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When mentioning Turkish literature, few people can offhand name a dozen authors or works. But Türkiye actually has a huge literary heritage. We present to your attention a list of books by Turkish writers translated into Russian.
Among them there are both modern novels and those that have already become classics, but all of them will definitely not leave you indifferent.
1.. Reshad Nuri Güntekin "King - songbird" (Reşat Nuri Güntekin "Çalıkuşu") Everyone has probably heard of this piece. And if you haven’t read the book, then you definitely watched the movie or series of the same name. Reshad Nuri Gyuntekin on the pages of his novel told us the love story of a young teacher Feride and her aunt's son Kamran. From early childhood, Feride and Kamran are brought up in the same house, and when they grow up, they decide to get married. But a few days before the wedding, the girl finds out that her lover has another ... Dumbfounded by this news, Feride leaves her home and decides to run wherever her eyes look. The girl faces many obstacles and problems, envy and intrigue, but still she manages to realize herself, find friends and eventually return to her beloved. “King is a singing bird” is to some extent naive, but at the same time a touching and beautiful story about love and fate, from which no one has yet been able to escape.
2.. Aziz Nesin "King of Football" (Aziz Nesin "Gol kralı") Aziz Nesin is an amazing author who makes readers laugh and think at the same time. His satirical works ridicule vices, both in politics and in society, stand up for freedom and independence. The protagonist of the novel is Said, a kind of stupid simpleton who is laughed at and mocked. Said falls in love with a beautiful woman, for whom he is ready to do anything, including becoming a football star... Plastic surgeries that girls go through to get a guy, "speaking" names, obvious hyperbole and humor bordering on vulgarity - all this is about a great romance Aziz Nesina "King of Football".
3.. Orhan Pamuk "My Strange Thoughts" Of course, a story about Turkish novels could not do without the mention of Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel Prize-winning author in literature. Pamuk's novels have their own style, as a rule, in his style you either fall in love forever, or you cannot accept it at all. My Strange Thoughts is a remarkably fluid and lyrical story of Turkey, the story of Istanbul, told through the lens of the life of street vendor Mevlut. Rulers and customs change, people and streets of the city change, and Mevlut still slowly rolls his cart with booze through the narrow back streets of Istanbul, having “strange” conversations with the city and not wanting anything more for himself. “My Strange Thoughts” is, to some extent, a nostalgic novel by the author for the elusive old Istanbul, which will never be.
4.. Orhan Kemal "Thrown into the Abyss" (Orhan Kemal "El kızı") A heavy book about the life of an oriental woman, one of the many thousands who shared this bitter fate with her. Oppression - that's what became the main component of the life of poor Nazan. An unloving husband, a cruel mother-in-law, humiliation and anger on the part of others ... But does the heroine do the right thing, submitting to all adversity, submitting to her bitter fate? Do Eastern girls absorb this resignation and willingness to obey with their mother's milk, or is the struggle for happiness always possible? The reader will decide for himself whether to sympathize with Nazan or not, but this novel will definitely make you think.
5.. Elif Shafak "The Architect's Apprentice" (Elif Şafak "Ustam ve ben") Elif Shafak is a Turkish writer who lives in both Turkey and the United States and writes her novels in English and Turkish. The Architect's Apprentice is the story of a poor boy Jahan and his friend, a white elephant named Chota, who, by coincidence, end up in Istanbul during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Jahan will have to go through many adventures, he will be destined to meet the Sultan himself, fall in love and become a student of the famous architect Sinan. This novel raises the eternal questions of science, religion, friendship and love, which nothing is subject to.
6.. Sabahattin Ali "Madonna in a Fur Coat" (Sabahattin Ali "Kürk Mantolu Madonna") A novel about love, which to this day enjoys unprecedented popularity among the Turkish reader. This work is not like oriental tales, on the contrary, it tells about life in the west, in Berlin and Ankara in the 1920s. The main character Raif-efendi is first described from the perspective of a familiar person, and then from the perspective of himself. What was the reason for the endless loneliness of the hero, what made him so sad, secretive, nondescript? An unhappy love for a German woman, for which Raif pays for the rest of his days, a love that broke the hero's life forever. The amazing style with which the novel is written allows you to plunge headlong into the inner world of the unfortunate hero in order to understand and live through his life tragedy together with him.
7.. Elif Shafak "Honour" (Elif Şafak "İskender") Honor- the only thing that sometimes remains with a person. In life, you can lose everything, but to the last fight for honor. It is about this, as well as about cruelty towards women, that the novel by Elif Shafak tells. "Honor" is the story of two twin sisters born in a village somewhere on the border of Turkey and Syria, where family values and traditions are valued more than human life itself. The fates of the sisters will disperse, one of them will go to live abroad, but she will not find happiness there either ... The most difficult choice in the world will have to be made by the son of the heroine Iskender - to stand up for the honor of the family or to hurt a loved one. In this novel there is no division into "bad" and "good" - each reader makes a decision for himself.
8.. Orhan Pamuk "Red-haired Woman" It would seem that the plot of the novel is simple - a young lyceum student Jem falls in love with a mature woman, a married actress of a traveling theater. The result of this wild passion is a tragedy that claimed the life of a person. Many years later, Jem meets his son by chance - the fruit of his first love for the Red-Haired Woman. And again this meeting will lead to tragedy. What is the role of the Red-Haired Woman, is she guilty, or is she herself a victim - these questions will have to be answered by the reader for himself. Pamuk's work intertwines the eternal theme of fathers and children, the confrontation between east and west, the torment of sin and redemption, as well as numerous parables, including those about child and parricide.
