Penguin Random House UK, 2018
363 p.
ISBN 978-0-241-97290-8
Post hau ingelesez dago.
The Bastard of Istanbul is a 2006 novel by Elif Shafak, written originally in English and translated into the author’s native language Turkish by Aslı Biçen. It rapidly became a bestseller, but was not accepted by the Turkish government who accused Shafak of ‘insulting Turkishness’ and the lawsuit was opened. The prosecutor dropped it due to “lack of insult”, but the government still insisted. Finally, the court acquitted her of criminal charges due to lack of legal grounds for the crime in question and insufficient evidence in the controversial trial.
So, what is the book about? Focused on the Kazanci family, and especially its female members, the novel follows the struggles of Asya, the illegitimate child of one of the four Kazanci sisters, to find her own way in the world. Soon she’ll have the opportunity to compare herself to an unexpected guest, her Uncle Mustafa’s stepdaughter, Armanoush, an Armenian-American girl. The topic that earned Shafak the government’s disapproval is the way Armenian diaspora trying to come to terms with a genocide perpetrated in 1915. At the beginning, the two girls can’t even come to suspect how much they have in common. Two different cultures, common and painful history, efforts to deal with growing up in big families and lots of food. The book is full of surprises.
We are going to talk in depth about The Bastard of Istanbul on March, 10th at our Donostia Book Club meeting. If you would like to analyse it too, here are some questions suggested by Penguin Random House:
The women of this novel create many rules for themselves. Identify and list them, discussing the circumstances that each reflects.
How do the various characters in the novel express their femininity or womanhood? How do both the religious conservatism and the secularity of Istanbul influence them?
Asya wants so much to be different from her mother. Yet she is like her in so many ways. Compare and contrast Zeliha and Asya.
Born on different continents and raised in different ethnic traditions, what do Asya and Armanoush have in common? How are they different?
Asya and Armanoush both find themselves in families that encourage conformity and dislike “standing out,” despite the fact that both families love their black sheep regardless. Explain the reasons each family feels this way and cite examples of how each acts out its preference.
Everywhere in this story are symbols of contradiction—or, more specifically, the concept of being many different things at once, existing in a state between belonging and separateness. Find some examples of this theme throughout the novel.
Zeliha refuses to tattoo her lover, Aram, with his chosen design: an upside down tree with its roots in the air. What does it mean to be displaced but not placeless? How does this concept apply to the characters of the novel?
Istanbul is personified in many different ways throughout the novel. It also serves as a symbol with many layers of meaning. While sharing drinks and dinner with Aram, Zeliha, and Asya, what is it that Armanoush comes to understand about Istanbul and its hold over Armenians and Turks alike? What significance does this portrayal of the city have for the novel and its characters?
With the weight of the truth on her shoulders, Auntie Banu wonders if it’s better for human beings to endlessly pine to discover their history or to know as little of the past as possible and forget what small amount is remembered. What do you think?
What is the significance of naming each chapter after an ingredient of the dessert ashure?