna (Le Serpent à 

Plumes, French), (Dörleman , German); Kuyucaklı Yusuf/Yusuf from Kuyucak 

(Le Serpent à Plumes, French); İçimizdeki Şeytan/The Devil Within (Le Serpent à 

Plumes, French), (Unionsverlag, German) 

KÜRK MANTOLU MADONNA 

MADONNA IN A FUR COAT 

Le Serpent Á Plumes, France, 2007 


Translated by Jean Descat 

ISBN: 9753638029 


Some passions overwhelm us and guide our lives. 

We follow them, knowing that we will never regret 

it. In this book, Sabahattin Ali, who is the master of 

drawing out people’s unseen faces, describes such 

a passion. He poses challenging questions about 

personalities subdued by society, on the lightness of 

being and the impossibility of love.

S A D I K Y A L S I Z U Ç A N L A R 

Sadık Yalsızuçanlar was born in Malatya in South East Turkey in 1962 and attended 

Hacettepe University, where he majored in Turkology. He has since worked in 

publishing and teaching, and currently acts as a producer for TRT Ankara Television. 

He has received several awards for his stories and essays, as well as for a number of 

television documentaries. 

WORKS: Gezgin (The Wanderer), Yakaza, Garip (The Stranger), 40 Gözaltı Öyküsü 

(40 Surveillance Stories), Kuş Öyküsü Güzeran (Guzeran the Story of the Bird), 

Şey (The Thing), Hiç (Nothing), Cam ve Elmas (Glass and Diamond), Ayan Beyan 

(Obvious), Halvet der Encümen, Varlığın Evi (The Home of Existence), Bir Yolcunun 

Halleri (Conditions of a Traveller), Öyküler Kitabı (The Book of Tales), Sırlı Tuğlalar 

(Vitrified Bricks), Yolcu (The The Traveller), Kerem ile Aslı (Kerem and Aslı) . 

GEZGİN 

THE WANDERER 




ISBN: 975263074X 


The Wanderer is about the spiritual 

life of the great philosopher, poet and 

sage Muhammad Ibn’ Arabi, one of the 

world’s great spiritual teachers, who 

was born into the Moorish culture of 

Andalusian Spain. The story begins 

with the encounter of Ibn’ Rusd, later 

known as Averroes and Ibn’ Arabi. 

During this interesting encounter, the 

two great philosophers spend on hour 

together yet exchange only two words: 

“yes” and “no”. The novel, written by 

a new approach to storytelling and 

fiction, does not contain any dramatic, 

tragic or absurd elements. 

1 7 3

1 7 4 


S A D I K Y E M N İ 

Sadik Yemni was born in the Kurtuluş (Tatavla) neighborhood of Istanbul in 

1951; his family moved to his mother’s hometown of Izmir in 1954. In 1975, Yemni 

abandoned his studies in Chemical Engineering at Ege University with plans to spend 

some time in Amsterdam. He worked at several different jobs in the Netherlands; the 

last of these was as a bridge constructer for the state railway (1981-1989). He took 

advantage of his time off in the winters to read, contemplate, and write in a secluded 

rural area. His first book, a collection of short stories entitled De ljzeren Snavel (Iron 

Beak), was published in the Netherlands and Yemni still lives in Amsterdam. 

WORKS: Novels: Muska (Amulet, 1996), Amsterdam’ın Gülü (The Rose of 

Amsterdam, 1997), Öte Yer (The Beyond, 1997), Metros (Metros, 2002), Çözücü 

(Dissolvent, 2003), Ölümsüz (Immortal, 2004), Yatır (Sacred Tomb, 2005), 

Muhabbet Evi (Chat House, 2006). Memoir: Durum 429 (Situation 429, 2007). 

Foreign Rights: Öte Yer/The Beyond (Foremost Press, USA), Muhabbet Evi/Chat 

House (Ruffel Verlag, Germany) 

MUSKA 

AMULET 


ISBN: 9789752893924 


Amulet is a story based on evil: Evil stretching 

all the way from the occupied “infidel Izmir” to 

the cosmopolitan, easygoing Izmir of the 1960s… 

Wise and good-hearted witches who oppose this 

evil with magic, prayers, and fortunetelling; 

Halit Duman, a wizened intellectual of means; 

Mecnun, the bum of 94th Street; Crazy Hadiye, 

who vanquishes her enemies with artfully hurtled 

potatoes; one of the last of his kind, the stripling 

swashbuckler Ziya; our twelve year old hero, Sarp 

Sapmaz, who can see what others cannot see, and 

hear what others cannot hear… Just to name a few 

of the characters… They are all behind the mirrorthe 

mirror that you are looking into…

S A F İ Y E E R O L 

Safiye Erol was born in 1902, went to Germany in 1917 and returned to Istanbul after 

finishing high school, university and completing her PhD in 1926. She published 

articles in various newspaper and magazines. She has written eight books two 

of which are translations. The elements of eastern and western cultures she had 

gathered since her childhood and the perfect ability to analyse and combine different 

perspectives which she owned from birth brought out a Turkish intellectual in her 

personality. The most important feature of her books is that they are archival sources 

conveying vivid portraits from the old neighbourhood lives and traditions of Istanbul. 

Her wording is extremely sound, her descriptions and psychological analyses 

are precise. Meeting great Sufi thinker Ken’an Rifai when she was middle-aged 

constituted a milestone in her life and books. She passed away in 1964. 

WORKS: Ciğerdelen/The Heartbreaker, Kadıköyü’nün Romanı (Novel of Kadikoy), 

Ülker Fırtınası (Storm of the Pliades), Dineyri Papazı (King of Diamonds), Çölde 

Biten Rahmet Ağacı (The Tree of Divine Grace Growing in the Desert) ve Makaleler 

(Articles). 

CİĞERDELEN 

THE HEARTHBREAKER 

Connectum, Bosnia-Herzegovina 


Translated by Amina Şilyak 

ISBN: 9757663549 

info@kubbealti.org.tr 

In this novel Safiye Erol narrates a 

love story which took place in the 

20th century and combines it with a 

Rumelian myth (originating from the 

European part of the Ottoman Empire) 

filled with heroism. She recounts in 

vibrant and impressing language 

the adventure of the ancestors of the 

Turkish nation 

1 7 5

1 7 6 


S A İ T F A İ K A B A S I Y A N I K 

Sait Faik lived between1901 and 1954. He lived a bohemian life that forced him to 

quit his education in France and return to Turkey. He devoted his life to writing. In 

1953 he became an honorary member of the International Mark Twain Society of 

St. Louis, Missouri for his “services to modern literature.” Workers, retired people, 

fishermen, deserted children, and poor and idle folk constitute the subjects of his 

works. His love for people and his affinity to Greeks and Armenians in Istanbul 

allowed him to convey the cultural richness of the first decade of the Turkish 

Republic. The Sait Faik foundation is still run by his legal heir Darüşşafaka School, 

maintaining his Burgaz House as the Sait Faik Museum and since 1954 giving the 

annual Sait Faik Literature Prize to the best collection of short stories. Some of his 

works has been translated to English, German and French. 

WORKS: Semaver (Samovar), Sarnıç (The Cistern), Şahmerdan (The Hammer), 

Lüzumsuz Adam (Useless Man), Mahalle Kahvesi (Neighborhood Coffee House), 

Havada Bulut (Cloud in the Air), Kumpanya (Theatre Company), Havuz Başı (The 

Poolside), Son Kuşlar (Last Birds), Alemdağ’da Var Bir Yılan (There’s a Snake in 

Alemdağ), Az Şekerli (Just a little Sugar), Medar-ı Maişet Motoru (The Honorable 

Breadwinning Boat), Kayıp Aranıyor (Searching for the Missing), Şimdi Sevişme 

Vakti (It’s Time for Romance), Tüneldeki Çocuk (Kid in the Tunnel), Mahkeme 

Kapısı (In Court), Balıkçının Ölümü-Yaşasın Edebiyat (Death of the Fisherman-Long 

Live Literature), Açık Hava Oteli (Open Air Hotel), Müthiş Bir Tren (An Incredible 

Train), Sevgiliye Mektup (Letters to a Lover). 

ALEMDAĞ’DA VAR BİR YILAN 

THERE IS A SNAKE IN ALEMDAĞ 

Editions Bleu Autour, France, 95 pages, Short Story 

Translated by Rosie Pinhas Delpuech 

ISBN 978 9750805046 



“Sait Faik wrote the way he lived – spontaneously, sensually, 

impressionistically, experientially, always stressing the 

authentic touch and the ring of truth. He probably felt that 

a story is a microcosm or slice of life and cannot be, should 

not be, any more perfect than life itself. Above all, he was 

conscious of human frailty, foibles, and follies. In exploring 

human situations, his stories reflected, not only in substance 

but in form as well, the flaws of life.” 

Talat Sait Halman

SERGÜZEŞT 

S A M İ P A Ş A Z A D E S E Z A İ 

Sami Paşazade Sezai (1836-1936), a Tanzimat era writer, worked as a clerk at the 

Ministry of Foundations (at the Writing and Correspondence Office) and then as 2nd 

Chancellor at the Turkish Embassy in London. In 1901 he escaped to Paris during 

the Istibdat (despotism)era and started writing feature articles and articles for 

Şûrâ-yı Ümmet newspaper which was the press arm of the Committee for Union and 

Progress (Ittihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti). He returned to Istanbul after the declaration 

of Constitutional Monarchy (Meşrutiyet). He became Ambassador to Spain, and lived 

in Switzerland during World War I, and then returned home. The author started his 

writing career with articles, interviews, and theatre plays; he became famous for his 

novel Sergüzeşt (An Adventure) and his short stories Küçük Şeyler (Small Things). He 

is considered a remarkable writer in terms of portraying scenes from everyday life 

and dialogues between his characters. He became one of the realist storytellers and 

novelists of the Tanzimat era with his novel An Adventure which drew its characters 

from the public domain and his twelve short stories which were comparable to those 

of his contemporaries in the West. 