9.. Nazim Hikmet “Life is beautiful, my brother” (Nazim Hikmet “Yaşamak güzel şey be kardeşim”)- the great Turkish writer and poet, a communist who lived for many years in the USSR and died there. For a long time, Hikmet's poems were banned in Turkey, the author himself spent many years in prison. In his novel “Life is beautiful, my brother,” Hikmet describes the years of the revolution in Russia and the formation of the Turkish Republic. But the historical events in the book are organically intertwined with passion, love, devotion and faith in ideals. Despite the tragic events that befell the heroes of the novel, they manage to maintain faith in their ideals and optimism.
MK-Türkiye, Ksenia Kara
The oldest works of Turkish folklore preserve pre-Islamic myths about the creation of the world and the origin of man. Of the monuments of the heroic epos, the cycle "Oguz-name" which absorbed such myths is the most significant. The post-Islamic form of the Oguz epic was a cycle associated with the name of Dede Korkud ("Kitabi Dede Korkud"). Later folklore (from the 13th century) includes legendary tales built on a historical basis. The cycle of dastans about Korogly enjoys special fame.
A significant place is occupied by romantic stories of hikiae, works of popular literature, fairy tales - fairy tales, household, comic, etc., fables about animals, anecdotes (including about Khoja Nasreddin), proverbs, sayings, riddles. Mani quatrains, lyrical songs of Turku and koshma, songs of hula tashlama have always been especially popular.
The Turks, who joined Islam relatively late, also adopted Muslim culture. In the Seljukid state, Arabic was the language of religion and science, and Persian was the language of court poetry. The first accurately dated works of written literature created in Asia Minor in Turkish belong to the middle. 13th c. The first works of early Turkic or Old Anatolian literature (mid-13th - mid-15th centuries) were of a Sufi character. Turkish verses appeared, and their appearance caused a struggle between two systems of versification: the Turkic folk oral poetry, which had syllabic and syllabic-tonic metrics, and the Arabic-Persian metrical systems Aruz, which then dominated Turkish poetry for six centuries.
The oldest Turkish Sufi work is considered to be the "Book of Destiny" by Ahmed Fakih (d. ca. 1250); his student Sheyad Hamza created the poem "Yusuf and Zelikha". The 14th-15th centuries are characterized by the appearance of novels in verse. They are somewhat reminiscent of fables and are very instructive works.
The complication of Turkish literature leads to the fact that a large number of epithets and comparisons appear. In the 19th century, Turkish literature becomes more Westernized. Turkish journalists and poets appear who create works that are very similar to the creations of their Western counterparts. One of these is "The Poet's Marriage".
The 20th century is characterized by the development of a realistic trend in literature and the emergence of nationalist ideas. Writers turn not only to the life of big cities, but also do not forget about the provinces. The works of Omer Seifeddin, Karaosmanoglu and other literary creators of this period are worth your attention, there is no doubt that Turkey is rich in poets and writers.
After the First World War, the modernization and standardization of the Turkish language began. Of his contemporaries, the novelist Orhan Pamuk is an important character. He explores the genius loci of Istanbul, intertwining his own memories with the cultural history of the city where he has lived for over 50 years. The author shows readers the monuments and the lost paradise of Istanbul, narrow streets, Ottoman villas and canals, introduces writers, artists, journalists and crazy historians who have described a century and a half of the "modernization" of the city. Tours to Turkey should be remembered not only for relaxation, but also for gaining new knowledge about the literature of this state.
Gazelle 11
Literal translation from the original:
1. The roses of your cheeks have turned my tongue into a nightingale.
I lost my head from the passion for your curls.
2. If the fruit of love for lovers is pain and anxiety,
Praise be to Allah, we have many fruits of your love.
3. The wind is powerless to untangle your curls.
No, it is not at all easy to overcome difficulties!
4. What kind of relationship has come between us? After all, nectar from the sweet lips of a loved one,
This poison of sadness is like halvah for me, but for an opponent it is like the poison of murderers.
5. How many wise people have gone mad with love for you!
How many intelligent men have gone mad wanting you!
6. What is the meaning of the words "Let the knives of his eyelashes kill you"?
They are unreasonable people, if they speak like that.
7. Oh Avni! If one day you will be on a pilgrimage to the temple of the Magi,
In the square you will see the fire of this candle, illuminating the entire assembly!
Poetic translation:
The blush of your cheeks gives rise to the eloquence of the nightingale in me,
From passion for your curls, I completely lost my head.
If for lovers the fruit of love is sadness and pain,
Praise be to Allah, I plucked the fruits of your love in plenty.
The spring breeze is powerless to untangle your curls,
No, it is not at all easy to master difficulties!
What happened between us? From the sweet lips of a beloved nectar,
To an opponent like the poison of murderers, but to me like a sweet gift.
How many wise ones went mad, loving you,
How many intelligent people, striving for you, have gone crazy!
No need to say "Let the arrows of his eyelashes kill you"
These are the words of people who do not know, because those who love will give everything to him.
Avni, if one day you visit the shrine of the fire-worshippers,
You will see the light of a burning candle that illuminates the entire assembly.
Gazelle 15
Literal translation:
1. If handsome men didn’t flirt, they wouldn’t fall in love with them,
And the hearts of lovers will be indifferent.
2. You can say briefly about your mouth
And about your long hair - a lot.
3. Your look is a robber, and curls are like thieves,
I don't know what they are looking for in the city of my heart.
4. The price of my reunion with you is life,
Eyewitnesses let us know about it.
5. At night, my heart from your curls
And from a gloomy look news come.
6. And anyone who still follows your curls,
And passionately wants to love your hair - he goes crazy.
7. Avni, the Rose of the World is not sweet in its fragrance,
For only (one breath) will give you a headache.
Poetic translation:
If the handsome men did not flirt, it would be difficult to fall in love with them,
The hearts of lovers will not want to finally achieve them.
