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Despite the silence which dominated the whole century, in the past few
years, Turkish literary circles bore witness to a burgeoning interest in
the Armenian literature produced in the Ottoman Empire and modern
Turkey. A group of Turkish academics and some intellectuals outside of the
academia rediscovered the important role Armenian culture played in the
Ottoman Empire. They were fascinated by the vast literary heritage, which
was almost totally unknown to Turkish public. Armenian became a prefer-
able academic language for young scholars and at the same time, some
researchers began working on Turkish texts in the Armenian alphabet. In
this process, rst of all, the number of translations from Armenian increased
and the Turkish audience became acquainted with Ottoman Armenian
writers such as Hagop Baronyan, Krikor Zohrab, and Zabel Yesayan.
Secondly, contemporary writers and poets who wrote in Armenian or both
in Armenian and Turkish, such as Megerdich Margosyan, Zaven Biberyan,
and Zahrad became popular.1 Thirdly, various books and articles by
researchers and literary critics such as Marc Nichanian, Kevork Bardakjian,
and Boghos Levon Zekiyan were translated into Turkish as a parallel pro-
cess to the increasing number of literary works.2 And nally, works by
Turkish scholars, which also include research on Armeno-Turkish texts and
comparative studies between Armenian and Turkish literatures, accompanied
1 Aras publishing house has been the foremost actor in the eld since its rst day (1993). Its publication
policy has been two-fold since the beginning: On the one hand, it focuses on publishing books in
Armenian. On the other hand, Aras publishes books in Turkish and most of these are translations from
Armenian.
2 See: Marc Nichanian, Edebiyat ve Felaket, trans. A. Snmezay (stanbul: letiim Yaynlar, 2011); Kevork
Bardakjian, Modern Ermeni Edebiyat, trans. F. nal and M. Aktokmakyan (stanbul: Aras Yaynclk,
2013); Boos Levon Zekiyan, Bedros Turyann iirinde Kiisel Trajedi ve Kltrel Arkapln, trans.
Cem Bico, in Tanzimat ve Edebiyat: Osmanl stanbulunda Modern Edebi Kltr, ed. M. F. Uslu and
F. Altu (stanbul: Bankas Yaynlar, 2014), 455-480.
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192 Mehmet Fatih Uslu
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON TURKEY
3 Here, I would like to especially underline the pioneering contribution of Laurent Mignon who worked
at Bilkent University until 2011. Mignons own work and his students writings created a growing
interest in Ottoman Literature(s) in Turkish academic circles and brought about a challenging
criticism to the Republican historiography regarding the literature of Turkey and of the Ottoman
Empire. Mignon published extensively on literatures and literary cultures of non-Muslims in the
Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey and helped to understand how nationalist history created an
atmosphere of negligence for the local cultures of Anatolia and Istanbul. See: Laurent Mignon,
A Pilgrims Progress: Armenian and Kurdish Literatures in Turkish and the Rewriting of Literary
History, Patterns of Prejudice vol. 48 (2014): 182-200.
4 For an extensive account of Hrant Dinks life and inuence on Turkish intellectuals, see: Tuba andar,
Hrant, (stanbul: Everest Yaynlar, 2010).
5 Yervant Baret Manok, Dou ile Bat Arasnda San Lazzaro Sahnesi: lk Trke Tiyatro Oyunlar, trans. M. F.
Uslu (stanbul: bgst Yaynlar, 2013).
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193
6 Berivan Can Emmez, Mgrdi Margosyann Syle Margos Nerelisen? Adl Eserinde Diyarbakr ve
teki mgesi, Batman niversitesi Yaam Bilimleri Dergisi. Vol. 1 (2012): 145-157.
7 Nket Esen, Mgrdi Margosyan and Mehmed Uzun: Remembering Cultural Pluralism in Diyarbakr,
New Perspectives on Turkey 36 (Spring 2007); Onur Gnay. Yitik Bir Zamann Peinde: Gvur
Mahallesi. Kitap-lk (April 2008).
8 Alparslan Nas, Between National and Minor Literature in Turkey: Modes of Resistance in the Works of
Mehmed Uzun and Mgrdi Margosyan, (M.A. thesis, Sabanc University, 2011).
9 In last years, Baronian has been translated and published by different publishing houses: Hagop
Baronyan, ark Diisi, trans. Boos algcolu (stanbul: Aras Yaynclk, 2010); Baronyan Oyunlar,
trans. M. F. Uslu and A. Snmez (stanbul: bgst Yaynlar, 2013); stanbul Mahallelerinde Bir Gezinti,
trans. H. T. Babek, (stanbul: Can Yaynlar, 2014).
