Istanbul is a good city for writers. They have been living here forever, from Turks like Elif Şafak and Yaşar Kemal to foreigners like James Baldwin and Ernest Hemingway. There is something about this place that draws writers to the city and keeps them here it like a mantis fly trap.
To be fair, life inside the fly trap can be quite fulfilling, Istanbul is a great city to find inspiration in. I write fantasy stories, when I’m not working on the Bosphorus Review. The history, the buildings, the sights and the sounds can all be ground up in the ideas mill.
However, ideas and inspirations aren’t enough. Anybody who has every tried to write fiction will tell you that it is hard work. The construction of even a short story, let alone a novel, can be a constant uphill struggle. There are so many elements that need to be balanced, character, plot, and theme just at the beginning. Then as you get going you have to consider pace, prose style, dialog, the subtle balance between show and tell and so much more. It can be overwhelming. The mountain that you have to keep climbing gets bigger the more you learn and every word you write spins out into countless objections. This is on a good day, when the distractions of daily life don’t get in the way and the demonic spectre of procrastination is beaten away, by a poor internet connection or momentary bout of self-control.
It is at times like this that it is useful to hear from a pro, somebody who has been through the grinder themselves and come out on the other side, at least seemingly, unscathed. In some of the moments where I have doubted my own ability to write stories, a speech by Neil Gaiham, or a few wise words from Hemingway go along way to re-motivate me and remind me that the sometimes lonely process of writing is also a shared experience and that there are practical steps that can be taken to improve yourself.
With that in mind I am very happy to announce that the Bosphorus Review of Books will be having a conversation with Burhan Sönmez on the craft of writing for the Istanbul Literature Festival.
Burhan is an incredibly talented writer his four novels have been published in over thirty countries and recently won the the EBRD Literature Prize.
In my opinion, he is one of the most interesting writers currently working in Turkey and his third book Istanbul Istanbul is one of my favourite books period.
His stories are unique because of the way that they are structured. Like a mosaic he pulls together lots of different stories, jokes, folk tales and parables to construct a greater picture. When I interviewed him the first time for the Bosphorus Review of Books he said, “I like to think of a lot of little stories at the same time and try to find connections between them.” It is an interesting way of writing and quite different to a lot of other writers who are stuck writing in three act structures or rolling round Joseph Campbell’s mono-myth.
In addition to being a story teller with an unconventional style, he is also has dazzling beautiful prose, pulling of the neat trick of making us smile with one line and tear up with another.
So if you are a writer looking for advice from a master, a reader of Burhan’s work, or simply interested in the process of a novelists, come along to KargArt on the 22nd of April at 8:00. The event will be in English but simultaneous interpreting into Turkish will be available. For more information please check out the official Facebook page.
