Ayşe Kulin Mario Levi Perihan Mağden Bejan Matur Murat Menteş Murathan Mungan Bariş Müstecaplıoğlu

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1 Turkey Market Focus 2013: British Council Cultural Programme 1 TURKEY MARKET FOCUS 2013 BRITISH COUNCIL CULTURAL PROGRAMME İnci Aral Oya Baydar Fethiye Çetin Fatih Erdoğan Murat Gülsoy Hakan Günday Müge İplikçi Ayşe Kulin Mario Levi Perihan Mağden Bejan Matur Murat Menteş Murathan Mungan Bariş Müstecaplıoğlu Asli E. Perker Elif Şafak / Shafak Ece Temelkuran Ayfer Tunç Ahmet Ümit Mehmet Yashin CULTURAL PROGRAMME THE LONDON BOOK FAIR, EARLS COURT MONDAY 15 APRIL Oya Baydar in conversation with Kamila Shamsie Writing in a Changing Turkey Writers: Müge İplikçi, Mehmet Yashin & Maggie Gee Chair: Maureen Freely Turkey has the youngest population in Western Europe, and one of the fastest growing economies in the world expanding 9.2% in 2010, and 8.5% in This economic growth is driving social change and altering Turkey s position on the world stage. How does contemporary writing in Turkey engage with a rapidly cultural landscape? Fethiye Çetin in conversation with Jo Glanville Turkish Literature in the UK Panellists: Bejan Matur, Müge Gürsoy Sökmen & Amy Spangler Chair: Maureen Freely Despite the fact that translations from Turkish have increased in the 2000s, Turkish literature is still largely unknown in the UK and leading authors as well as modern classics are still waiting to be discovered by English-language readers. On the other hand, as elsewhere, translations from English continue filling the Turkish book market. What stands in the way of turning the tide and making the rich literature of modern and contemporary Turkey known in the UK? This event is part of the Literary Translation Centre programme.

2 Turkey Market Focus 2013: British Council Cultural Programme Children s Writing from Turkey: What Makes Children Read? Writers: Fatih Erdoğan & Sophie Smiley Chair: Sarwat Chadda This seminar aims to give a platform to a wide discussion about children s literature in Turkey. What is the reading culture like for children in Turkey? How are books discovered and shared, and what kind of stories, themes and genres are winning over a new generation of readers? Ece Temelkuran in conversation with Gillian Slovo East and West: Perceptions of Turkish Literature Writers: Beyazıt Akman & Nazan Bekiroğlu The speakers will discuss how Turkish literature has been perceived in history by eastern and western literary and academic circles, and analyse the differing perspectives and their accurate and inaccurate views on Turkish literature. This event is in partnership with the Turkish National Organising Committee for International Book Fairs. TUESDAY 16 APRIL What is Contemporary Writing from Turkey? Celebrating Diversity Writers: Fethiye Çetin, Mario Levi, Perihan Mağden & Stella Duffy Chair: Lisa Appignanesi Literature is by nature a polyphonic phenomenon: many voices meeting to describe a broad and diverse narrative. Which voices, identities, and experiences need to be written? What is contemporary literature s role in writing, changing and re-telling the narratives of nationhood? Elif Shafak in conversation with Gaby Wood This event is part of The London Book Fair Author of the Day programme At the Crossroads of Culture: Writing Turkey from a Distance Writers: Esmahan Aykol, Oya Baydar, Asli E. Perker & Anjali Joseph Chair: Sara Whyatt Historically, many writers have found distance can refresh our perspective on our homes, put us into a different context, and highlight similarities and differences. What are the effects of

3 Turkey Market Focus 2013: British Council Cultural Programme 3 exile, absence, distance and foreign surroundings on how we think about home? Writers from Turkey and the UK discuss writing Turkey and home from afar Murathan Mungan in conversation with Maureen Freely Literary Editors on Turkish Literature Panellists: Buket Aşçı, Filiz Aygündüz, Turhan Günay & Faruk Şuyun Chair: Cem Erciyes Book review supplements have taken on a broader significance than simply being newspaper supplements; they have become a topic of debate. The panellists will discuss the book review supplements, which are for some, the best thing that happened to literature, while some others hold them responsible for the destruction of literary journals and literary criticism. This event is in partnership with the Turkish National Organising Committee for International Book Fairs Page and Screen in Turkey: Competitors or Collaborators? Writers: Ayşe Kulin, Tarık Tufan, Ayfer Tunç & Joe Dunthorne Chair: Canan Marasligil With soap operas becoming one of Turkey s largest international exports, writers from Turkey and the UK look at the relationship between page and screen. Do literature, TV and film exist in different spheres, with different inspirations and different audiences? Or with many fiction authors writing for the screen should we view the relationship differently, as a collaborative, hybrid arena? WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL Poetry and Crime Writers: Şavkar Altınel & Esmahan Aykol A detective fiction writer, who has published a book of poetry, and a poet with great passion for detective fiction will discuss how these two genres agree with each other. This event is in partnership with the Turkish National Organising Committee for International Book Fairs New Fiction: Fantasy and Crime Writers: Hakan Günday, Bariş Müstecaplıoğlu, Ahmet Ümit Chair: Barbara Nadel Fantasy, science fiction and crime fiction have traditionally been left outside the mainstream of the Turkish literary world. Though slow to develop, crime fiction has grown in popularity in