You can briefly talk about your little lips,
But your hair is so long to describe will be long.
Your look is like a robber, and curls are thieves to match.
What are they looking for in the city of my heart? I don't know.
Life is the price of intimacy between you and me
Once they heard about it, they saw it with their own eyes.
At night, news knocks from you in my heart,
From your curls dark and cruel look trouble,
After all, anyone who is faithful to your curls,
And the one who longs for your curls becomes a madman.
Avni, the fragrance of this Rose of the World will not ease your sorrow.
Inhaling its heady aroma, you will feel only a headache.
Gazelle 29
Literal translation:
1. Seeing these lips like a rosebud, we tear our collars.
Remembering this face, like a rose, we scream in pain like nightingales.
2. What if my thirsty heart is at your door waiting to be healed?
After all, only there is a cure for this pain.
3. My light *, oh, incomparable handsome man with lips as sweet as rubies,
Our legend will be a banner, like the legend of Hamza.
4. No matter how our desire for your body, like a flag, would not be in sight,
We will hide the secret of your mouth in our hearts.
5. Oh Avni, it is very difficult to leave this world, *
But the look of this stealer of hearts will make it easier for us.
Poetic translation:
Seeing his lips - these rosebuds, we tear our collars;
Remembering his face, like a rose, we sob like nightingales.
And what, since my ailing heart is waiting for healing at your door?
After all, only there he will find the best cure for pain.
My light, oh, handsome incomparable with lips as precious as a ruby,
The tales of Hamza, our legendary epic will be worthy.
No matter how high our desire for your body would tremble,
We will hide the secret of your lips in our hearts deeply.
Oh Avni! Leaving the world for love is so hard
But it will be gratifying to make the look of the stealer of hearts.
Gazelle 30
Literal translation:
1. With such beauty among lovers, Juveys is the most beloved.
The sherbet of his ruby lips is a medicine for a suffering heart.
2. Do not cry, my dear nightingale, from now on I cry,
For Juveys has opened with beauty like a rose in the garden of my heart.
3. How can the heart of the country of justice flourish?
When all these years, who was on the throne of the heart of the Sultan, if not Yuveis.
4. Tears in the eyes, like wine, and everything inside the chest burns ...
O foolish heart! For only for one night Juweis is a guest,
5. For Avni, if luck were in hand, then he is the favorite guest
Don't miss this opportunity, as Juweis is worth a thousand lovers!
Poetic translation:
With such beauty, Uveys is the most desirable among the beloved.
The drink of his ruby lips is medicine for a suffering heart.
Don't cry, dear nightingale, hear my mournful groan,
For Juveys beautifully, like a rose of paradise, opened up to my heart.
Will the center of the state be able to flourish with dignity?
When did Yuveis sit on the throne of the heart of the sovereign all the time?
Tears of intoxicated eyes, in the chest the flame burns so painfully ...
Hey crazy heart! For only for one night Juveys became your guest.
Luck for Avni is he - the very long-awaited,
Do not miss this opportunity, for Juveys is more precious than a thousand lovers!
Gazelle 61
Literal translation:
1. Those who saw Galata, their hearts will not want to be in paradise.
Seeing his heart-pleasing figure, they will forget about the most beautiful cypresses.
2. I saw a Frank, eloquent, like Jesus,
And for those who saw this Christ, his mouth is life-giving.
3. You will lose your mind and understanding of truth and faith,
Seeing this Christian, oh Muslims, you will become infidels!
4. Having drunk the wine of this messenger, they will not drink from the river of paradise,
Seeing the church he went to, they will not come to the mosque.
5. Oh Avni! And everyone will know that he was an unfaithful Frank,
Seeing a belt around his waist, and a cross around his neck.
Poetic translation:
Those who have seen the beauty of Galata will not want to stay in paradise in their hearts.
No one will remember the slender cypresses, having fallen in love with his graceful figure.
My eyes do not lie - I saw him, how this Jesus Frank was eloquent.
Those who see that young man like Christ, his lips resurrect them.
You risk losing your mind and knowledge of truth and faith forever,
O Muslims, you will become unbelievers when you see this Christian!
They will not accept Kavsar after drinking the wine of this messenger,
When they see the church he went to, they will not come to the mosque.
Avni, and everyone will know that he was a kafir of the Franks,
Noticing a chastity belt around his waist, and a cross around his neck.
Translation: Elfira AKHMETOVA
Ashykami (Arabic "ashik" - in love, from "ashk" - love) was called
Poets-singers who composed impromptu poems and sang them to accompany themselves
On saz. Love for a girl, or the Supreme, or a man, his friend and
The mentor became the plot of their works.
The beginning of this poetry was laid by the Sufi poet Yunus Emre, who worked in the 13th-14th centuries.
He called himself "ashik Yunus" (Yunus in love). From him, ashiq Yunus Emre,
The history of Turkish poetry originates - both classical and folk.
Yunus Emre (1240 - 1320)
(Emre is a nickname, meant his belonging
To the Sufi community - tekke)
He called his poems "ilakhi", that is, a word addressed to God or in the name
His. Sufism came to Turkey from the Arab East. Pantheistic Sufism
He preached an ascetic way of life, the rejection of the "carnal beginning", in order,
Purified from base feelings and temptations, live in the name of love for the Creator.
While the roses in the garden of my life are blooming
eyes, wake up soon from sleep,
until eternity calls us to a cramped shelter,
What are you proud of, poor in stupid pride?
the caravan will go on its way, you will be alone.
It's too late to repent after, - God is my witness.
Oh my, wake up from your sleep.
Do not languish on the bedding all night,
wake up to overcome pride in yourself,
because they will push you and drive you away, -
eyes, wake up soon from sleep.
