Welcome to Litsy!

My daughter asked me to have a book club with her and I‘d just bought this book so we took turns reading sections. A lovely short classic from 1943 dealing with a love affair and feelings of isolation. From my 50+ yr perspective - it reminded me of other books and ideas - from her 20yo perspective it was utterly new and devastating. Also: spring blossoms!

I'm not all that knowledgeable about Turkish literature, so it was nice to get an introduction to a writer I hadn't heard of before and who is so revered in Turkey. It was also fascinating learning about the difficulties in translating Turkish to English (I love modern translator notes), and in translating Atay's complex sentences specifically. Weird, dark existentialism of the best sort. I especially loved 'A Letter - Unsent'.

Quite hard going and very convoluted descriptions. You can see how with a bit of refinement it could have been great. Don‘t pick it up for a comfort read 🙂

Short description: The book begins with a murder in Istanbul 1591. The aftermath is told from the perspective of several sometimes unreliable narrators.

But it's so much more complex. It explores art history and cultural history. It explores the influence of the West on the Ottoman Empire. It's creative, ambitious, and quite simply a masterpiece. The quote above is from my favorite chapter.

I read this for a personal #readtheworld challenge.

I‘m ever so slowly making my way through my #10BeforetheEnd stack.

This was a dense and thought provoking read. Translated from the Turkish and set in the 16th century during the Ottoman Empire, this reflects a culture which is largely unknown to me. It does have a murder mystery as its overarching plot, but that‘s just a framework used to delve into larger philosophical questions about art and religion.

#WhereAreYouMonday

This Monday finds me in 16th century Istanbul among the scribes, miniaturists, gilders, and other artists of the empire who have been commissioned to create book which will also be a work of art for the sultan. Only 50 pages in, but definitely getting The Name of the Rose vibes.

#HauntedShelf
#DeadSerious
#LoversGaze

“O, ömrü boyunca hep “acele etmiş”tir; bu yüzden de hrp “geç kalmış”tır. Sürekli bir panik vardır hayatında: Bir kitap okur, bir komedi seyreder, yorulur. Birileriyle birlikte olur, derdini anlatamaz, telaşlanır ve incinir. Küçük dertler, bir yerlere ödenmesi gereken paralar, bazı şeylerin tamir masrafı hiç eksik olmaz ve bu panik duygusuna katkıda bulunurlar. Ve hep acele edilir.” Önsöz, 11. sayfa.

Armanoush (Amy), an American Armenian teen, travels to #Turkey to learn more about her family. She befriends Asya and her family of kooky but wonderful aunts—each of whom must come to grasps with Amy‘s harsh family‘s past due to the slaughter and ouster of Armenians. The book reveals a delicious commonality between the cultures: food. A bit of mysticism helps tell this story. Amy‘s broken family in America don‘t know she‘s made this trip. The ⬇️