A woman’s scream rises from a ’stone building’
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 26, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Aslı Erdoğan is an author in the field of contemporary literature and whose book 'Kırmızı Pelerinli Kent' was released in Europe as part of the prestigious 'Marg Series' by Norwegian Gylendal Publishing House. She was sexually harrased at 10 years old and this was a turning point in her life. Her tales are based on her painful experiences and collected in her new book.
Aslı Erdoğan is an internationally known Turkish author in the field of contemporary literature. Her books have been translated into many languages.
Her book "Kırmızı Pelerinli Kent" (The City in a Red Cape) was released in Europe readers as part of the "Marg Series" by Norwegian Gylendal Publishing House, which publishes books by the world’s most selected authors. Only two authors are included in the series each year. Erdoğan’s real profession is physics, she is a physics expert. She has completed her master’s degree at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, in Geneva, Switzerland. She also has researched physics at the Rio de Janeiro University. She wrote tales during her studies and published her first book "Mucizevi Mandarin" (Miraculous Mandarin), and then suddenly left her academic career.
She was harassed in childhood
Erdoğan had an unhappy childhood. She was sexually harassed at 10 years old and this experience was a turning point in her life. She always preferred to remain silent just like she would do in the future. Her biggest passion was ballet; she expressed the storms in her inner world through dance.
She faced the same harassment that she experienced in her childhood while she was an adult. A novel titled "İmkansız Aşk" (Impossible Love), written by Hasan Öztoprak in the mid of 1990s, became a hot issue in Turkey. Erdoğan’s ex-lover Öztoprak revealed most of Erdoğan’s secrets. This was the second turning point for Erdoğan.
As she did in her childhood, Erdoğan remained silent again and left Turkey. She continued writing nonstop and gained new success with each of her books. They have been translated into English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Bosnian and Bulgarian.
Erdoğan’s latest book "Taş Bina ve Diğerleri" (Stone Building and the Others) was recently released by Everest Publishing House. The book, which tells stories about immigration and exile of female characters who are away from their homeland, will also meet European readers in the coming months.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review, Erdoğan said, "I realized that writing is something nourished by pain. I would not be able to write if I did not go through such painful events. My faith in writing made my ties with life stronger."
Erdoğan, who thinks that what she went through was caused by her gender, said, "The latest event was not physical but a psychological rape. If I was not a woman, I would not have had to face what I experienced."
Erdoğan said being a woman and being an author was not easy at all. "People talk about if I wear bra or if I don’t remove my body hair, rather than my books. Amorality against woman is not regarded as amorality in Turkey."
Criticizing Turkish art circles, Erdoğan recalled what was said when Orhan Pamuk won the Nobel Prize. "What was done to him was shameful. We were made ’the other’ because of my gender and because of his thoughts. There is a clichd art environment. Love of power is dominant. How can we talk about freedom of thought?"
Erdoğan mentioned an event she experienced last year in Germany. "When one of Germany’s most important critics was making a presentation, he introduced me by saying, ’A female writer who was called as immoral on the front pages of newspapers in her own country.’ This statement became a hot issue in German papers." Erdoğan said although she was a former journalist, she could never read papers or watch news programs afterward. "I was disgusted, even with myself physically. The person with whom I shared my life revealed my most confidential life. It was a kind of trauma. I still can’t check my e-mail. I don’t read my interviews. I have a fear that the same things will happen again."
Her book "Kırmızı Pelerinli Kent" (The City in a Red Cape) was released in Europe readers as part of the "Marg Series" by Norwegian Gylendal Publishing House, which publishes books by the world’s most selected authors. Only two authors are included in the series each year. Erdoğan’s real profession is physics, she is a physics expert. She has completed her master’s degree at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, in Geneva, Switzerland. She also has researched physics at the Rio de Janeiro University. She wrote tales during her studies and published her first book "Mucizevi Mandarin" (Miraculous Mandarin), and then suddenly left her academic career.
She was harassed in childhood
Erdoğan had an unhappy childhood. She was sexually harassed at 10 years old and this experience was a turning point in her life. She always preferred to remain silent just like she would do in the future. Her biggest passion was ballet; she expressed the storms in her inner world through dance.
She faced the same harassment that she experienced in her childhood while she was an adult. A novel titled "İmkansız Aşk" (Impossible Love), written by Hasan Öztoprak in the mid of 1990s, became a hot issue in Turkey. Erdoğan’s ex-lover Öztoprak revealed most of Erdoğan’s secrets. This was the second turning point for Erdoğan.
As she did in her childhood, Erdoğan remained silent again and left Turkey. She continued writing nonstop and gained new success with each of her books. They have been translated into English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Bosnian and Bulgarian.
Erdoğan’s latest book "Taş Bina ve Diğerleri" (Stone Building and the Others) was recently released by Everest Publishing House. The book, which tells stories about immigration and exile of female characters who are away from their homeland, will also meet European readers in the coming months.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review, Erdoğan said, "I realized that writing is something nourished by pain. I would not be able to write if I did not go through such painful events. My faith in writing made my ties with life stronger."
Erdoğan, who thinks that what she went through was caused by her gender, said, "The latest event was not physical but a psychological rape. If I was not a woman, I would not have had to face what I experienced."
Erdoğan said being a woman and being an author was not easy at all. "People talk about if I wear bra or if I don’t remove my body hair, rather than my books. Amorality against woman is not regarded as amorality in Turkey."
Criticizing Turkish art circles, Erdoğan recalled what was said when Orhan Pamuk won the Nobel Prize. "What was done to him was shameful. We were made ’the other’ because of my gender and because of his thoughts. There is a clichd art environment. Love of power is dominant. How can we talk about freedom of thought?"
Erdoğan mentioned an event she experienced last year in Germany. "When one of Germany’s most important critics was making a presentation, he introduced me by saying, ’A female writer who was called as immoral on the front pages of newspapers in her own country.’ This statement became a hot issue in German papers." Erdoğan said although she was a former journalist, she could never read papers or watch news programs afterward. "I was disgusted, even with myself physically. The person with whom I shared my life revealed my most confidential life. It was a kind of trauma. I still can’t check my e-mail. I don’t read my interviews. I have a fear that the same things will happen again."