The Politics of Turkish Literature: Translation, Genre and Marginal Voices

Overtly political themes have been a common feature of Turkish literature since the mid-19th century. This book examines the significance of political messaging in modern literature in Turkish, discussing both authors familiar to international readers and lesser-known figures. Situating them within a historical context, the volume aims to question the historiographical narrative that presents a linear, quasi teleological interpretation of Turkish literary history, leading from the early adoption of the novel, in the context of westernisation, to the Nobel-prize winning fiction of Orhan Pamuk. This is done by challenging the literary canon via a discussion of forgotten authors and literary traditions and questioning nationalist interpretations of culture by representing the linguistic and ethnoreligious diversity of the actors within the literary field, including works originating in the Balkans, and by Armenian-Turkish authors.

Articulated around four poles - world literature and translation, linguistic diversity, marginal voices, and speculative fiction - the book interrogates what politically engaged literature tells us about Turkey and vice versa and will be of appeal to scholars and students of literary, Turkish, Balkan Studies and Middle Eastern Studies.