AN ADVENTURE 

Inner Mongolian CPH, China 


Translated by Ye Jian Xin 

ISBN: 9789754686395 

The author portrays significant segments of the 

way of living and everyday lives of the 1880s with 

An Adventure, a novel about love, questioning 

the concepts of slavery and liberty,that has 

now become a classic. An Adventure traces the 

marks of a love between the Circassian slave girl 

Dilber, and the rich mansion owner Celal Bey, 

who fall in love as quickly as they fall out of love. 

The author successfully conveys to the reader, 

within a strong emotional platform, the natural 

behaviour that the human spirit exhibits when 

faced with desperation. He emphasises the bitter 

relativity of the valid approach to concepts such 

as self-sacrifice, trust, honesty and patriotism 

during the period, resulting in unfairness. The 

novel passionately cultivates the innocent love 

of a slave girl and is remarkable in the way it 

particularly portrays the irresistible supremacy 

of love. 

1 7 7

1 7 8 


S E L Ç U K A L T U N 

Selçuk Altun was born in 1950, in Şavşat-Artvin. Upon earning his degree at Boğaziçi 

University in the Department of Management, he completed a Master‘s in the same 

department and began working in the field of finance. Altun, who has written essays 

on books and bookselling for periodicals and newspapers, and whose translations 

have appeared in various compilations, is the author of Yalnızlık Gittiğin Yoldan 

Gelir (Desolation Comes From The Road You Took, 2001), Bir Sen Yakınsın Uzakta 

Kalınca (When Far, Only You Are Near, 2002), Ku(r)şun Lezzeti (The Savor of B(ullet) 

ird’s, 2003), Annemin Öğretmediği Şarkılar (The Songs My Mother Didn’t Teach, 

2005) and Senelerce Senelerce Evveldi (It was Years, Years Ago, 2008). 

Foreign Rights: Annemin Öğretmediği Şarkılar/Songs My Mother Never Taught Me 

(Telegram, English, 2008), Senelerce Senelerce Evveldi/Many and Many A Year Ago 

(Telegram, English, 2009) 

ANNEMİN ÖĞRETMEDİĞİ ŞARKILAR 

THE SONGS MY MOTHER DIDN’T TEACH 

Telegram, USA, 2009 

Translated by Ruth Christie, Selçuk Berilgen 


ISBN: 9755702285 

www.selyayincilik.com 

Those who have read Selçuk Altun’s previous novels 

will not be unfamiliar with the characterizations, 

intense portrayalsof setting, progressive pace 

particular to detective novels, and the writer’s 

unique style in the probing tale of The Songs My 

Mother Didn’t Teach. Exploiting the enigmatic 

thrill common to the detective genre, The Songs My 

Mother Didn’t Teach presents the reader with an 

estranged member of a family, a family to which life 

has been generous, even perhaps cruelly so - in the 

material sense. Not inclined to protract his story, 

Altun uses language as economically as possible, 

yet does not forsake the visual in writing. Whether 

old or new, rich or poor, known or overlooked, a 

strong atmosphere is created through the portrayal 

of Istanbul’s byways, streets, buildings, houses, and 

historical locations in a novel intense in imagery, 

metaphor, and simile.

S E L İ M İ L E R İ 

Selim İleri was born in Istanbul in 1949. He completed Ataturk High School in 1968. 

For a time he attended the Faculty of Law at Istanbul University. Giving up his 

studies, he devoted himself to writing. His first piece was published in Yeni Ufuklar 

magazine in 1967. He gained fame with publications in the period’s foremost 

magazines. His first book of stories was published in 1968, his acclaimed first novel, 

Her Gece Bodrum (Halicarnassus Every Night) in 1973. Selim İleri, who has written, 

alongside novels and stories, scenarios, essays, literature-related surveys, and a 

book of poetry, has also won numerous literary awards and published the following 

(out of his overall 21 novels) after 1990: Mavi Kanatlarınla Yalnız Benim Olsaydın 

(If You Were Only Mine With Your Blue Wings, 1991), Kırık Deniz Kabukları (Broken 

Seashells, 1994), Gramafon Hâlâ Çalıyor (The Gramophone is Still Playing, 1994), 

Cemil Şevket Bey, Aynalı Dolaba İki El Revolver (Cemil Şevket Bey, Firing the Revolver 

Twice at the Mirrored Cabinet, 1997), Solmaz Hanım ve Kimsesiz Okurlar İçin (For 

Ms. Solmaz and Forlorn Readers, 2000), Bu Yaz Ayrılığın İlk Yazı Olacak (This 

Summer will Be the First One of Separation, 2001), Yarın Yapayalnız (Tomorrow All 

Alone, 2004), Kapalı İktisat (Closed Economics, 2007), Hepsi Alev (It’s All Flame, 

2007), and Daha Dün: Geçmiş, Bir Daha Geri Gelmeyecek Zamanlar (Only Yesterday: 

The Past Times That Will Never Come Back, 2008). 

HEPSİ ALEV 

IT’S ALL FLAME 

Uklad Anka, Poland 


Translated by Mikolaj Sobczak 

ISBN: 9789752935303 

www.kalemageny.com 

Selim İleri presents a historical novel on the 40th 

anniversary of his literary career. It’s all a flame... 

This historical novel tells the story of the 

Byzantine Empress Irene, her ambition to rule, 

her lack of faith in love and family, her passion 

for art, her cruel ways and loneliness. We find out 

that strangely enough nothing has changed since 

those times in this complex city called Istanbul. 

Even though It’s all a flame is facing the past, it is 

telling us about the present. It’s all a flame is the 

fascinating story of a strong and lonely woman 

who had a vision to unite the East and the West. 

1 7 9

1 8 0 


S E M A K A Y G U S U Z 

Sema Kaygusuz was born in Samsun in 1972 and graduated from the Department of 

Public Relations at Gazi University in 1994. During her university education, she was 

interested in the art of dancing and theatre. Her early stories have been published in 

various literature magazines and have received awards. Sema Kaygusuz still writes 

for Atlas magazine and holds workshops on creative writing. She is one of Turkey´s 

most prestigious short story writers. 

WORKS: Short Stories: Ortadan Yarısından (From the Middle, From Halfway, 1997), 

Sandık Lekesi (Hope Chest Stain, 2000), Esir Sözler Kuyusu (Well of Enslaved 

Words, 2004). Novel: Yere Düşen Dualar (Prayers Falling to the Ground, 2006). 

Foreign Rights: Yere Düşen Dualar/The Fallen Prayers (Actes Sud, France), 

(Surkamp, Germany) 

YERE DÜŞEN DUALAR 

THE FALLEN PRAYERS 

Shurkamp, Germany, 2008 


Translated by Barbara and Hüseyin Yurttaş 

ISBN: 9752934374 

vesper@club-internet.fr, dk.rights@dogankitap.com.tr 

Yere Düşen Dualar (The Fallen Prayers) is a 

polyphonic novel that relates the malaise of 

existence in the context of a family tragedy. Offering 

multiple levels of reading, the work has such a 

complex narration that it is not easy to embrace all 

of its aspects at once. The Fallen Prayers is written 

in a vigorous and daring style. In its concentrated 

and intricately detailed prose, the identities of 

the personages constantly change, all characters 

inscribe themselves in the universe of the plot with 

their own particular language and voice, and the 

omniscient author is entirely omitted. This novel 

stands out as one of the best singular works in 

contemporary Turkish literature.

S E R D A R Ö Z K A N 

Serdar Özkan, who was born in Izmir in August 1975, graduated from Robert College 

and studied Management and Psychology at Lehigh University in the USA. 

After graduating, he returned to Turkey and worked in the field of public relations. 

He lives in Istanbul and has been writing novels since 2002. His first book, Kayıp Gül 

(Lost Rose), became a bestseller abroad. It has been translated into 17 languages 

and published in more than 20 countries. 

KAYIP GÜL 

LOST ROSE 

Hena Com, Croatia, 2007 


Translated by Veja Vujovic 

ISBN: 9786051140193 

www.timas.com.tr 

“How extraordinary to devote 

some space to the golden jewel 

we know as philosophy and to 

the epic values of a tradition... 

Just as it is extraordinary, it is 

astonishing, exciting and joyful... 

The seeker in Kayıp Gül (Lost 

Rose), guided by philosophy, 

absorbs us in an adventure which, 

as well as educating the reader, 

gives extreme pleasure and 

gorgeous images.” 

Ayşe Şasa – Writer 

1 8 1

1 8 2 


S E R P İ L U R A L 

Serpil Ural was born in 1945 and after graduating from Üsküdar American High 

School, Bradford Junior College and from the Graphics Department of the Fine Arts 

Academy, worked for publicity companies as a graphic artist and script writer. In 

1978 she started writing and illustrating books for pre-school children. Some of 

her books have been adapted for TV and broadcast, notably, children’s television 

programs for TRT in Turkey and Swedish Television. In 1986, at the 5 th Noma 

International Children’s Book Illustrations Competition she received an Incentive 

Award. In 1987, at the Rıfat Ilgaz Humoristic Story Competition she was awarded 

first prize and in 1997, Serpil Ural won the Turkiye İş Bankası Children’s Literature 

Award. Her book illustrations have been presented in several exhibitions and 

competitions at home and abroad. 