But listen, Yunus, aren't words enough?
your fabrics, alas, are not for these auctions.
sweetly dozing to the Friend is not ready to go, -
eyes, wake up soon from sleep!
If in the bitter share of separation
you wander alone, alone,
you are in the lifeless darkness of torment
find the threshold of eternal life...
If you have comprehended the gift of love,
if you penetrated the essence with thought,
from the fire of parting at the same moment
you saved yourself.
Who knew neither torment nor trouble,
there is no cure for that
if there is light in your soul,
you, like a thousand souls, are deep.
Understand everything, Yunus, count everything,
strive diligently to speak.
There is no limit to that path
why are you far from him?
The light and the veil of darkness - everything is hidden only in you, -
and you and I are innumerable, we are semi-precious pearls.
Tell me, where is the path leading to the bliss of Unity?
answer my word - my cherished question.
The One always looks into countless mirrors,
though the appearance of phenomena seems incalculable.
Beloved, lover, love is one essence,
although the whole world of thousand colors is visible to the eye.
I call everyone who wants to dive into the depths -
only Yunus so far is a selfless diver.
If you believe in love, be true to it always,
in it you - healing from any harm.
If you believe in the worldly, you are in the power of shackles,
when will you believe the secrets of the true essence?
After all, worldly desires are bitter poison, not honey, -
Why is the craving for poison so not alien to you?
Your body is like a city conquered by the enemy -
cities must be cleared of enemies by force!
You live like a wingless bird in a foreign land, -
be bold, like a bird that is proud in flight.
With the dilapidated building of the world, what are you connected with? - Tell, -
the world below is very ancient, but the soul is young!
Let your faithful mentor give you a staff,
so that your step is firm on the road.
If you speak a lie and not the truth,
on the day of answer in the future, you will die of shame.
Do not be a thorn, but a rose, if you go to a Friend:
if you turn into a thorn, you will burn without a trace ...
In the affairs of the world, the essence is insignificant,
open your eyes and be vigilant
with us we call everyone on the road -
Together we will find a friend...
The heart is full of hops from love for you,
and there is no harmony in it now, but a drunken discord.
You asked the sorcerer how to escape from torment, -
he said: "There is no potion for your loss!"
Who, like you, is in love with all his soul,
he will burn to ashes from head to toe ...
The essence of wealth is not to shove in the bag -
the spirit of the poor moneybags - help him.
Only, no matter how you teach, everything is not for him,
on his lips - scolding, his mouth is wide.
And harm to him from himself,
and there is no use for others from it ...
The way to ask others - the thought is alien to him,
"No and no" - he repeats and will not say "yes" ...
I saw you on the way
and realized the joy of being,
and my poor soul
no longer worries...
The grace and joy of the Ashyks is love,
a friend will give them good things to find in this share.
And not devoted to a Friend and alien to him -
half dead, half dead, beating like a net...
I live only by You, and I am merged with You,
and nothing of this life lives without You.
And with you I tirelessly wander side by side.
The path given to me by You is closed to me without You...
I keep repeating about myself - if I really exist,
Why won't my arrogance overcome my pride?
A friend is the Almighty here.
Gaibi
Kaigusuz Abdal (14th or 15th century)
Born into a wealthy family.
In tekka (the abode of the Sufis took the name Kaigusuz (Careless) Abdal. "Abdals" -
"wandering dervishes". As a rule, they belonged to different Sufi
Turtles flew up
overcoming his burden,
and the lizards gathered
swim to the Crimea, taking luggage.
Look how strong the butterfly is
she took a bow and arrow
and frightened the boar,
fox and bear even.
To quench my thirst, a little light
the minaret bent down to the river,
bridge in Ergen, but there is no river,
there is sand under it and it is not wet.
Under the sky at the edge of the earth
the fish spent the whole winter
and steel away from the water
even heavier and smoother.
The stork plays on the zurna;
the chick was born in the spring,
on the willow fish in the sky,
cuts branches, knits brooms ...
I, Kaisuguz, to the best of my ability
amused you with a joke.
I rewarded fables,
but who will reproach me with a word?
Great misfortune - a bad wife,
a bad wife - she has no worries,
she sits all day, not knowing troubles,
though, perhaps, in the house of affairs a lot.
She sits with her eyes downcast,
didn’t cook pilaf, didn’t chop firewood,
and ripped up new clothes,
covered her legs and stomach with a rag.
She has new boots on,
she has ruby earrings,
but clothes are not washed in the house,
too lazy to change clothes - and so it will do.
She sits, loose and bow-legged,
from eternal laziness swam a little,
relieves the need right at the doorstep,
a louse crawls along the neck of a fat louse.
She did not wash her hair for centuries,
to take water, a bucket is thrown into the river,
but a person is reluctant to take it out, -
let it sink, even float.
Where there is a flower garden, children play grandma,
dogs in the house tear carpets into rags,
the wife is sitting, her dreams are sweet,
she looks, she keeps count of the crows.
The boiler is boiling, the stew is not ready,
the wife is silent, and the cow eats the dough,
the wife is silent, does not say a word:
maybe the dough will rise again.
What can I, Kaigusuz, decide on?
Sell your wife? Who will fall for her!
She sits, she is too lazy to go to bed,
she does not sleep and does not give to people.
Pir Sultan Abdal (15th or 16th century)
(Haydar)
(Shia from the Qizilbash sect)
Participated in the Qizilbash uprising, captured, imprisoned, and then
Hanged at Sivas.
The caravan of love passes by.
My pitiful tears are flowing,
my hot wounds opened,
and you are unattainable. From what?..
Hey bird, what nest are you from?
An eyebrow is a crescent, a mole is a star...