4 Turkey Market Focus 2013: British Council Cultural Programme 4 Turkey and now enjoys a popular readership. What is behind crime fiction s growing popularity and why don t science fiction and fantasy have the same profile in Turkey? New Media: Literature and Authorship Online Literature Writers: Tarık Tufan & Salih Zengin The panellists from the Media will address the concepts of literature and authorship in the media sector, which has been recently transformed by dazzling technological changes, and discuss the impact of the internet on literature and literary discussions. This event is in partnership with the Turkish National Organising Committee for International Book Fairs Turkish Translation Slam! Literary Translation Centre, Earls Court Participants: Izzy Finkel & Feyza Howell Chair: Daniel Hahn Emerging Turkish-to-English translators Izzy Finkel and Feyza Howell will test their linguistic mettle in a light-hearted dual of words. The slam will showcase the art of translation by juxtaposing competing translations of the same piece of contemporary writing by Turkish writer Murat Menteş Future of Literature in Turkey Writers: İnci Aral, Murat Gülsoy, Murat Menteş & Ned Beauman Chair: Ellah Allfrey Crowd-sourced translation, hybridized fan-fiction, e-books and experimentation - what s next for literature? How will it reach new audiences? What themes, style and genres should it explore? Writers from Turkey and the UK explore what the future of literature might hold Mario Levi in conversation with Amanda Hopkinson

5 Turkey Market Focus 2013: British Council Cultural Programme 5 CULTURAL PROGRAMME EVENTS IN LONDON MONDAY 15 APRIL Your Voice, My Voice Free Word Centre 60 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3GA How do you give a voice to the unheard? Join writers Perihan Mağden (Turkey) and Neel Mukherjee (India/UK) as they discuss their writing and how it relates to the countries and cultures that shaped their lives. While their work describes different realities and explores distinct imaginary worlds, both writers share the urge to give a voice to the unheard: the marginalised characters in their novels, the subjects of their journalism and the voice of the writer themselves. Chaired by Canan Marasligil, Translator in Residence, Free Word Centre Tickets: 5 ( 3 Concessions) available at This event is presented by Free Word and English PEN Innovation and the Novel The Gallery at Foyles Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EB Bariş Müstecaplıoğlu and İnci Aral copy to follow. Tickets: Free, events@foyles.co.uk to reserve a place Writing about Turkey British Library, Conference Centre 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB This is a rare opportunity to hear from some of the leading names from Turkey's vibrant literary scene - a world where modernity and tradition and East and West meet in words, as in the country itself. Ayşe Kulin and Asli E Perker will discuss writing about Turkey with acclaimed British novelist Louis de Bernières. Tickets: 5 ( 3 Concessions) available at (0) (Mon-Fri ) or in person at the British Library WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL Insanbul: Writing from a Cosmopolitan Perspective School of Oriental and African Studies, Room 116 SOAS Main Building Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG Once the Queen of Cities, referred to as Islambol (Abounding-in-Islam) during the Ottoman period, then maligned as kozmopolit and no longer The City in the Republican period, Istanbul

6 Turkey Market Focus 2013: British Council Cultural Programme 6 never stopped accommodating a vast humanity (insan is people in Turkish) as it developed into a somewhat insane, self-service city. Mario Levi and Murathan Mungan are well-known authors from Turkey who are at ease with the Cosmopolis and its phantasmagoria and they will be in conversation with acclaimed writer Moris Farhi and translator Ruth Christie. Tickets: Free, turkishliteraturesoas@gmail.com to reserve a place The Writer and the Journalist The Gallery at Foyles Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EB Ece Temelkuran copy to follow. Tickets: Free, events@foyles.co.uk to reserve a place THURSDAY 18 APRIL :00 Round Table Discussion on Freedom of Expression in Turkey London School of Economics Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE A Round Table discussion with writers from Turkey and leading writers, thinkers and lawyers in the UK with an interest in freedom of expression and Turkey. Participants will address the challenges for writers in Turkey - from the impact of the law to self-censorship. By invitation only. This event is presented by English PEN and PEN International and is in association with Polis, the journalism think-tank at the London School of Economics Children s Storytelling Mildmay Library Mildmay Park, London N1 4NA Favourite children s writer from Turkey, Fatih Erdoğan, and the lively Guy Bass will bring their children s stories to life during a lively session of storytelling and readings at Mildmay Library. Suitable for children aged 7+. Tickets: Free, just come along Writing Turkey Arcola Theatre 24 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL Join acclaimed Turkish writers Ece Temelkuran, Murathan Mungan and Oya Baydar on a rare visit to the UK as they discuss what it means to be a writer in Turkey today and how their work has been shaped by their interactions with the cultural and political landscape. The event will include readings by the authors and a Q&A with translator and academic Maureen Freely. Tickets: 5 available at