WORKS: Şafakta Yanan Mumlar (Candles Lit at Dawn), Ağrı’dan Zelve’ye Anadolu 

Anlatıyor (From Agri to Zelve - Anatolia Speaks), Ali Baba’nın Çiftliği (Ali Baba’s 

Farm), Bahar Nevruz’la Başlar (Spring Starts with Newroz), Cabula Mabula, 

Armağan (Present), Güle Güle Nereye? (See You, Where Are You Going by the 

Way?), Gürültücü Ali (Noisy Ali), Mikrobun Ettikleri (Microbe’s Misbehaviour), Tako 

Eğitsel Öyküler Dizisi (Tako Educational Stories Series, 4 Books), Tek Gözlü Kedi 

(The One Eyed Cat), Onbaşı Nezahat (Sergeant Nezahat), Eşek ve Berk (The Donkey 

and Berk), Yasaklı Pansiyon (Forbidden Guesthouse), Sabiha, Köprü Olan Deniz 

(The Sea That Turned into a Bridge), Armağan 4-7 Yaş Çocukları İçin Eğitsel Öyküler 

Dizisi (Present - Educational Stories for 4-7 Age Group Children, 32 Books), Kedi- 

Fare (Cat and Mouse) Müzik 5-6 Yaş Çocukları İçin Eğitsel Öyküler Dizisi (Music- 

Educational Stories for 5-6 Age, 36 Books) Pazarda Neler Var Neler... (What do they 

Sell at the Market?) Aksak Ali (Crippled Ali). 

AĞRI’DAN ZELVE’YE ANADOLU ANLATIYOR 

FROM AGRI TO ZELVE: ANATOLIA SPEAKS 




ISBN: 9751704308 

www.serpilural.net 

There are so many stories, beliefs and legends 

passed down from one generation to the next in 

Anatolia. In this book, the most important stories 

are presented, in alphabetical order, so that 

children can be introduced to Anatolian culture.

TANTE ROSA 

Buntbuchverlag, Germany, 1981 


S E V G İ S O Y S A L 

Sevgi Soysal was born in 1936 in Istanbul and studied Archeology at Ankara and 

Göttingen Universities. Her first novel Yürümek (Walking) was published in 1970. 

Her political career marked her life as well as her artistic work, and her work entitled 

Yenişehir’de bir Öğle Vakti (High Noon at Yenişehir), which was written during her 

imprisonment in Yıldırım Regional Women’s Prison, was awarded with the Orhan 

Kemal Novel Prize 1974. Her memoirs and observations from her imprisonment were 

published in Yıldırım Bölge Kadınlar Koğuşu (Yıldırım Regional Women’s Prison). 

She passed away in 1975 after a long period of illness and her articles were collected 

posthumously in Bakmak (Looking). 

WORKS: Tutku Pencerem (The Passionate Bangs), Tante Rosa, Yürümek (Walking), 

Yenişehir’de Bir Öğle Vakti (High Noon at Yenisehir), Barış Adlı Çocuk (The Child 

Called Peace), Şafak (Dawn), Yıldırım Bölge Kadınlar Koğuşu (Yıldırım Regional 

Women’s Prison), Bakmak (Looking) 

Translated by Aliye Yenen 

ISBN: 975050092X 


Sevgi Soysal never wearied of pursuing 

her own unique literary quest. She 

strove to develop a method that she 

called “new realism,” in order to reveal 

reality in its multiple facets. Tante 

Rosa is the product of that quest. 

Sevgi Soysal treats the misfit Rosa’s 

individual destiny with such a delicate 

literary touch that the social reasons 

behind what makes up the individual 

are always right there in from of us. 

Despite the pain so acutely described 

in Tante Rosa, it ultimately remains an 

ebullient novel, enriched by humorous 

elements - a modern fairytale of odd 

incidents, oddly true to life. 

1 8 3

1 8 4 


S E V İ M A K 

Sevim Ak, who has been writing children’s stories since 1985, won the Akademi 

Kitapevi Story Award with her first book, Uçurtmam Bulut Şimdi (My Kite’s Turned 

into a Cloud), published in 1997. Her books and short stories have been published 

in many children’s magazines, such as Kırmızı Fare, Doğan Kardeş, Bando, Milliyet 

Kardeş, Başak Çocuk, Vakıf Çocuk and Kırmızı Bilye. Sevim Ak has also written 

stories and scripts for children’s programs on television. Her play Düşlere Sobe (Hide 

and Seek/Home Free) has been staged at Istanbul City Theatre. 

WORKS: Uçurtmam Bulut Şimdi (My Kite’s Turned Into a Cloud), Karşı Pencere 

(Opposite Window), Pembe Kuşa Ne Oldu (What Happened to Pink Bird), 

Penguenler Flüt Çalamaz (Penguins Don’t Play Flute), Toto ve Şemsiyesi (Toto and 

His Umbrella), Puf Pufpuf, Cuf Cufcuf ve Cino (Puf Pufpuf, Cuf Cufcuf and Cino), 

Babamın Gözleri Kedi Gözleri (My Dad’s Eyes Are Like Cat’s), Kuşlar Kralı Nikola 

(Nikola, The King of Birds), Vanilya Kokulu Mektuplar (Vanilla Scented Letters), 

Domates Saçlı Kız (Tomato Haired Girl), Dalgalar Dedikoduyu Sever (Gossip 

Waves), Sakız ve Aytaşı (Sakız and the Moonstone), Sakız ve Haftanın Öyküsü 

(Sakız and the Story of the Week), Sakız ve Rüzgar Adam (Sakız and the Wind 

Man), Gemici Dedem (Grandpa the Sailor), Dörtgöz (Four Eyes), Çilekli Dondurma 

(Strawberry Icecream). 

Foreign Rights: Babamın Gözleri Kedi Gözleri/My Dad’s Eyes Are Like Cat’s 

(Germany, 2008), Perguenler Flüt Çalamaz/Penguins Don’t Play Flute (Germany, 

2008), Toto Ve Şemsiyesi/Toto And His Umbrella (Germany, 2008), Uçurtmam 

Bulut Şimdi/My Kite’s Turned Into a Cloud (Germany, 2008) 

UÇURTMAM BULUT ŞİMDİ 

MY KITE’S TURNED INTO A CLOUD 




ISBN: 9750702824 


Uçurtmam Bulut Şimdi (My Kite’s Turned Into a Cloud) 

consists of a number of captivating, thought provoking 

stories; the story of a child whose first kite, made by 

his father, drifts away, the adventures of two kids who 

open a bookstore, the story of a girl trying to discover 

the secret of rain, the earthquake fears of two brothers 

and the story of a pretty girl trying to buy a mother’s 

day present...

SAHİBİNİN SESİ - EVEREST MY LORD - 

İŞTE BAŞ İŞTE GÖVDE İŞTE KANATLAR 

HIS MASTER’S VOICE - EVEREST MY LORD - 

HERE IS THE HEAD, THE BODY AND THE WINGS 

L’espace D’un Instant, France, 2006, 96 Pages, Play 

Translated by T. Muhidine, Marie - Christine Varol 

ISBN: 9750810481 



S E V İ M B U R A K 

Sevim Burak was born in Istanbul in 1931 and died in 1983. After finishing the Junior 

High Division at the German High School, she started work. She became a model 

and subsequently, the director of her own fashion house. She died of heart disease 

at Haseki Hospital in Istanbul. Her first short story was published in the daily paper, 

Yeni İstanbul (New Istanbul). Her other stories have been published in literary 

journals and daily papers such as Yenilik, Türk Dili, Ulus and Milliyet. Her stories are 

considered to be sophisticated examples of the ‘’stream of consciousness’’ technique. 

She uses poetic language in her works, in which she usually takes up women’s issues. 

WORKS: Afrika Dansı (African Dance), Everest My Lord - İşte Baş İşte Gövde İşte 

Kanatlar (Everest My Lord - Here is the Head, the Body and the Wings), Ford Mach 

I, Sahibinin Sesi (His Master’s Voice), Yanık Saraylar (Burned Palaces). 

In her most important works, His Master’s Voice 

and Here is the Head, the Body and the Wings, the 

individual defines himself according to the “Social 

Other.” The other, who is devious and unreliable, 

is the one from the other religion, other sex, other 

culture and other language. In these texts, every 

individual has a second identity. While reading 

these texts, which are in a perpetual state of 

deconstruction , we are confronted several times, 

on an inter-societal and inter-cultural level, with 

the fundamental questions that a child asks, in the 

process of becoming an individual, namely, “ who 

am I ?’’ and “ where do I come from ?”. In Here is the 

Head, the Body and the Wings, after the first act, 

repeated sentences and photos saturate the pages, 

making the reader focus more on their own process 

of getting lost in the schizophrenic disorder, rather 

than what is actually related in the story. 

1 8 5

1 8 6 


S E V İ N Ç Ç O K U M 

Sevinç Çokum was born in Istanbul in 1943 and went to Beşiktaş High School. She 

graduated from the Department of Turkish Philology in the Faculty of Literature at 

Istanbul University and obtained an additional qualification from the Department of 

Sociology. Starting in her years at university, she channeled her efforts into literature 

by writing poems and short stories and she got the support of the people around her. 

In February, 1972; Bir Eski Sokak Sesi (A Voice of an Old Street), which was among 

her first stories, was published in Hisar, the newspaper belonging to Mehmet Çınarlı. 

Television films were made from the scenerios of Beyaz Sessiz Bir Zambak (A White, 

Silent Lily) and Yeniden Doğmak (Rebirth), in which she wrote about the Bulgarian 

Turks. The writer has won many prizes and made a variety of radio programs; her 

works are still published in various literature periodicals. She is a member of the 

Writers Union of Turkey, ILESAM (The Professional Union of Turkish Science and 

Literature Academicians), MESAM (Musical Work Owners’ Society of Turkey) and the 

Turkish Authors Association. The writer has written eighteen books. 

