Literature of the

country: Turkey
RESEARC
H
Literary Writers Sabahattin Ali (25 February 1907 – 2 April 1948) was a
Turkey is situated at the intersection of geographical and Turkish novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist
political borders. However, Turkey’s social and historical
context is more interesting as it is divided between its modern Literary Genre
identity and its Ottoman past. Hence, Turkish authors and Turkish literature has a rich history and is known for its
Turkish books embody this profound contrast. In recent times, diverse genres. According to Turkish literature, there are
an increasing number of contemporary Turkish authors have three basic genres in the tradition: epic, folk poetry, and
written both fiction and non-fiction works exploring this subject. folklore. Epic poetry is characterized by long narrative
poems that recount heroic deeds and adventures. The
Book of Dede Korkut is one of the most famous examples
Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952) is a Turkish novelist, of epic poetry in Turkish literature. Folk poetry includes
screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize traditional songs and ballads that have been passed down
in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, he has through generations. Turkish folk music is often
sold over 13 million books in 63 languages, making him the accompanied by the saz, a stringed instrument similar to a
country's best-selling writer. lute. Folklore includes traditional stories, legends, and
myths that have been passed down through generations.
Pamuk's novels include Silent House, The White Castle, The
The Orhon inscriptions are some of the earliest examples
Black Book, The New Life, My Name Is Red and Snow. He is
of Turkish folklore.
the Robert Yik-Fong Tam Professor in the Humanities at
Columbia University, where he teaches writing and Short Story
comparative literature. He was elected to the American
Philosophical Society in 20. a short story by Sait Faik Abasiyanik, one of the most
famous Turkish short story writers:

The Artichoke
Yaşar Kemal (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈjaʃar ceˈmal]; born
Kemal Sadık Gökçeli; 6 October 1923 – 28 February 2015) One day, a man bought an artichoke from a greengrocer.
was a Turkish writer and human rights activist of Kurdish origin He took it home and began to peel off the leaves one by
and one of Turkey's leading authors. He received 38 awards one. As he did so, he noticed that there was a worm inside
during his lifetime and had been a candidate for the Nobel the artichoke. The man was disgusted and threw the
Prize in Literature on the strength of Memed, My Hawk. artichoke away.

The next day, the man went back to the greengrocer and
told him about the worm. The greengrocer replied, "Oh,
An outspoken intellectual, he often did not hesitate to speak that's nothing. You just have to cut off the part with the
about sensitive issues, especially those concerning the worm and eat the rest."
oppression of the Kurdish people. He was tried in 1995 under
anti-terror laws for an article he wrote for Der Spiegel The man was surprised. "Really?" he asked.
highlighting the Turkish Army's destruction of Kurdish villages
"Yes," said the greengrocer. "The artichoke is still good.
during the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. He was released but later
You just have to get rid of the bad part."
received a suspended 20-month jail sentence for another
article he wrote criticising racism in Turkey, especially against The man thought about this for a moment and realized
the Kurds. that the same was true of life. Sometimes there are bad
things, but you just have to get rid of them and focus on
the good.
Elif Shafak FRSL (Turkish: Elif Şafak, pronounced [eˈlif ʃa
ˈfak]; née Bilgin; born 25 October 1971) is a Turkish-British
novelist, essayist, public speaker, political scientist and activist. Outstanding Literature
Turkish literature has a rich history and is known for its
diverse genres. Some of the most famous Turkish
Shafak[a] writes in Turkish and English, and has published 19
novelists include “Orhan Pamuk”, “Elif Shafak”, and
books. She is best known for her novels, which include The
“Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar”. Pamuk is known for his works
Bastard of Istanbul, The Forty Rules of Love, Three Daughters
that explore the intersection of Western and Eastern
of Eve and 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World. Her
cultures, such as “My Name is Red” and “Snow”. Shafak is
works have been translated into 55 languages and have been
known for her feminist and political themes, such as “The
nominated for several literary awards. She has been described
Bastard of Istanbul”and “The Forty Rules of Love”.
by the Financial Times as "Turkey's leading female novelist",
Tanpinar is known for his works that explore the cultural
with several of her works having been bestsellers in Turkey
and social changes in Turkey during the early 20th
and internationally.
century, such as The Time Regulation Institute
History and origin of Turkey Language of Turkey
Turkish is the main language used there, with the
Constitution of Turkey designating it as the country’s
Turkish history extends back thousands of years before official language. It is spoken by 85-90% of the
the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Turks, population as their mother tongue and is used by
originally a nomadic people from Central Asia, established government, in schools, by the media and by the majority
several empires, including the Seljuk Empire and later the of Turkish citizens in their day-to-day life for both speech
Ottoman Empire, which was founded in Anatolia by and writing.
Turkish ruler Osman in 1299.
Flag Symbolism
The president of Turkey, officially the president of the
Republic of Türkiye (Turkish: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti The red background of the Turkish flag represents the
Cumhurbaşkanı), is the head of state and head of bloodshed by soldiers who lost their lives during Turkey’s
government of Turkey. The president directs the executive War of Independence against the colonial powers of
branch of the national government and is the commander- France, England, Greece, and Russia. The flag
in-chief of the Turkish military. The president also heads represents the reflection of the moon and a star in a pool
the National Security Council. of blood of Turkish warriors. The crescent moon and star
serve as insignia for Turkic peoples. The crescent is used
in honor of the religious affiliations of the nation and its
people, while the white star represents the diversity of
Turkish cultures.
President of Turkey

The name "Turkey" for the country has an interesting

The office of the president of Turkey was established with history. Historians believe that the name originally
the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye on 29 October belonged to a different bird entirely, the guinea fowl,
1923, with the first president and founder being Mustafa which was a bird native to Africa. Following
Kemal Atatürk. Traditionally, the presidency was mostly a domestication, these birds became a trade commodity,
ceremonial position, with real executive authority being and European countries started to import guinea fowl for
exercised by the prime minister of Turkey. However, food. This trade route from Africa to Europe happened to
constitutional amendments approved in the 2017 cross through Turkey, and because the birds were
constitutional referendum abolished the office of prime imported through Turkey, some European countries
minister, and vested the presidency with full executive started began to refer to guinea fowls as turkey fowls.
powers, effective upon the 2018 general election. The So, when the Europeans traveled to the Americas and
president is directly elected by eligible Turkish voters for a encountered a larger but similar looking bird, either
five-year term. through confusion or convenience, they decided to name
the birds turkeys, starting a long history of puzzling
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was the first president. etymology ¹.
The president of Turkey is referred to as Cumhurbaşkanı In Turkish, the turkey is known as "hindi," relating the bird
("Republic leader"), and previously archaically as to India. Some historians claim that this is again
Cumhurreisi or Reis-i Cumhur, also meaning "head of the confusion with the guinea fowl, which found ties to the
republic/people". spice trade. Others believe that, rather than India, the
name is a result of Christopher Columbus’ misinformed
arrival to the “West Indies”
Current President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the 12th and current president of
Money Currency
Turkey, who has held the office since 28 August 2014. He
was reelected for a 3rd term on 28 May 2023, which is set The official currency of Turkey is the Turkish lira
to last until May 2028.