What are you crying like forever cute
left, did not look back, did not stay? ..
Since I've been living in a dishonorable world
there is no peace in my soul. What to do?
Since I've been living away from my sweetheart
the blows of life are getting worse. What to do?
How to be? The lamp of Joy is flashing,
helps any unfortunate person.
And trouble awaits us everywhere.
There is no energy, no days left. What to do?
I say: come - and you come.
I say: ascend - and you ascend.
I am lost, find - and you find.
What if I'm a stranger to your soul? What to do?
I, Pir Sultan, say: it's time to go.
I hasten without fear, as God pleases,
Towards my dear, overcoming anxiety,
What if we break up with her? What to do?
"A great era needs great people"
Ya. Hasek
Below you will find a short tour of the biographies of the most popular people in Turkey, a kind of "life of wonderful people" in miniature. And there are enough worthy people in this country, however, as elsewhere. The incompleteness of the list and the fragmentary nature of the information about the persons included in it is quite understandable and excusable, because, as the wise Kozma Prutkov said: “You can’t grasp the immensity.” So, let's begin.
Almost everyone knows that one of the favorite characters of oriental folklore is. But, probably, not everyone knows that his historical homeland is Turkey (see). And what stories did not happen to him. For example, one morning Khoja bought three kilograms of meat and, bringing it home, went about his business. And the wife called her friends and arranged for them a magnificent treat. When the Khoja returned, she served him lean pilaf from one rice on the water. Khoja asked: “If you didn’t have time to cook a meat dish, couldn’t you throw a few fatty pieces of meat into the pilaf to add flavor?” To this, the wife replied: “I wanted to, but then a story came out. When I was busy with rice, your favorite tabby cat jumped out from somewhere and ate all the meat. I came, I look - she licks her lips. Khoja silently brought the scales, pulled the cat out from under the brazier and weighed it; came out exactly three kilograms. Then he said to his wife: “Oh, you shameless! If this is meat, where did the cat go? And if it's a cat, where is the meat? In fact, he was fatally unlucky with wives. In his youth, Hodja was deceived and slipped him an ugly bride. When in the morning, after the wedding night, the hodja began to dress to go out, his wife, flirtingly, asked: “Efendi, to which of your relatives can I show myself?” Khoja adequately replied: "Just don't show yourself to me, but there whoever you want."
Khoja Nasreddin was born in the village of Khortu, in the district in 605, (1206 from the birth of Christ). He received his education in the city, moreover, when Khoja, along with his fellow villagers, came to study; then those, seeing minarets that they had never seen in their lives, asked in surprise: “How are they made?” - “Don't you know? Oh, you are boobies! Hodge remarked. “It’s very simple: they turn the inside of the wells out.”
The “grave” of Khoja Nasreddin is located in the city of Akshehir, located two hundred kilometers south of his native village. It is curious that the date of death on the tombstone of the crafty merry fellow and joker is also deliberately indicated in his manner - backwards (this is how Khoja often rode his donkey) - that is, 386 AH, instead of 683 years (1284 from the birth of Christ). That is, it turns out that Khoja died much earlier than he was born! But in general, to the question of the Sultan, for how long will people be born, and even die, Khoja answered - “Until, finally, hell and paradise overflow.” Now every year Akshehir hosts the International Festival of Khoja Nasreddin. If you visit there and want to swim in the local lake, it will not hurt to remember another parable. So one true believer, about to perform a full ablution in the Akshekhir lake, asked Khoja who was there: “Most respected, in which direction should I turn during the ablution?” - “Where your clothes are, turn around in that direction,” the wise Hodge advised him. Somehow, envious people asked Nasreddin an insidious question, to which it seemed impossible to answer: "Where is the center of the Earth's surface?" - “Here,” Hodge answered, sticking his stick into the ground. “If you don’t believe me, you can make sure I’m right by measuring the distances in all directions ...” That is why, now at the entrance to the city, to the left of the highway, there is a monument - on a donkey sits an old man in a wide-brimmed hat, thrusting a long stick into the globe, on which is written: DunyanIn merkezi burasIdIr("Dunyanyn Merkezi Burasydyr" - "the center of the world is here").
The peoples of the East have a funny tradition: the one who pronounces the name of Khoja is obliged to tell seven stories. It is believed that the seven stories of Nasreddin can lead a person to insight and comprehension of the truth. Therefore, whether you like it or not, here is the seventh story for you. Once Khoja Nasreddin changed the mosque. Having met him at the bazaar, the mullah of the former cult place of worship began to shame Nasreddin. “You are a wise man,” he said, “do you really think that from the new mosque your prayers will reach Allah better?” “Oh no dear, it all depends on the provider,” Khoja Nasreddin smiled.
Great, rich and powerful (unlike poor Khoja) was another illustrious son of the Turkish land Sultan Mehmed II(Fatih Sultan Mehmed) the padishah of the Ottoman Empire, who crushed and annexed the city (renamed to him) to the possessions of the state. This was a person who played a leading role in the transformation of the Ottoman Empire into a mighty power. He was born in 1430 and died in 1481 in Gebze. Mehmed, best known for his dignity "Fatih" (Fatih - Conqueror), however, had another more peaceful hobby, he was a poet and very fond of art. The literature of the Ottoman Empire, which did not have a bright creative face until that time, as a result of its interest and abundant material incentives for poets and poetry, reached its peak in the 15th century. He was such a modest padishah of the Omani Empire that he published poetry only under a pseudonym. By the way, he had another similar passion - in disguise, Mehmed liked to wander around the capital like Haroun al-Rashid. And woe was to the one who, through his stupidity and naivety, recognized him in this guise or under a pseudonym.