BİZİM DİYAR 

OUR LAND 

Gençlik Publishing House, Azerbaijan, 1992 


Translated by Azize Caferzade 

ISBN: 975437192X 

ötüken@ötüken.com.tr 

Our Land was published in Turkey for the first 

time in 1978 and depicts the Balkan Wars and the 

mass immigration from the Rumeli region with 

the collapse of the Ottoman State. The author has 

adopted the events and personalities found in the 

book from the stories she was told by her elderly 

relatives who lived through these events and who 

were deeply affected. Our Land is an interesting 

novel which provides an account of recent history, 

weaving the cultural heritage from Rumeli to 

Istanbul in a poetical and detailed way.

S E Y H A N E R Ö Z Ç E L İ K 

Seyhan Erözçelik (1962, Bartın) completed his elementary school education in 

Bartın. He finished Kadıköy Maarif College. He studied psychology at Boğaziçi 

University and Arab and Persian languages at Istanbul University. Currently in 

advertizing, he is also among the founders of the journal Şiir Atı (1986). His first 

poem, “Düştanbul” (DreamIstanbul) was published in the journal Yazko Edebiyat 

(1982). He also was published in journals such as Gösteri, Gergedan, Varlık and 

Sombahar. He is a poet of the 1980’s generation. Focusing on objects, situations 

and images, he plays with the language, dividing words to create new images, thus 

developing his own poetic language. 

His Books of Poetry: Yeis ile Tabanca (Despair and Pistol, 1986), Hayal Kumpanyası 

(The Company of Illusion, 1990), Kır Ağı (Hoarfrost, 1991), Yeis (Despair, 1995), Gül 

ve Telve (Rose and Coffee Grinds, 1996), Şehirde Sansar Var (There Is a Weasel in 

Town, 1999), Yağmur Taşı (Rain Stone, 2004) and Vâridik, Yoğidik (Once We Were, 

Once We Weren’t, 2007). 

Foreign Rights: Gül ve Telve/Rose and Coffe Grinds (Talisman House Publishers, 

English) 

VÂRİDİK, YOĞİDİK 

ONCE WE WERE, ONCE WE WEREN’T 


ISBN: 9789757172901 

www.simurg.com.tr 

Seyhan Erözçelik described his purpose in this book 

as “I tried to use all shared words from all Turkic 

languages. Still, this is more than an experiment, 

it is a sign. I always said that I love my language. I 

am trying to discover the secrets of this language. 

I would also like this book to be understood in 

different Turkic languages.” We do not have many 

shared words with other Turkic languages. Because 

of this, these poems are written with very few 

words. The poet overcomes this difficulty with the 

sound and music he creates. His point of view tends 

toward mysticism: when thinking about existence 

and non-existence, thinking about “I” and “you” 

suffice. 

1 8 7

1 8 8 


S E Z A K U T L A R A K S O Y 

Seza Kutlar Aksoy was born in Gaziantep. Upon graduation from Istanbul 

Girls’ High School, she has attended Istanbul University, Faculty of Letters, the 

Department of English Language and Literature but did not graduate. She has been 

writing novels and short stories for children and young adults since 1980. Her stories 

have been published in magazines such as Milliyet Çocuk and Kırmızıfare. Her 

books Büyülü Bahçe (The Magic Garden) and Küçük Prenses ve Kardelen (The Little 

Princess and Snowdrop) became the subject of studies that aim to improve children’s 

thinking skills. These studies were also carried out with other books of the author. 

For three years, she was in charge of education as a volunteer in a civil society 

project. She is currently involved in reading projects in civil society organizations. 

TOMURCUK VE PEMBE KEDİ 

TOMURCUK AND THE PINK CAT 

Önel Verlag, Germany 


Translated by Sibylle Cizenel 

ISBN: 9753635648 

morpa@morpa.com.tr 

Tomurcuk could make impossible 

things real with his imagination. He 

was oblivious to rules and the limits 

of his wishes, and he left home with 

his imaginary pink cat. However, good 

things were not to last long. Tomurcuk: 

both an ordinary and an extraordinary 

protagonist.

S İ B E L K . T Ü R K E R 

Sibel K. Türker (1968) attracted attention with her first book Kalp(Y)azan (Writer 

of the Heart/Swindler, 2003). It is characteristic of her to display more and more 

of the world behind the people in her stories. Her language and writing style reflect 

the approach of a mature author who filters the situations and relationships 

she describes with refinement. She writes about common dissatisfactions and 

dissonance, and about the non-conformism of people who have no doubts about 

their subjectivity. Her attention to the telling detail creates dramatic effects which 

catch readers by surprise. Her subtle humour is a pleasure, as is her seriousness 

about crafting a perfect language for the Turkish short story. Her questioning of 

life and the place of women in it appears in all her stories. She has published three 

collections, including Öykü Sersemi (Story-Silly, 2005) and Ağula (Poison, 2007), as 

well as a novel titled Şair Öldü (The Poet Is Dead, 2006) 

ŞAİR ÖLDÜ 

THE POET IS DEAD 

Paradox Publishing Group, Bulgaria 


Translated by Aziz Shakir 

ISBN: 9752934307 


Human nature has a deficiency which accompanies us from 

birth. As humans we are aware of this and we try to make 

up for it throughout our lives. Our fatigue and weariness 

stems from this as well as our tenderness and disagreement. 

The absurd thing in this is also how our hopes come to life. 

When the only reflection we see on the mirror is ourselves, 

we know that we have to run to escape. Inadequacy also 

keeps us under its spell. We stand there and stare at our 

starved beings for which further improvements are out of 

the question. Our being awaits and surrounds us, not letting 

go-it is already paid for-we are unable to buy it a bit of extra 

sense, depth, love, emotion or talent. Our sense of slavery 

is ancient; we are born expecting to be freed. Continent, 

country, family, gender, language, religion, skin, eyebrows, 

eyes, nose and even the city we live in. None out of choice, but 

we find ourselves thrown into them for no apparent reason. 

It is as ambiguous and without any sense as when a bud held 

by a bird’s beak falls on a piece of ground. 

1 8 9

1 9 0 


KİRÂZE 

KIRAZE 

S O L M A Z K A M U R A N 

Solmaz Kamuran was born in Istanbul in 1954. After completing her secondary 

education, she graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry at Istanbul University. She 

has written scripts for television and many of her travel articles have been published. 

WORKS: Kiraze, Minta, Bir Kadın - Bir Erkek (A Woman - A Man), Bir Levrek İskeleti 

(Skeleton of a Fish), Çanakkale Rüzgârı (Çanakkale Wind), Gecenin Yakamozu 

(Shimmering of the Night), İpek Böceği Cinayeti (Silkworm Murder), Devlet Çete 

Olmasın Dediğinizde (When You Said Mafia-free State…). 

Foreign Rights: Kiraze/Ester Kyra (Okeanida, Greece), (Partvonal, Hungary), (Via 

Magna, Spain), (Narodna knija, Serbia), (Casadasletras, Portuguese), (Dialog, 

Poland), (Mondodori Harleguine, Italy); Minta (Greece), (the Netherlands), (Italy), 

(Portuguese) 

Casa das Letras, Portugal, 2007 


Translated by Ana Lourenço 

ISBN: 9751025340 

sdiker@inkilap.com, solina@inkilap.com 

Solmaz Kamuran tells the story, set 

over a hundred year period, of the 

plight of the Sefarad Jews, deported 

from Spain in 1492. The Jews were 

trying to reach several destinations, 

Holland, North Africa and since they 

had been invited by Sultan Beyazid the 

Second, the Ottoman lands. Ester Kira 

(also known as Kiraze), is the daughter 

of a Sefarad Jew who arrives in Istanbul 

after a horrendous journey. Kiraze, in 

quite a short time, becomes a Jew who 

is able to enter the Ottoman palace, 

due to her determination, intelligence 

and beauty. This novel, while shedding 

light on the sufferance of the Sefarad 

Jews, also explains how Ottoman 

and European palaces controlled 

and influenced religious, social and 

political life. The book is a moving 

portrayal of the period.

S U A T D E R V İ Ş 

Suat Derviş is one of Turkey’s leading female authors (1905-1972). She was educated 

in Berlin, Germany and wrote various articles for German newspapers and journals 

during her time there. After the rise of fascism in Germany, unable to continue 

writing, she returned to Turkey in 1932. She is the author of 12 novels and her novels 

are usually about the tragic lives of lost, lonely and struggling people in the urban 

centers of Turkey. She was a dedicated socialist and a childhood friend of the world 

famous Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet, who was the first person to help her works 

be published. After a change of government in Turkey and following pressure and 

imprisonment, she was forced to emigrate for a second time, this time to France. She 

lived in exile in France during 1953-1963. She was the first Turkish female author to 

have a novel published in Europe: Ankara Maphusu (The Prisoner of Ankara) was 

published in France in 1957, 11 years before it was first published in Turkish. 

WORKS: Kara Kitap (The Black Book), Ne Bir Ses Ne bir Nefes (Not a Sound, Not 

a Breath), Ahmet Fendi, Behire’nin Talipleri (Behire’s Suitors), Ben Mi (You Mean 

Me), Fatma’nın Günahı (Fatma’s Sin), Gönül Gibi (Something Like A Heart), Emine, 

Hiç (None), Çılgın Gibi (Madly), Fosforlu Cevriye (Flashy Cevriye), Aksaray’dan Bir 

Perihan (A Perihan From Aksaray), Yalı’nın Gölgeleri (The Shadows of Mansion), 

Ankara Mahpusu (The Prisoner of Ankara). 