7 Turkey Market Focus 2013: British Council Cultural Programme Poetry and Language: Step-Mothertongue School of Oriental and African Studies, Room T Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG Literature and national identities sit uneasily together at the best of times. Mehmet Yashin s poetry celebrates the intermingling of differing Levantine literary traditions in Cyprus. Turkish is his step-mothertongue, a term he coined to describe postcolonial genealogies of language. Bejan Matur s poetry evokes a visceral feminine energy; she too writes in Turkish but invokes a powerful Kurdish (and Alevi) voice. Bejan and Mehmet will be in conversation with Moris Farhi and Alev Adil, who both write in English. Moris poems are about our hunger for love and our love of the stranger; Alev s current poetry explores the Hellenic, Ottoman and diasporic dimensions of Cypriot poetics. Tickets: Free, turkishliteraturesoas@gmail.com to reserve a place Women, Freedom and the Islamic World Asia House 63 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 7LP With Turkey at number 122 on the Gender Gap Index, our panel of women writers from Turkey, Iraq and Iran look at issues of concern to women in Islamic societies: love, marriage and family, domestic and sexual violence, freedom and autonomy, war, how women s freedom differs between countries, how changes in Islam and world perceptions have influenced Muslim women s lives and how their writing can affect change. Elif Shafak, Haifa Zangana and Kamin Mohammadi will be in conversation with moderator, Samira Ahmed. Tickets: 10 ( 8 Concessions / 7 Friends) available at enquiries@asiahouse.org or +44 (0) This event is part of the Asia House Festival of Asian Literature. FRIDAY 19 APRIL Kaya Genç in conversation with Maureen Freely London Review Bookshop 14 Bury Place, London WC1A 2JL Turkish writer Kaya Genç will be in conversation with writer and translator Maureen Freely about how his writing reflects and interacts with literary traditions, as well as Turkish culture, history and politics. Kaya Genç is one of the most interesting Turkish writers to emerge in recent years. In his essays as well as his fiction, he converses across borders, while forging his own distinct voice and perspective and challenging dominant narratives. (Maureen Freely) Tickets: 10 available at This event is part of the London Review Bookshop World Literature series, organised in partnership with the British Centre for Literary Translation.

8 Turkey Market Focus 2013: British Council Cultural Programme 8 CULTURAL PROGRAMME EVENTS IN THE UK THURSDAY 18 APRIL Alone in a Crowd: From Istanbul to Cardiff Glanfa Stage, Wales Millennium Centre Bute Place, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF10 5AL Literature Wales is delighted to welcome Turkish authors Ayfer Tunç and Hakan Günday to Cardiff. They will be joined on the Glanfa Stage by a local Welsh writer. The writers will discuss how their respective landscapes have influenced their own work, and draw comparisons on being individuals in overwhelming cities. This event will be chaired by Grahame Davies. Tickets: Free, just come along FRIDAY 19 APRIL One Night in Istanbul: Writing the City The Bluecoat School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BX Leading Turkish short story writers Müge İplikçi and Murat Gülsoy, who feature in Comma Press s anthology The Book of Istanbul, read short stories and discuss their approach to writing about the city. They'll be joined by UK writer Helen Walsh, author of the novels Brass, Once Upon a Time in England, and Go to Sleep. This event will be chaired by Jim Hinks. Tickets: Free, info@thebluecoat.org.uk or call +44 (0) to reserve a place Crime in the City Central Library Reference Library, 7-9 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EG Local crime writer Lin Anderson talks with two Turkish writers about Crime in the City, focusing on the role of cities (Istanbul and Edinburgh) and narratives in crime fiction. Ahmet Ümit is a leading figure in Turkish crime writing, his novels adapted for screen and television. Murat Menteş is an up-and-coming young thriller writer. This event will be chaired by Canan Marasligil. Tickets: Free, available at or call +44 (0) to reserve a place CONTACT For queries regarding the Turkey Market Focus 2013 Cultural Programme, please contact Rebecca Hart at the British Council. E Rebecca.Hart@britishcouncil.org T +44 (0)