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194 Mehmet Fatih Uslu
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON TURKEY
came out, published by Aras Publishing House. The book has not been read
extensively as expected, but Yesayans fame has continued to grow.10
One of main subelds of Armenian literary studies in the academia and
maybe the most popular one- is Armeno-Turkish literature. Especially nowadays,
many young academics work on Armeno-Turkish texts, particularly on novels and
plays. Famous Turcologist Andreas Tietze edited Vartan Pashas Akabi Hikayesi
(Story of Agapi) at a relatively early date, in 1991.11 Yet, his edition was neglected
for a long time. This publication was in fact a very important challenge to Turkish
literary history, because the novel was written in 1851, twenty-two years before the
so-called rst novel in Turkish Taauk- Talat ve Fitnat by emseddin Sami.
Turkish literary circles waited almost twenty years to discuss the Turkish literature
in the Armenian alphabet produced by Armenians.12
One other growing subeld has been that of comparative literary studies.
The Ottoman Empire in the 19th century was a unique hub. Istanbul was an
unrivaled center to see the comparative modernizations of different literatures
such as Greek, Arabic, Ladino, Persian, Armenian, and Turkish. A side-by-
side and comparative analysis of these literatures creates many different
opportunities to understand the complex map of negotiations and conicts
among the Empires agents, particularly in the last century of the Empire.13
In this cosmopolitan atmosphere, modern Armenian and Turkish literatures,
which were born and developed in the capital city of the Empire, played the
main roles. It seems an impressive opportunity to read these two literatures
comparatively. Let me briey explain the base of this opportunity.
Coming from different classical traditions, the two literatures had experi-
enced more or less the same levels of modernization and in the 1890s both
attained similar literary understandings. However, despite all parallelisms and
10 See Hazal Halavuts M.A. thesis, which partly analyzes this gap between Yesayans fame and the
unavailability of her literary corpus in Turkish: Towards a Literature of Absence. Literary Encounters with
Zabel Yesayan and Halide Edib (M.A. thesis, Istanbul Bilgi University, 2012).
11 Vartan Paa, Akabi Hikayesi, Ed. Andreas Tietze (stanbul: Eren Yaynclk, 1991).
12 For some earlier works on Armeno-Turkish literature, see: A. Turgut Kut, Ermeni Hari Trke Telif ve
Tercme Konular: I-Victor Hugonun Magdurin Hikyesinin Ksaltlm Nshas, in Besinci Milletler
Aras Trkoloji Kongresi: Tebligler II Trk Edebiyat. Volume I (Istanbul: Edebiyat Fakltesi 1985), 195
214. Gonca Gkalp, Osmanl Dnemi Trk Romannn Balangcnda Be Eser, Hacettepe niversitesi
Edebiyat Fakltesi Dergisi, October 1999, 185202. In last ten years, new theses and disserations on the
issue also came out. For instance, see: Erkan Erinci, teki Metinler, teki Kadnlar: Ermeni Hari
Trke Romanlar ve Kadn mgesi (M.A. thesis, Bilkent University, 2007). Murat Cankaras work on
Armeno-Turkish novels has been the most comprehensive work in this eld. See: mparatorluk ve
Roman: Ermeni Hari Trke Romanlar Osmanl Trk Edebiyat Tarihi Yazmnda Konumlandrmak
(Ph.D. diss., Bilkent University 2011).
13 For a recent compilation of articles on the modernization adventures of different Ottoman
communities, see: Mehmet Fatih Uslu and Fatih Altu, eds. Tanzimat ve Edebiyat: Osmanl
stanbulunda Modern Edebi Kltr (stanbul: Bankas Yaynlar, 2014).
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195
convergences between the two literatures in the 19th century, it is not easy to
14 For a comparative work focusing on dramatic literature and its political implications in the 19th
century, see: Mehmet Fatih Uslu, atma ve Mzakere: Osmanlda Trke ve Ermenice Dramatik
Edebiyat, (stanbul: letiim, 2014).
15 Sarkis Srents, Ermeni Edebiyat Numuneleri, (stanbul: Aras Yaynclk, 2013).
16 A. Makarian, Y. Odyani Padmakan Vepere, in Yerkeri Joghovadzou. Volume II, (Yervant Odian,
Yerevan, 1961): xv. For a recent Turkish version see: Yervant Odyan, Abdulhamid ve Sherlock Holmes.
Ed. S. ahin et al. (stanbul: Everest Yaynlar, 2014).
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196 Mehmet Fatih Uslu
First of all, 19th century Istanbul seems a very fascinating case for comparative
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON TURKEY
17 Marc Nichanian taught in Turkey for some time and had visible inuence on Turkish intelectual
circles. A good number of his articles have recently been translated and published in Turkish. See:
Marc Nichanian, Edebiyat ve Felaket, trans. A. Snmezay, (stanbul: letiim Yaynlar, 2011).
18 Melissa Bilal and Lerna Ekmekiolus edited volume A Cry of Justice: Five Feminist Writers from the
Ottoman Empire to Turkey was the earliest work in this eld and evoked the curiosity of intellectuals
who study Ottoman-Turkish women and their struggles. M. Bilal and L. Ekmekiolu, ed., Bir Adalet
Feryad: Osmanldan Trkiyeye Be Ermeni Feminist Yazar, (stanbul: Aras Yaynclk, 2006).
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