Foreign Rights: Ankara Mahpusu/The Prisoner of Ankara (Editeurs Reuins, France); 

Çılgın Gibi/Madly (Aventurine, France) 

ANKARA MAPHUSU - PRISONER OF ANKARA 

Editeurs Reuins, France, 139 pages, Novel 

ISBN: 9756719095 


Vasfi is a medical school student who 

murders one of his friends in a quarrel and 

fight at a night club. He is imprisoned for 

12 years, and after his release cannot find 

a job, neither in Ankara nor in Istanbul. All 

he can do is find out the address of Zeynep, 

his lover during his student years. However 

Zeynep is now a shop owner, a bad-tempered 

and stingy woman. Vasfi never shows his 

face, he just follows her around and hesitates 

to contact her. One day, while sleeping in 

cold weather in one of the train stations, 

an old woman, who likens Vasfi to her lost 

son, gives him shelter in her house and 

Vasfi starts living there. After a while he 

also meets a friend from prison, who helps 

him find a job as a construction worker; the 

tragic story of a young idealistic man whose 

life turns into ruins but who still succeeds in 

surviving. 

1 9 1

1 9 2 


Ş E B N E M İ Ş İ G Ü Z E L 

Şebnem İşigüzel was born in 1973 and studied Anthropology at Istanbul University. 

Her first book, entitled Hanene Ay Doğacak (Moon Will Rise On Your Abode), was 

published in 1993. The same year she received the Yunus Nadi Short Story Award. 

Her published works include, Öykümü Kim Anlatacak (Who Will Tell My Story?, 

Short Stories, 1994), Eski Dostum Kertenkele (Lizard, My Old Chap, Short Stories, 

1996), Neşeli Kadınlar Arasında (Among Merry Women, Essays, 2000), Kaderimin 

Efendisi (The Master of my Destiny, Short Stories, 2001), Sarmaşık (The Ivy, Novel, 

2002), Çöplük (The Dump, Novel, 2004) and Resmi Geçit (Parade, Novel, 2008). 

ÇÖPLÜK 

THE DUMP 

Berlin Verlag, Germany 


Translated by Christopher K. Neumann 

ISBN: 9750502787 


In 1993, Şebnem İşigüzel entered the 

literary scene as a 19-year old author 

with her first novel Moon Will Rise On 

Your Abode. She acquired a solid place 

in Turkish literature during the nineties 

thanks to her later works. The Dump is 

the story of the homeless Leyla, who is 

seen as the queen of the dump by the 

homeless brigade. One day, Leyla finds 

a half-dead man among the garbage. 

She takes him to her hovel where she 

cures him in the subsequent weeks. 

This exciting novel reveals the secret 

miseries which lurk behind luxurious 

lives. The reader is also invited to 

explore the dark and dirty underbelly 

of Istanbul.

Ş E Y H M U S D İ K E N 

Şeyhmus Diken was born in Diyarbakır. He graduated from Diyarbakir High school 

and the Faculty of Political Studies at Ankara University. His short career of being 

a civil servant abruptly ended with the military coup of 12 September 1980. His first 

book was published in 1997. His articles and texts were published in newspapers 

such as Radikal, Yeni Yüzyıl, Yeni Binyıl, Evrensel, Taraf, BirGün, Özgür Gündem and 

magazines such as Notos, Virgül, Radikal Books and Radikal İki. He is the Diyarbakır 

representative of International Pen’s Turkish Headquarters and a member of the 

Turkish Writers Union. 

WORKS: Kürdilihicazkâr Metinler (Kürdilihicazkâr Texts), Güneydoğu’da Sivil 

Hayat (Civil Life in the Southeast), Sırrını Surlarına Fısıldayan Şehir Diyarbakır 

(Diyarbakır- the City that Whispers Her Secret to Her City Walls), Diyarbekir 

Diyarım Yitirmişem Yanarım (Diyarbekir I’ve Lost My Country and I Burn Inside), 

Tango ve Diyarbakır (Tango and Diyarbakır), İsyan Sürgünleri (Rebellion Exiles), 

Türkiye’de Sivil Hayat ve Demokrasi (Civil Life and Democracy in Turkey), 

Amidalılar Sürgündeki Diyarbekirliler (Amidalians - People from Diyarbakır in 

Exile), Taşlar Şahit (Stones are the Witness), Zevalsiz Ömrün Sürgünü Mehmed 

Uzun (Mehmed Uzun- Exile of the Everlasting Life). 

SIRRINI SURLARINA FISILDAYAN ŞEHİR, DİYARBAKIR 

DIYARBAKIR- THE CTY THAT WHISPERS 

HER SECRET TO HER CITY WALLS 

Editions Turquoise, France 

Translated by Françosi Skvor 

ISBN: 9750500105 


Diyarbakır, an eternal city, whose essence 

has been moulded with pain and sadness, but 

her hope is always kept alive…Diyarbakır, the 

wounded city with deep wounds in her body… 

Diyarbakır the city that since ancient times 

has been able to withstand numerous disasters 

and catastrophes caused by time and people. 

Diyarbakır, the city whose pain, sadness and 

hope has not yet been adequately voiced…” 

This is how novelist Mehmet Uzun explains 

the silence of Diyarbakır and the wealth of life 

hiding underneath in the foreword of this novel. 

With this book in your hands, Şeyhmus Diken 

takes a step towards breaking the silence of a 

city that whispers her secret to her city walls. 

Şeyhmus Diken is the voice of Diyarbakır. 

A soft, friendly flowing voice; a meaningful 

and refreshing voice. Şeyhmus Diken depicts 

Diyarbakır as a city, as a way of life in itself, 

instead of seeing her as a strategic location, a 

symbol or an abstract declaration of identity. 

He does it with a sense of humour, with a soft, 

friendly flowing and refreshing voice. 

1 9 3

1 9 4 


T A H S İ N Y Ü C E L 

GÖKDELEN - THE SKYSCRAPER 

Uniscorp Publishing, Bulgaria 


Tahsin Yücel, who was born in Elbistan in 1933, is not only known for his stories 

and novels, but for his translations, essays, and criticism. His two stories were 

published in Varlık magazine’s annual “New Stories” book (1950) when he was still 

a student at Galatasaray High School. He completed his higher education in the 

field of literature. Yücel, who became Professor of French Language and Literature 

at Istanbul University, has won numerous literary awards for his short stories and 

novels. Beginning with his work entitled Mutfak Çıkmazı (Kitchen Impasse) in 

1960, he continued writing with Vatandaş (Compatriot, 1975), Peygamberin Son Beş 

Günü (The Prophet’s Last Five Days, 1992), Bıyık Söylencesi (The Moustache Myth, 

1995), Yalan (Lie, 2002), Kumru ile Kumru (Kumru and Kumru, 2005) and Gökdelen 

(Skyscraper, 2006). 

Foreign Rights: Gökdelen/The Skyscraper (Uniscorp, Bulgarian), (Kedros, Greek); 

Peygamberin Son Beş Günü/The Last Five Days of the Prophet (Rocher, French); 

Vatandaş/Citizen (Rocher, French), (Fan Noli, Albanian), (Uniscorp, Bulgarian) 

Translated by İmren Murad Tasinova 

ISBN: 9789750706615 

internationa@canyayinlari.com 


Can Tezcan, the protagonist of the 

novel that begins on the morning 

of 17 February 2073, is one of the 

most prominent lawyers in Turkey. 

He devises a plan to solve the legal 

predicament of his wealthy client, 

Temel Diker, who aims to turn Istanbul 

into a city of skyscrapers in a style that 

will surpass New York City in beauty 

and modernity. Can Tezcan wants 

to privatize the judicial system. The 

Skyscraper, the latest novel written by 

Tahsin Yücel, the renowned master of 

satire, is a feast of literature involving 

breath-taking surprises, and tells the 

story of the last house with a garden 

in the district of Cihangir, squeezed in 

between skyscrapers, of the stray cats 

that are viciously killed, of miserable 

men who have to survive in wild and 

remote places in destitution, of the 

wealthy who roam the city in one-seat 

planes called shuttles, of self-seeking 

politicians and media tycoons who do 

not fail to flatter them

T E Z E R Ö Z L Ü 

Tezer Özlü was born 1943 and died in1986 at a very young age. She was one of 

Turkey’s most original writers, with three “different” books published during her 

lifetime. Her first book, Eski Bahçe (Old Garden), comprising of short stories was 

published in magazines. Her first novel Çocukluğun Soğuk Geceleri (The Cold Nights 

of Childhood) tells a life story, a life full of abuse that is sometimes physical and 

sometimes passive-aggressive, and of how the protagonist suffered from being 

rejected for being both different and unusual. It is told in a touching and sensitive 

way, from the bottom of her heart, or, in her words, “feeling it in her flesh.” She wrote 

a narrative in German under the title Auf den Spuren eines Selbstmords (Journey 

to The Edge of Life). The narrative, which is a search for the meaning of life that 

takes the form of following the traces of her three favorite authors Svevo, Kafka and 

Pavese, won the Marburg Literature Prize in 1983. Later she translated this work 

into Turkish under the title Yaşamın Ucuna Yolculuk (Journey to the Edge of Life), 

rewriting it to a certain extent. 

WORKS: Yaşamın Ucuna Yolculuk (A Journey to the Edge of Life), Eski Bahçe-Eski 

Sevgi (Old Garden- Old Love), Kalanlar (Those Left Behind), Zaman Dışı Yaklaşım 

(Life Timed Out). 

ÇOCUKLUĞUN SOĞUK GECELERİ 

THE COLD NIGHTS OF CHILDHOOD 

Berlin, Express-Edition, Germany, 1985 


ISBN: 9789753632607 


yky@ykykutlur.com.tr 

The first novel of Tezer Özlü reflects 

a childhood that not only marks the 

beginning of life but also one that you 

always keep coming back to, perhaps 

one that you can never escape. The 

writer opposes the world of adults who 

just like in their childhood do not give a 

chance to those who are different, and 

she takes refuge in the bare reality of 

memories. 