To the Land of the Red Apple
But not only Mehmed II was a poet and romantic, romanticism, especially in amorous relations, another famous Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent(1495-1566), also called Kanuni (Kanuni - Legislator). Under him, the Ottoman Empire turned into a huge world power, the heir to the great Caliphate; the sultans began to call themselves caliphs, "deputies of the Prophet" and "rulers of the faithful." The Sultan became the leader of the Muslims in the holy war against the infidels; even the rite of coronation did not consist in the laying on of a crown, but in girdling with a "sacred sword." When, after the coronation, returning to the palace, the Sultan passed by the Janissary barracks, one of the commanders came out to meet him and brought a bowl of sherbet. After drinking sherbet and filling the bowl with gold coins, the Sultan uttered the ritual phrase: “Kyzyl elmada goryushyuruz” ( KIzIl elma’da goruşürüz We will meet again in the Land of the Red Apple. This meant that the Janissaries had to prepare for a campaign to the west - to Christian Europe, which the Turks called the "Country of the Red (in some sources - the Golden) Apple."
Suleiman the Magnificent was one of the most enlightened sovereigns of that time: he wrote poetry, knew six languages and was an admirer of Aristotle. The Sultan's court amazed Western ambassadors with its luxury and splendor of ceremonies; all the talents of the East, famous poets, famous architects and respected theologians were gathered here. The Europeans were especially struck by the fact that all the highest dignitaries and assistants of the Sultan in matters of government were his slaves - “kapikulu”. They were recruited among the Janissaries, from whom the most talented were selected and trained from them as officials - "people of the pen." Over time, a cured slave could become a grand vizier or a pasha governor - but he always remained a disciplined and obedient slave, and for the slightest offense the sultan could order to cut off his head. The head of the offending vizier was brought to the sultan on a silver platter, and then put on display for the people at the gates of the sultan's palace; there were usually many heads lying there, some on precious dishes, others on wooden plates, and the heads of minor officials were simply thrown to the ground. The Palace of the Grand Vizier was called "" ("The Highest Gate"), which in French sounded La Sablime Porte, so European diplomats called the Turkish government the "High Port". The Grand Vizier headed the council of dignitaries, the "sofa", and resolved all current issues; sometimes the sultan attended the meetings of the divan and, remaining unnoticed behind the curtain, listened to whether important state affairs were discussed correctly.
However, in truth, Suleiman spent time not only at sofa meetings and on campaigns, he often indulged in sensual pleasures in his huge body. - this is a whole complex of many buildings among beautiful gardens - a world of luxury and grace, rising on a hill high above the city and the sea. The innermost center of the palace was the Sultan's "house of pleasure", where hundreds of beautiful odalisques lived under the protection of black eunuchs. When the sultan came to the "house of pleasure" and sat on the throne; slave girls in transparent muslin danced and sang, trying to attract his attention, and the one that he liked, the sultan put a small scarf on his shoulder. “I want him back to me at night,” he said, and this meant that the chosen one should spend the night with him.
Haseki Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, or Roksolana
Once a saffron handkerchief fell on the shoulder of the Slav woman Anastasia, who, not losing her face and using her chance, managed to become the only favorite of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Having quickly learned the Turkish language and quickly adapted to the customs of a foreign country, the smart Anastasia soon turned into the formidable sultana Hürrem Haseki, known in Europe as who sat on the throne next to Suleiman, and before whom the European ambassadors fawned. When the time came, the Sultan chose the son of Roksolana as the heir to the throne - according to the custom of the court, this meant that the rest of the children were doomed to death. “One of my sons who ascends the throne has the right to kill his brothers so that there is order on earth,” said the law of Mehmed II, and his successors strictly followed this law - on the day of the death of the Sultan, black eunuchs burst into and under sobs and screams concubines strangled their children. The brutality of the Ottomans really helped to maintain order - there were no wars for the throne in the empire, which are common for other states.
It was at this time, when the Ottoman Empire was at its peak, that the greatest architect of Turkey lived and worked (presumably 1490-1588). He held the high position of chief architect of the palace under three padishahs: Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II and Murad III. It was Sinan who built for Sultan Suleiman a magnificent, outwardly very similar to, but filled inside with the luxury and grace of the East. Just like many courtiers of the Sultan, Sinan was a Janissary in his youth, studied military affairs and, by the way, the art of building, then fought, built fortifications and bridges, and, in the end, became the chief architect of the empire. During his long and fruitful life, he built about a hundred mosques, as well as many palaces, libraries and baths in various cities of the Ottoman Empire. As for the baths, the Turkish baths () then looked more like palaces, they were decorated with high lead domes and finished with marble inside (Muslims adopted the love of baths from the Romans and Greeks). Like Roman baths, Turkish baths were built with public funds and served as a favorite place for recreation and entertainment for the common people. For a small fee, the attendants gave visitors the famous Turkish massage, kneaded their joints until they crunched, rubbed the body and brought the visitor into a state of bliss - “bliss”. Having had a good steam, one could sit in the lounge, discuss the news, drink a cup and smoke a pipe. then it was a new drink, brought from Arabia, but already managed to fall in love with the Turks. The Prophet forbade the faithful to drink wine, and it was gradually replaced in combination with hashish and tobacco: the Turks were heavy smokers then and never parted with long pipes.
Even after his death, Sinan continued to be an authority for his followers and earned the respect and admiration of subsequent generations for his unique talent as an architect. In Turkey, he received the enviable title of "Ser Mimaryan-y cihan ve mukhendisyan-y devran" (the leader of all architects and engineers in the world at all times). By the way, the Khan Jami mosque, designed and built under the leadership of Sinan, has survived even on the territory of Ukraine in the glorious city of Evpatoria. The participation of the famous Turkish master in the construction of a mosque in the Crimea is explained by the fact that in the 16th century the importance of the city of Gezlev (modern Evpatoria) increased significantly. The seaport connecting Turkey with the Crimea made Gezlev an important stronghold on the northwestern border of the Ottoman Empire, as well as a craft, cultural and religious center of the peninsula.
