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reflections, Travel Series12 Comments

Istanbul, Not Constantinople… ?

July 30, 2019June 23, 2020 Neriman K., PhD

.. I’m from Istanbul. No, really. Originally. My great-great-great-great x great grandparents had been Ottomans. I don’t know what ethnicity, but yes, Istanbulites. No, not Arabs. Rums, you say? Maybe. I’ve always suspected that. No, not Armenian. But maybe. Continue reading Istanbul, Not Constantinople… ?

all things literary, books + writers, books in translation, featured, women's fiction, World literatureLeave a comment

Read My Review on World Literature Today: Zahia Rahmani

July 1, 2019March 2, 2021 Neriman K., PhD

When I found out that I was reviewing “Muslim” for World Literature Today, I was elated. And you can read about why in my review in the summer issue of World Literature Today. Continue reading Read My Review on World Literature Today: Zahia Rahmani

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  • Neriman K., PhD

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Have you ever run a search for “best Turkish books” or “books to read by Turkish writers”? Despite all the promises I’m making to the books on my TBR list, I had to buy these two when I was browsing the shelves at the bookstore…It looks like Summerwater by Sarah Moss and The History of Love by Nicole Krause will be wonderful summer reads. I don’t know anything about these two novels, and I can’t wait to find out! #icannotbetrustedatabookstore It’s graduation season, and my PhD graduationversary is bittersweet— after having worked extremely hard for five years, I couldn’t walk and celebrate because of the pandemic in 2020, and my defense was online  so it will always be bittersweet, but at least I was able to wear my gown :) Happy graduation to everyone who’s done it!! Now that I’m finished with grading student papers, I’m quite excited to jump back into intense reading and writing sessions —one of the reasons why I cherish summer!! After Ozeki’s dense novel, I’m ready to move on to a quick read. Literary awards don’t mean anything to me, but I’m elated that Ruth Ozeki’s ‘The Book of Form and Emptiness’ has received Women’s prize for fiction! It does deserve all the praise and recognition. Can you guess which book this is? #tgif #bookstagram I read Normal People quite late, finished it last week—but having read two of Rooney’s novels, I’m realizing that I’m attracted to her writing the way I’m attracted to Hemingway’s style. Hemingway is the only other writer whose simple, concise words have a soulful effect on me, and it makes my heart happy that I’ve found a writer of my generation whose writing style speaks to my soul in the same way. It’s an amazing experience for me as a reader when I don’t identify with the characters, but the writing is so well constructed  that it speaks to my soul. 515 pages later… The Turkish writer Ayfer Tunç, one of the most talented fiction writers of contemporary Turkish literature, deserves so much more recognition.

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