1 9 5

1 9 6 


SELECTED STORIES 


233 Pages, Short Stories 

ISBN: 9783935535021 



T O M R İ S U Y A R 

Tomris Uyar (1941-2003) was born in Istanbul and educated at the Arnavutköy 

American College for Girls until 1961. She then graduated from the Faculty of 

Economics at the Journalism Institute of Istanbul University in 1963. She is one of the 

founders of Papirüs Literary Review. Her works, including essays and critiques have 

been published in Yeni Dergi, Soyut and Varlık that are the most well-known journals 

of the time. Tomris Uyar is one of the masters of Turkish short story writing from 

the post-1960 period. She has 10 story collections and two of them, Yürekte Bukağı 

(A Choke in the Heart, 1979) and Yaza Yolculuk (A Journey to Summer ,1986), have 

won very prestigious story awards which carry the name of the well-know short story 

writer Sait Faik. She has also translated more than 60 books. Her diaries, recounting 

a period of 5 years in her life, have been published in 5 volumes. 

WORKS: Short Stories: İpek ve Bakır (Silk and Copper) Ödeşmeler (Payback), 

Dizboyu Papatyalar (Daisies knee high), Yürekte Bukağı (A Choke in the Heart), Yaz 

Düşleri/Düş Kışları (Summer Dreams and Winters of Dreams), Gece Gezen Kızlar 

(Girls Who Go Out at Night), Yaza Yolculuk (A Journey to Summer), Sekizinci Günah 

(The Eighth Sin), Otuzların Kadını (Woman of the Thirties), Aramızdaki Şey (The 

Thing Between Us), Güzel Yazı Defteri (A Lovely Notebook). Diaries: Gündökümü 

(Breakdown of a Day), Sesler (Voices), Yüzler (Faces), Sokaklar (Streets), Günlerin 

Tortusu (The Sludge of Days), Tanışma Günleri/Anları (Days/Moments of 

Acquaintance), Yüzleşmeler (Confrontations). 

Tomris Uyas is known for her strong observational power, for 

her thoroughly refined language, and for her characters that 

unearth what is underneath big cities. Generally, Uyar wrote 

about the monotonous daily lives of high society, of the life-styles 

of the spoiled wealthy, of their relationships and make-believe 

happiness.She was a relentless examiner of the details of the 

real life, the small pieces that escape the eye, its weaknesses, 

and the wretchedness that makes people human. Tomris Uyar 

writes to capture real life. She does not adopt a condescending 

or presumptuous attitude, but she has the air of having lived it 

all. In her stories, there is the threadbare joy, the nervousness 

of monotonous lives, and the never-ending war between the 

conscious and the subconscious. In momentary depictions, 

sketched in an economy of words, Uyar gives a cross-section of 

characters so powerful that the reader perceives their entire lives. 

Due to her power of description, her work achieves its mastery. 

Her irony is a tragedy on the brink of a smile, and serves the 

purpose of better describing her characters, giving a full reflection 

of human being, and reducing the loss in explanations, in fact 

eliminating excessive description altogether. Uyar’s stories carry 

the richness of the search for last shards of happiness, longings, 

and the satisfaction that smothers it.

T U N A K İ R E M İ T Ç İ 

Tuna Kiremitçi was born in Eskişehir in 1973. His first poems were published in 

Varlık magazine during his Galatasaray High School years. His book entitled 

Ayabakanlar (Moon Watchers), that also won him the Nabi Nayır Award for Poetry 

was introduced to his readers in 1994. In 1997 he shared the Erguvan Balkan Poetry 

Award with the Bosnian poet Izzet Saraylic. This was followed by his second book of 

poems Akademi (Academy) in 1998. His first novel Git Kendini Çok Sevdirmeden (Go 

Before You Make Me Love You Too Much) was published in 2002 and brought him a 

great deal of success and wider readership. His other novels are; Bu İşte Bir Yalnızlık 

Var (Way of Loneliness, 2003), Yolda Üç Kişi (Three People on the Way, 2005), Dualar 

Kalıcıdır (Prayers are Everlasting, 2007) 

Foreign Rights: Dualar Kalıcıdır/Prayers are Everlasting (Radio play, WDR, 

German) (Trud, Bulgaria), (Koolibri, Estonian), (Tritonic-Romanian); Bu İşte Bir 

Yalnızlık Var/Way of Loneliness (Kritiki, Greek) 

DUALAR KALICIDIR 

PRAYERS ARE EVERLASTING 

Trud Publishing House, Bulgaria, 2008 


Translated by Paulina Mateeva 

ISBN: 9789752935921 

dogankitap@dogankitap.com.tr 


Prayers Are Everlasting tells the story of the 

friendship of a woman who had taken refuge in 

Istanbul during World War II and a young girl 

who tries to survive against the odds of life in 

the present day. The lives of Rosella Galante, for 

whom this life will soon come to pass,,and young 

Pelin intersect in an “over-civilized” Central 

European country. Other than heartbreaks and 

past sorrows, there is one other thing that builds 

a bond between the two women: the Turkish 

language. Rosella and Pelin find themselves in 

the middle of a long conversation that gradually 

becomes more interesting. This breath-taking 

story reflects the interaction of two different 

generations, two different women and two 

different perspectives on life 

1 9 7

1 9 8 


ÇIĞ-ÇIKMAZ SOKAK - LAWINA-DEAD END 

L’espace D’un İnstant, France, 2008 

Translated by Murat Aykaç Erginöz 

Valérie Gay-Aksoy 

ISBN: 9782915037289 

T U N C E R C Ü C E N O Ğ L U 

Tuncer Cücenoğlu was born in 1944. After completing his secondary education in 

Çorum, he graduated from the Department of Documentation and Librarianship at 

Ankara University. He worked for the Ministry of Education until his retirement in 1983. 

Cücenoğlu is at present, a member of the Turkish Writers Union Executive Committee, 

the Ethics Committee of the State Theatres General Management and the PEN Writers 

Association. He is carrying out several jobs concurrently, which include, teaching 

“dramatic writing” at MSM private conservatoire, working as publication director for 

the Theatre section at Papirus publications and writing for the newspaper Cumhuriyet. 

His plays have been translated into Russian, English, German, French, Bulgarian, 

Greek, Macedonian, Swedish, Georgian, Urdu, Japanese, Rumanian, Azerbaijani, Polish, 

Chuvas, Serbian, Spanish, Arabic and Persian and have been staged in those countries. 

Some of His Works: Aşk ya da Elmas ile Servet’in Hikayesi (Love or The Story of Elmas 

and Servet), Kiralık Gelinlik (Rented Wedding Gown). Arthur Miller’ın Ölümü (The 

Death of Arthur Miller), Atatürk ve Sanat (Atatürk and Art), Matruşka Romanya’da 

(Matrushka in Rumania), Bu Dünyadan... (From This World...), Gergedan’laşan Dünya 

(World Turning into a Rhinoceros), Polonya İzlenimleri (Impressions from Poland), 

Devlet Tiyatroları’na Öneriler (Suggestions to State Theatres), Repertuar Politikaları 

Değişmelidir (Repertory Politics Must Change), Uğur Uludağ’ın Önlenemeyen 

Tırmanışı (The Rise and Rise of Uğur Uludağ), Cumhuriyetimizin 80. Yılında Oyun 

Yazarlığımız (Play Writing on the 80 th Anniversary of the Republic), Yazın ve Tiyatro 

(Literature and Theatre). Yurtdışında Yaşayan Türklere Düşen Görevler (2) (The Task 

of Turks Living Abroad 2), Yurtdışında Yaşayan Türklere Düşen Görevler (The Task 

of Turks Living Abroad 2), Sabahattin Ali Dosyası Açılmalıdır(The Sabahattin Ali File 

Should Be Reopened). 

Lawina, tells the harrowing story of a village living 

under the imminent threat of an avalanche. This 

tense, atmospheric play, while giving an account of the 

atrocious crimes committed and the abuse of power 

perpetrated by a repressive village council, set up 

under the pretext of dealing with the avalanche, it also 

sends the message that, unless people raise their voices 

against injustice, any one of them could be the next 

victim. 

Dead End is clearly a political play. The play shows the 

transformation of an authoritarian state into a “police 

state” and focuses on one of the torturers, a policeman, 

later questioned by the woman that he has tortured. 

The author asks the audience to consider whether it 

is morally just for a torture victim to torture their own 

torturer and urges them to stand firm against torture.

ŞU ÇILGIN TÜRKLER 

THE CRAZY TURKS 

San-İcai, Japan 

752 pages, Historical Novel 

ISBN: 975220127X 


T U R G U T Ö Z A K M A N 

Turgut Özakman was born in Ankara in 1930 and graduated from the School of 

Law at Ankara University. Afterwards, he worked as a lawyer for some time. After 

attending the Institute of Theatre Science at Cologne University, he was employed as 

a literary reporter by the State Theater. He occupied the positions of the head of the 

Department of Central Programming, and Vice-general manager for Turkish Radio 

and Television, as well as head vice-general manager and General Manager for four 

years at the State Theaters. He was also a member and Vice-manager of the Turkish 

Radio and Television Supreme Council between 1988 and 1994. He taught dramatic 

writing in the Faculty of Letters at Ankara University for 30 years. Turgut Özakman 

is a well known novelist who, in addition to his novels, writes non-fiction books. He 

developed a remarkable skill at writing stage plays and screenplays, exhibiting his 

uniquely smooth style also evident in his novels, which became extremely successful. 

WORKS: Novels: Şu Çılgın Türkler (Those Crazy Turks), Korkma İnsancık Korkma 

(Don’t Be Afraid Little Man), Diriliş Çanakkale 1915 (Resurrection - Dardanelles 

1915), 19 Mayıs 1999-Atatürk Yeniden Samsunda (19 May 1999-Atatürk is back in 

Samsun), Play: Bütün Oyunları (Complete Plays-6 Volumes). 