Such wonderful people lived in Turkey before historical materialism, as the irresistible son of a Turkish citizen, the famous heat engineer and fighter Ostap-Suleiman-Berta-Maria Bender-bey, would say. As you know, his poor dad died in terrible convulsions and did not leave his son Ostap-Suleiman the slightest inheritance, and his mother was a countess and lived on unearned income. But the rotation of life could not break the strong nature of a worthy descendant of the Janissaries. Ostap appeared in world history at half past twelve from the northwest, from the village of Chmarovka, at the age of twenty-eight, and has remained forever in it and in our memory ever since.
Historical materialism was mentioned, of course, not just like that, but with a hint that from ancient epic times we are smoothly moving to the beginning of the last century, with its socialist ideas, faith in the bright future of working humanity and the ghost of communism, which wandered like a restless , throughout Europe. The ideas of the French Revolution, developed by European socialists and communists, found fertile ground in Turkey. And this soil was, oddly enough, the principles - the equality of all, despite the social status, members of the Muslim ummah (community), as well as the unconditional equality of all before the face of Allah - which, although not implemented in real life, were the most important concepts of social relationships and personal feelings. The entire development of socialist ideas in Turkey during the 20th century, and especially their influence on intellectuals - writers and poets - is rooted in this attempt to synthesize the fundamental principles of democracy and the Muslim religion. Turkish literature in its present form was greatly influenced by the classical heritage and, above all, by poetry.
The creative development of the poet was no exception. Nazima Hikmet Rana (01/20/1902, Thessaloniki - 06/03/1963, Moscow), who was born and raised in an aristocratic family. His grandfather Mehmed Nazim Pasha was a governor in various parts of the Ottoman Empire, and at the same time he was known as a skilled poet. Even in early childhood, Nazim got acquainted with creativity (1207-1273). Grandfather read him poems of the great sheikh in the evenings instead of a lullaby. Poets were often mentioned by Hikmet among his teachers, not only literary, but also moral, who had a great influence on the formation of his personality.
At the age of 18, Nazim ran away from home to Anatolia, wanting to join the rebels in their liberation war against the invaders. There he saw with his own eyes the true life of the common people in all its severity. Dugouts instead of houses, empty villages as a result of long wars, lack of rights and poverty. In his autobiographical book, Life is a Beautiful Thing, Brother, he reminisced about that time. “Thirty-five days, equal to thirty-five years, I spent on the road, I, an Istanbul youth, the grandson of a pasha. So I met Anatolia, and now everything that I saw and experienced lay in front of me like a bloodied torn handkerchief ... My heart led me to where I came! In 1921, Nazim left for revolutionary Russia to study at the Communist University of the Working People of the East. Since 1922, he has been a member of the Communist Party, which, by the way, is still officially banned in Turkey. In 1924, the poet returned home and began to contribute to revolutionary newspapers and magazines. The first collection of poems by Hikmet "Song of those who drink the sun" was published in 1928 in Baku. During these years, he combined his struggle with salon poetry with the expression of extremely “leftist” aesthetic views. There are many futuristic and formalistic heaps in the poems of that period, something like this - “And only then will I be happy when they put a turbine on my stomach, and pick up two sledgehammers from behind” (poem “Makinalashmak”). But it was a growing pain, because Hikmet, in his destiny, was, first of all, a "revolutionary of literature."
Nazim Hikmet became a classic during his lifetime. In 1929, his collection of poems "835 lines" was published in Turkey, which instantly turned the young poet into a star of the first magnitude in the literary horizon of Turkey. But the rebel and the communist could never find a common language with the authorities. After the release of almost every new book, he was sentenced to prison. In 1938, Hikmet was sentenced to 28 years in prison. In total, he spent 17 years in Turkish prisons. In 1950, under the influence of world public opinion, the Turkish government was forced to release the poet. Having barely left the prison, but having learned about the assassination attempt that was being prepared against him, Nazym Hikmet literally went to the open sea on a fishing boat. He was lucky - he was picked up by a steamer en route to Romania. In 1951, he flew from Bucharest to Moscow to fully enjoy the socialist paradise, where, as he thought, his dreams of a brighter future were realized. However, very soon the poet became convinced that Soviet reality contradicted the proclaimed ideals. The tragedy of the last years of Nazim Hikmet's life is the tragedy of all left-wing intellectuals, all who sincerely believe in the ideas of justice, equality and brotherhood.
Deprived of Turkish citizenship, Nazim Hikmet became a legend in his homeland. Songs have been composed to his poems - in different languages, in different countries of the world. His plays are staged in many theaters around the world. The poet's works are republished in his homeland, translated into many languages. Volumes of memoirs, countless articles, dissertations and even novels have been written about his life. Turkish literary critics call Nazim Hikmet nothing more than a reformer of the poetic language. Isn't that why each of his newly discovered lines becomes for Turkish literature the same value as Pushkin's line for us? However, of course, it was not so much the form of his texts as their social content that exerted that influence on the minds that frightened the authorities so much.
The longer the period of time separates us from the poet himself, the more fully the greatness of Nazim Hikmet Ran is revealed. Time is a harsh but fair judge, unmistakably determining the true place of this or that artist in the history of literature. The complex and harsh 20th century made Hikmet one of its great poets. He, along with Neruda, Aragon, Eluard, Lorca, Pasternak, defines the face of world poetry of the 20th century.
