You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
In this work Kemal describes his life, including the political persecution he experienced for his leftist politics, the development of his literary art, and the influences that have played a significant role in his life. His account of how Turkish and Kurdish oral epic traditions influenced his work is significant, for it marks Kemal as the preeminent figure in modern world literature who combines literary traditions of East and West, poetry and prose, and folk and classical styles.
There is an ancient Turkish tradition which promises a place in paradise to anyone who sets a small bird free. Three boys start up a bird-catching business to enable people to free them in order to secure their place in heaven, but the city-dwellers have become sceptical, and tragedy lies in wait for the boys.
This is the story of a bitter war between the poor Turkish peasants of the Taurus Mountains and the greedy Aghas who covet their land and are prepared to go to any lengths including theft, arson and murder to get it. Ali Safa has determined to take possession of the village of Vayvay but its inhabitants will not sell. Then one named Hassan weakens - he is prepared to part with his land for the Agha's best stallion. But this ill-fated deal sets in motion a chain of a events which will see the young brigand Slim Memed take up the cause of the poor once again, with dramatic consequences.
In this passionate tale, unfolded with the force of the great folk epics, Memed is brought up as a serf to a vindictive overlord. A plan to escape with his beloved is dashed when his master overtakes them and captures the girl. Memed makes for the mountains where he grows in stature from young rebel to bandit hero, the scourge of corrupt oppressors.
From Orhon inscriptions to Orhan Pamuk, the story of Turkish literature from the eighth century A.D. to the present day is rich and complex, full of firm traditions and daring transformations. Spanning a wide geographic range from Outer Mongolia and the environs of China through the Middle East all the way to Europe, the history of Turkish literature embraces a multitude of traditions and influences. All have left their imprint on the distinctive amalgam that is uniquely Turkish. Always receptive to the nurturing values, aesthetic tastes, and literary penchants of diverse civilizations, Turkish culture succeeded in evolving a sui generis personality. It clung to its own established traits, y...
A staggering, shattering novel from Turkey's greatest novelist Since Halil was shot dead in his own home by his wife Esmé's former suitor, the village has pointed the finger of guilt at the dead man's beautiful widow: she must have arranged the murder. The task of vengeance falls on Esmé's little son, Hassan: year after year he is groomed for it, his devotion to his mother sapped with talk of the unavenged ghost of Halil and his father, doomed to roam the countryisde as a translucent red snake, an insect, a bird. Hassan hears tales against his mother. How long will her innocence protect her? The stark tale of cruelty and vendetta is told in a narrative of relentless tension, reminiscent of Greek tragedy. it is one of Yashar Kemal's most beautiful and haunting novels.
None
Een dromerige jongen wordt met de harde werkelijkheid geconfronteerd als hij een meeuw met een gebroken vleugel vindt. Verbeten tracht hij het dier van een wisse dood te redden.
A tale of greed, hatred and decay from Turkey's legendary novelist Yashar Kemal Yashar Kemal was an unsurpassed storyteller who brings to life a world of staggering violence and hallucinatory beauty. Kemal’s books delve deeply into the entrenched social and historical conflicts that scar the Middle East. At the same time scents and sounds, vistas of mountain and stream and field, rise up from the pages of his books with primitive force. In a sudden, chance encounter in a coffee-house in a fishing village near Istanbul, Zeynel Celik shoots a local gangster. Only one man intervenes – the village outcast Fisher Selim – and in doing so inadvertently transfers the blame for the murder onto ...
The second volume in the acclaimed The Wind from the Plain trilogy Turkey’s greatest novelist, Yashar Kemal was an unsurpassed storyteller who brought to life a world of staggering violence and hallucinatory beauty. Kemal’s books delve deeply into the entrenched social and historical conflicts that scar the Middle East. The Wind from the Plains trilogy is widely seen as his masterpiece, alongside the legendary Memed My Hawk. After a particularly bad season, a group of poor cotton-pickers are unable to pay their creditor, shopkeeper Adil Effendi. Overwhelmed with shame and guilt, they wait in terror for Adil to come and demand retribution. But when he inexplicably fails to appear, Adil be...