The Crazy Turks is the only book that recounts 

the Turkish War of Independence in the form of 

a novel. Özakman decided to write a novel about 

the National Combat when he walked with 10 

friends from Polatlı to Dumlupınar in 1948. The 

Crazy Turks is the product of a study that took 

him 57 years to complete. The Crazy Turks is the 

story of the most legitimate, most ethical, most 

sacred and most just war. It tells of the first 

war of independence fought and won against 

Imperialism, the revolution of nationalization, 

and the unique story of how the Turks won 

their independence despite the hidden and 

continuous threats of imperialism. 

1 9 9

2 0 0 


YABAN - THE STRANGER 

Bibliotech Suhrkamp, 2008, German 


ISBN: 9789754703696 


Y A K U P K A D R İ K A R A O S M A N O Ğ L U 

Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu (Cairo, 1889-Ankara, 1974) is the author of nine novels, 

as well as several volumes of short stories, memoirs, prose poetry, monographs, 

and theatrical plays. One of the most important and prominent authors of the 

early republican era, Karaosmanoğlu’s most important works -such as the novels 

Nur Baba, Yaban (The Stranger), and Kiralık Konak (Mansion for Rent)- deal with 

the problematic relationships between the people and intellectuals, religion and 

modernity, idealism and reality, and the imperial legacy and the republican renewal. 

Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu is a must-read for everyone who wants to become 

acquainted with Turkey. His work represents both the literary and political history of 

Turkey. 

Some of His Works: Kiralık Konak (Mansion for Rent), Hüküm Gecesi 

(Judgement Night), (Sodom and Gomorrah), Yaban (The Stranger), Bir Sürgün 

(An Exile), Zoraki Diplomat (The Unwilling Diplomat), Anamın Kitabı (My 

Mother’s book), Ankara, Atatürk, Bir Serencam (A Consequence), Hep O Şarkı 

(Always the Same Song), Hikâyeler (Stories), Milli Savaş Hikâyeleri (Stories of 

the National War), Orada Bir Köy Var Uzakta (There Is a Village There in the 

Distance), Panorama, Politikada 45 Yıl (45 Years in Politics),Vatan Yolunda (For the 

Nation). 

Foreign Rights: Nur Baba (Adelphi Edizioni, Italy),(Editiones Destino, Spain); 

Ankara (Éditions Turquoise, France); Yaban (Suhrkamp Verlag, Germany) 

The Stranger is written in line with the 

prevalent understanding of realism 

in its era, where Yakup Kadri portrays 

an Anatolian village during the period 

from the end of World War I until the 

end of Sakarya War, and from the 

eyes of an intellectual he describes the 

inhabitants of the village, their attitude 

towards the National Struggle and the 

situation in the village. The writer when 

describing The Stranger said “this piece 

of work self-unravelled and practically 

surfaced from the depths of my being”. 

The writer attempts to address many 

of the problems identified in this novel 

with his later work Ankara.

Y A L V A Ç U R A L 

Yalvaç Ural was born in Konya in 1945 and is a prominent figure in Turkish 

Children’s Literature for which he has won numerous awards in Turkey and abroad. 

In 1986 he recieved the Orderu Usmiechu from Polish children to recognise his ability 

to make the children of the world smile. Some of his books include Korkuluğun Kalbi 

(The Scarecrow’s Heart), Müzik Satan Çocuklar (Children Selling Music), La Fonten 

Orman Mahkemesi’nde (LaFontaine Taken to the Forest Court), Tekir Noktalama 

İşaretlerini Öğretiyor (Tekir Teaches Punctuation), Anadolu Efsaneleri (The Legends 

of Anatolia), Gözü Boynuz ile İzi Yaldız (The Snail), Bir Gök Dolusu Güvercin (Sky Full 

of Pidgins), Akıllı Minik ile Obur (Little Smart and Always-Hungry), Kayıp Ülkenin 

Çocuğu (The Child from the Lost Country), Kahraman Süvariler (Heroic Cavalrymen), 

Korkulu Bir gün (A Frightening Day), Sihirli Pabuçlar (Magic Shoes), Sincap 

(Squirrel, Poems) Kulağımdaki Küçük Çan (The Little Bell in My Ear, Poems) and 

Mırname (The Collected Purrings of a Cat, Poems). 

Foreign Rights: Korkuluğun Kalbi/The Scarecrow’s Heart, (German, Farzi, 

Macedonian), Müzik Satan Çocuklar/ Children Selling Music, (Albanian, 

Macedonian), Alucura Çayevi/The Teahause Alucura (Macedonian), La Fonten 

Orman Mahkemesinde (Macedonian), Gölcüğün Küçük Avcıları/The Small Hunters 

of the Pond (English) 

KORKULUĞUN KALBİ 

THE SCARECROW’S HEART 

37 pages, Children’s Book, Illustrated Story 

ISBN: 9759020628 

burcu@marsikyayincilik.com 

The weather was very cold. Perhaps the 

Scarecrow would have frozen if it were not 

for its thick jacket. There was no one else to 

be seen in the vast, snowy fields. Suddenly a 

starling appeared. They were to spend the winter 

together. The scarecrow told the starling it could 

use the inside pocket of its jacket for a nest. 

2 0 1

2 0 2 


İNCE MEMED - MEMED, MY HAWK 

NYRB Classics, USA, 2005 


Translated by Eduoard Rodini 

ISBN: 9789750807146 


Y A Ş A R K E M A L 

Yaşar Kemal Gökçeli was born in 1923 in Hemite, a 60-house hamlet in the province 

of Adana, in southern Turkey. At the age of five Yaşar Kemal suffered a profound 

shock when his father was murdered while praying at the mosque. This left him with 

a speech impediment which lasted until the age of 20. It was a love of poetry that 

made him learn how to read and write in order to record the poems he composed. 

He was the first villager of Hemite ever to finish primary school. Yaşar Kemal then 

left for Adana, the provincial seat, to attend secondary school. But in order to live 

he was forced to work in a ginning factory and two years later he had to give up his 

study plans. Yaşar Kemal’s first book of stories was published in 1952 under the title 

Sarı Sıcak (Yellow Heat) and he then wrote İnce Memed (Memed, my Hawk) which 

was published in 1955. This first novel was a success both in Turkey and abroad. The 

International Pen Club recommended the book to UNESCO who funded a French 

translation. Since then his work has won several awards all over the world and has 

been translated into many other languages. 

Some of His Novels: Teneke (The Drumming-Out), Orta Direk (The Wind from the 

Plain), Yer Demir Gök Bakır (Iron Earth, Copper Sky), Ölmez Otu (The Undying 

Grass), Demirciler Çarşısı Cinayeti (Murder in the Ironsmiths Market), Yusufcuk 

Yusuf (Yusuf, Little Yusuf), Yılanı Öldürseler (To Crush the Serpent), Al Gözüm 

Seyreyle Salih (The Saga of a Seagull), Allahın Askerleri (God’s Soldiers), Deniz 

Küstü (The Sea-Crossed Fisherman), Hüyükteki Nar Ağacı (The Pomegranate on the 

Knoll), Fırat Suyu Kan Akıyor Baksana (Look, the Firat River is Flowing with Blood), 

Karıncanın Su İçtiği (Ant Drinking Water), Tanyeri Horozları (The Cocks of Dawn), 

Üç Anadolu Efsanesi (Three Anatolian Legends), Ağrıdağı Efsanesi (The Legend of 

Mount Ararat), Binboğalar Efsanesi (The Legend of the Thousand Bulls). 

Memed, My Hawk is Kemal’s debut novel 

and is the first novel in his İnce Memed 

tetralogy. In 1961, the book was translated 

into English thus gaining Kemal his first 

exposure to English-speaking readers. 

In 1984, the novel was freely adapted by 

Peter Ustinov into a film (also known as 

The Eagle and the Hawk. In İnce Memed/ 

Memed, My Hawk Yaşar Kemal criticizes 

the fabric of society through a legendary 

hero, the protagonist, who flees to the 

mountains as a result of the oppression of 

the Ağas. One of the most famous living 

writers in Turkey, Kemal is noted for his 

command of the language and lyrical 

description of bucolic Turkish life.

Y A V U Z B A H A D I R O Ğ L U 

Yavuz Bahadıroğlu was born in Rize in 1945; he began working as a journalist in 

Istanbul in 1971. He worked as a reporter, researcher, interviewer and anecdote 

writer. He also worked as an editor for a newspaper and a magazine and as a 

company manager. While he worked as a reporter and interviewer, he produced 

works for children. He has published hundreds of children’s novels and stories. 

He became famous as a result of his historical novels. His first novel, named 

Sunguroğlu, followed by his second work, Buhara Yanıyor (Buhara is Burning), 

became best sellers in Turkey. He wrote more than thirty novels about various eras of 

the Ottoman Empire as well as hundreds of other works including novels, children’s 

books, short stories, research studies, plays, film scripts and intellectual works. To 

date, more than two and a half million books by Yavuz Bahadıroğlu have been sold. 

ENDÜLÜS’E VEDA 

FAREWELL TO ANDALUSIA 

National Center for Translation, English 


ISBN: 9754081069 

nesil@nesilyayinlari.com, www.nesil.com 

This is his only novel which focuses on the 

Andalusian period. The novel strikingly portrays 

the events of the last Andalusian state in Granada, 

the fights for the throne, Andalusians losing their 

warrior spirit as they concentrate on building 

magnificent mansions and palaces, Ayse Emir 

who envies the Queen of Spain, Andalusians who 

embrace the Spanish way of life, Sultans who 

collude with the enemy to seize the throne and 

finally the loss of Granada. 