But all this is already, although not very distant, but still the past. In the 60-70s of the last century, the Turks again "conquered" Europe, turning from simple laborers into first-class builders, restorers, mechanics, etc. Now they are renovating old houses, shops and other public buildings across the continent from Moscow to Madrid. The money they earn "works" in their homeland, in Turkey. Now it is no longer the Turks who go to European countries for consumer goods, but we make commercial trips to Turkey, buying this consumer goods for foreign currency, and thereby contribute to the further growth of the Turkish economy. Of course, “big things are seen from a distance”, but who is the first thing that comes to mind now when we think about Turkey? Who are they, the glorious Turkish heroes and idols of our time and the "new" Turks?
Of course, this is also a high fashion couturier, an Italian fashion designer of Turkish origin. Rifat Ozbek, which is constantly in the focus of the world's fashion press. Ozbek is especially famous for the bright colors and impeccable cut of his collections, which clearly show oriental trends.
And a beautiful (but, of course, not a Komsomol member and not an athlete) famous Turkish actress - the queen of Turkish cinema. In Turkey, they like to call her Elizabeth Taylor of the East. In the 70-80s of the XX century, Turkan Shoray was perhaps the most popular and famous film actress on both banks. She was remembered by the broad masses of our people from the television series "Korolek - a singing bird" and, of course, from the film "My Love, My Sorrow" (a romantic poem based on the play by Nazim Hikmet "The Legend of Love"), where Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, Anatoly Papanov, Vsevolod Sanaev and Irina Miroshnichenko.
And a weightlifter Naim Suleiman-Oglu, the first three-time Olympic champion in the history of weightlifting (1988, 1992 and 1996). He was born in 1967 to a Turkish family living in Bulgaria. Although he was only 1.47m tall, the kid quickly caught the attention of trainers with his incredible ability to lift weights. In 1984, Bulgaria (like all socialist countries led by the USSR) boycotted the Los Angeles Games, but a few weeks after the Games, Suleiman-Oglu lifted a weight that was 30 kg more than that lifted by the Olympic champion in this weight category. In 1986 Suleiman-Oglu emigrated to Turkey. Naim is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for several positions at once: firstly, as a weightlifter who won 10 world championships, including the Olympic Games, secondly, as the youngest world record holder who set a world record when he was 16 years and 62 days old and thirdly, as an athlete who lifted in a snatch two and a half times his own weight - 150 kg in the 60 kg category. In Turkey, they say this about Naim's fantastic popularity: - "When he dine in a restaurant, no one asks him to pay the bill, if he exceeds the speed limit on the road, he does not have to pay a fine, the police only wish him a happy journey."
And, finally, the most "sweet ladies' lollipop" in Turkey is the famous one. This Turk owes his fame in the vastness of our vast homeland to the domestic favorite of overripe prima donnas, who sang his hit Şıkıdım in full in the Russian-Bulgarian manner. But Tarkan especially firmly conquered weak female hearts with his sexual smacking in the song Simarik. Tarkan Tevetoglu was born in Germany in 1972 in the suburb of Frankfurt, the town of Alzey. The father and mother of the future star were ordinary guest workers and worked hard at the factory there. Tarkan's adventures began already in the womb. She, being pregnant, got into a car accident and lay in a coma for a month. Doctors in such a situation advised to make an artificial miscarriage. But Tarkan's father, the wise Ali Bey, saw in a dream his son with a star on his head and realized that everything would be tip-top. And so it happened. After 14 years, having earned some money, Tarkan's hardworking ancestors pulled back to their historical homeland.
After graduating from school, the smart guy went straight to where he made an attempt to enter the university. However, realizing the groundlessness of his claims to receive a higher education, he did not lose heart, but remained there and began to earn a piece of bread with butter by performing in bars and clubs. Well, then everything went like clockwork. In 1993, Tarkan met producer Mehmed Sogut-Oglu, the owner of one of the most famous Turkish recording companies, Istanbul Plak. This meeting radically changed his life. The fact is that Mehmed, according to rumors, breathes unevenly towards young boys, whom he seduces with traditional promises: "I will make a star out of you." However, the cunning Tarkan acted smarter than most youngsters, and responded to the producer’s tempting offer with the words of the fitter Mechnikov, exhausted by Narzan: “Money in the morning, chairs in the evening.” And Mehmed made every effort to get these very “chairs”. So Tarkan turned into the number one Turkish star, while regularly appearing on the covers of all printed publications, without exception. And, what is absolutely wonderful, he turned out to be the first male to decorate the Turkish version of Cosmopolitan magazine with his pretty mature face.
Of course, it cannot be said that the dear Tarkan leads a purely monastic lifestyle. Several dozen Turkish girls claim that it was he who shook off the pollen of their innocence and made them mothers. At the same time, with one of them, the boy flew big. A friend of innocent fun turned out to be the daughter of a high-ranking official, who, having learned from whom she was pregnant, demanded that this sexual terrorist immediately marry. Otherwise, he threatened, the "singer" would not be in trouble, no matter what the star he was. Since the matrimonial fetters were not included in Tarkan's plans, the evil father, as an educational measure, decided to send him to military service, since the hero's age was suitable. The handsome man did not actively want to fulfill his civic duty to the Turkish Motherland, and he quickly fled to the States. But… still had to serve. The fact is that the Turkish diaspora in Europe and America, very patriotic, zealously called for boycotts of the concerts of this nasty deserter. And it already smelled of very, very significant material losses. After his, though not very long-term, fulfillment of his duty to the Motherland, forgiven by the kind Turkish people, Tarkan returned to his work, still enjoying himself to the fullest with temperamental fans. Again, in his videos, he is surrounded by a crowd of not too carefully dressed girls, but about his personal life, all sorts of fascinating gossip again roam.
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