Reading Turkish Modernization In Kemal Tahir Novels: A Classification Suggestion

Abstract

Kemal Tahir published one book of stories and 14 novels from 1955 until his death in 1973. After his death, five novels which were found among the author's notes were published by his wife and relatives. The author's novels, especially those published by himself, contain a certain integrity. This situation has led to the classification of the novels, with various classifications have been developed in the studies on the author. These classifications are important in terms of evaluating the author's novels and the thoughts he put forward through his novels. His novels are generally classified as village and urban novels. However, such a distinction limits the correct evaluation of the author's novels. Such a distinction, which has become increasingly widespread in studies on the author and which sets strict boundaries between the novels, breaks the connection between novels characterized as rural novels and novels characterized as urban or city novels. Based on the idea of a holistic evaluation of the author's novels, this study aims to propose a holistic reading rather than a distinction between his novels. With such a reading, it will be possible to see how the Turkey of 1890-1945 is portrayed by the author, both in the urban zones and in the provinces, through interconnected novels.