2 0 3

2 0 4 


Y I L D I Z R A M A Z A N O Ğ L U 

Yıldız Ramazanoğlu was born in Ankara in 1958 and is a pharmacist, NGO 

representative and a writer. She graduated from Ankara Girls College and the 

Faculty of Pharmacy at Hacettepe University. Her essays and short stories were 

published in a number of periodicals. She was the editor of the book Osmanlı’dan 

Cumhuriyet’e Kadının Tarihi Dönüşümü (Women’s Historical Transformation from 

Ottomans to the Republic). Her book of short stories Deep Black received the TYP 

Short Story Award. 

WORKS: Bir Dünyanın Kadınları (The Women of a World), Derin Siyah (Deep Black, 

Short Stories), İkna Odası (The Room of Persuasion, Novel), İçimden Geçen Şehirler 

(Cities I have in Mind, Essays), Kırmızı (Red, Short Stories) 

KIRMIZI 

RED 

TPG, UK, 2009 


ISBN: 9789752639720 

www.timas.com.tr 

Those who find themselves trapped in 

the slums of big cities, Zeliha who is 

watching with anxiety and agitation as 

her young daughter sets off on her first 

journey alone, people in carriages of a 

train. In the mountains of Afghanistan, 

the silent scream bursting out of Serbet’s 

eyes is lost to the numb ears of the 

modern people, those who are rolling 

downhill, and well-told stories of men. 

Yıldız Ramazanoglu, as one of the 

cornerstones of contemporary Turkish 

storytelling, portrays endless different 

versions of the human condition. 

Perhaps all the stories are in fact the 

story of one human being.

Y I L M A Z K A R A K O Y U N L U 

Yılmaz Karakoyunlu was born in 1936 in Istanbul and after graduating from the 

School of Political Science at Ankara University, he worked as an inspector for the 

DPT (State Planning Organization) for three years. Karakoyunlu completed his 

postgraduate degree in the USA and received a PhD from Istanbul University. 

He then continued his career working in Turkey’s most prominent business 

groups, Sabancı Holding, Kanal D, and Tekstilbank. He also served as a Member of 

Parliament and was a columnist for Sabah newspaper. Yılmaz Karakoyunlu’s novels 

are mostly based on the political events during and after the Second World War and 

their affects on the nation. Yılmaz Karakoyunlu’s novels include Salkım Hanım’ın 

Taneleri (1990 Yunus Nadi Novel Award), Üç Aliler Divanı (The Diwan of Three Alis), 

Yorgun Mayıs Kısrakları The Mares of Tired May, Perize, and Çiçekli Mumlar Sokağı 

(The Street of Flowered Candles) ve Güz Sancısı (Autumn Pain). 

Foreign Rights: Güz Sancısı/Autumn Pain (Livanis, Greece), Salkım Hanımın 

Taneleri/Lady Salkım’s Beads (Livanis, Greece) 

SALKIM HANIMIN TANELERİ 

LADY SALKIM’S BEADS 

Livanis, Greece 


ISBN: 9756719265 


During the Second World War Istanbul was 

undergoing a critical period and the rich people 

in Istanbul were forced to vacate their homes for 

those coming from Anatolia. Under these disturbing 

circumstances, family relations were shattered just 

like Lady Salkım’s beads. Greeks, Armenians, Jews, 

and Turks bearing the heavy burden of the property 

tax, start their journey into exile from Haydarpaşa 

Train Station to Askale. The tragic circumstances 

of İbrahim Fuad, who, on his way back from exile 

is forced to ask a boy selling simit (turkish bagels) 

to lend him money to buy a ticket for the ferry 

home. The book tells the story of one of the most 

depressing periods in Turkish history. The reader 

will experience feeling anger at times but mostly 

compassion. 

2 0 5

2 0 6 


Y U N U S E M R E 

Yunus Emre is a XIIIth Century Sufi poet and what we know about him is restricted 

to the limited information found in menakib-i nabe books, which are bibliographic 

works about the lives and deeds of holy men written long after Yunus Emre’s 

lifetime, and the assumptions we can draw from his own poems. It is believed that 

he embraced the path of Sufism after his Madrasa education. For many years he 

was the pupil of a Sheikh called Taktuk Emre who lived near Sakarya, after which 

he travelled through Konya, Damascus and Azerbaijan. He is known to have written 

Risaletü’n Nushiyye (The Book of Sermons). The poet is thought to have been born in 

1240 and died in 1320/1. He was buried in Sakarya, Sarikoy where he was born. With 

his thinking and the concepts he developed in his works, he is considered to be one of 

the greatest names in Turkish Literature to have grown out of Anatolia. He exercised 

immense influence from his own day until the present not only on folk and dervish 

lodge poetry but also on divan poetry. He depicted the relationship of humans with 

other humans, objects and God in his verses enriched by Sufism and Islamic thought. 

This immortal poet wrote about concepts such as death, birth, commitment to 

life, divine justice, human love and the number of his poems (including hymns and 

poems) is about 360. 

DİVAN VE RİSALETÜ’N NUSHİYYE 

DIVAN AND THE BOOK OF SERMONS 

Basam Books, Finland, 2008 

Translated by Suna Marija Önder 

ISBN: 9789525534740 

This book enables the reader to read 

Divan and The Book of Sermons under 

one roof, both written by the famous 

Sufi and folk poet Yunus Emre. The 

Book of Sermons is written in the style 

of the Masnavi consisting of stories full 

of religious, Sufi and moral knowledge 

and ways of thinking. Divan is a 

collection of Yunus Emre poems on 

love written according to aruz (metres 

consisting of sequences of long and 

short syllables) and hece (metre used 

by ‘popular’ poets). Yunus Emre’s 

prevalent way of thinking of his era, 

his language admired for its cultural 

tones, and his pure way of expressing 

himself, as well as his poems 

communicating timeless and placeless 

messages, has much to offer to the 

contemporary reader who is troubled 

by the worries of our time.

ANAYURT OTELİ - MOTHERLAND HOTEL 

Arles: Solin, France, 1992, 108 pages, Novel 

Translated by Ferda Fidan 

ISBN: 97897536300664 



Y U S U F A T I L G A N 

Yusuf Atılgan (1921-1989) lived 32 years in a village after graduating from the 

Turkish Language and Literature Department at Istanbul University. In 1976, he 

moved back to Istanbul and worked in a number of publishing houses. Atılgan 

created unforgettable characters and a unique literary style in his short stories 

and novels, and was the author of some of the best examples of modern narration 

techniques in Turkish literature. He always viewed life from the “other side,” 

dealing with psychological alienation and loneliness.. He has a big following among 

discerning readers in Turkey. With his first novel, Aylak Adam (The Loiterer), he 

placed second for the 1958 Yunus Nadi Novel Award. His second novel, Anayurt Oteli 

(Motherland Hotel), was published in 1973. Anayurt Oteli (Motherland Hotel) was 

made into a successful film by director Ömer Kavur. He has a collection of short 

stories entitled Bodur Minareden Öte (Beyond the Short Minaret, 1960). 

Zebercet is a pratagonist of a life which is “neither 

living nor dead”. He bears the same fate as the 

Motherland Hotel where he first opened his eyes 

and in which he still resides: days passing by in a 

series of interim relationships which resemble one 

another, a life that drifts away in loneliness and 

solitude. 

2 0 7

2 0 8 


MUTLULUK - BLISS 

Z Ü L F Ü L İ V A N E L İ 

Gremese Editore, Italy, 2007 


Translated by Elçin Kumru 

ISBN: 9751409004 

www.livaneli.net 

Zülfü Livaneli was born in Konya, in 1946. He is a Turkish folk singer, politician, 

writer and film director. Zülfü Livaneli, has won several national and international 

awards for his music, which has been interpreted by such artists as Joan Baez, Maria 

Farandouri and Maria del Mar Bonet. One of the most famous names in Turkish 

culture, art and politics, Zülfü Livanelli has composed approximately 300 songs and 

30 pieces of film music. To date, he has directed three feature-length films; Yer Demir 

Gök Bakır (Iron Earth, Copper Sky), Sis (Fog) and Şahmaran (Hammer). He won 

the “Golden Palm Award” at the Valencia Film Festival and the “Golden Antigone” 

Award at the Montpelier Film Festival, in 1989. His film Sis was nominated for “Best 

European Film Award.” Zülfü Livanelli has undertaken joint efforts with Elia Kazan, 

Jack Lang, Vanessa Redgrave, Arthur Miller, and Mikhail Gorbachov, aimed at 

developing and improving global culture and the arts. Livanelli, who was appointed 

UNESCO ambassador in 1996, has also served one term as Member of Parliament. 

Some of His Works: Arafat’ta Bir Çocuk (A Child in Purgatory), Orta Zekalılar 

Cenneti (The Heaven of the Mediocre), Diktatör ve Palyaço (The Dictator and the 

Clown), Sosyalizm Öldü mü? (Is Socialism Dead?), Engereğin Gözündeki Kamaşma 

(The Eunuch of Constantinople), Bir Kedi- Bir Adam-Bir Ölüm (Memory of Snow), 

Mutluluk (Bliss), Gorbaçov’la Devrim Üstüne Konuşmalar (Conversations with 

Gorbachov on Revolution), Leyla’nın Evi (Leyla’s House). 

By a strange coincidence, circumstances bring 

three disparate characters, Meryem, İrfan and 

Cemal together, giving them the chance to 

witness the storms gathering in each other’s 

lives. Bliss, besides being a period novel, is 

also a portrait of today’s Turkey, depicting the 

rural and urban realities of Istanbul and the 

Aegean coast. It is a masterpiece, plumbing 

the psychological depths of its characters 

Bliss was awarded the “Discovery of a Great 

Writer Prize” by Barnes & Noble.

The catalogue “Books from Turkey” consists of a collection of texts ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?