Comforting Books from Turkish Literature
Sait Faik's fishermen on the islands, Tanpınar's hours along the Bosphorus, Reşat Nuri's warm Anatolian towns, Aziz Nesin's stories that make you laugh and think. Whether you're new to Turkish literature or already a fan, these books bring a smile and a fresh affection for its people and land.
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1 Book
Semaver
Stories that bring tenderness to ordinary moments, with the warmth of Ali thinking of his mother over the first tea of the morning.
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2 Book
Garip
Verses that make you smile, bringing the small joys of everyday life into poetry in a plain, playful voice.
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3 Book
Beş Şehir
Essays that wander from Ankara to Bursa, exploring the soul of cities and the beauty of the past in a calm, poetic voice.
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4 Book
Çalıkuşu
A novel about Feride, a teacher in Anatolia whose heart never loses its cheer and hope.
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5 Book
Şimdiki Çocuklar Harika
A humorous novel told through a child's eyes, offering a sincere and smile-inducing look at the grown-up world.
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6 Book
The Clown and His Daughter
A novel set in the neighborhood warmth of old Istanbul, opening up to love and tolerance through Rabia's voice.
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7 Book
Mavi Yolculuk
An account of journeys with friends along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, full of sun, sea and joy.
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8 Book
Anadolu Notları
Sweet travel notes describing Anatolian towns, their people and the road with an affectionate eye.
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9 Book
Şıpsevdi
A fun novel that laughs at old Istanbul through the love affairs of Meftun Bey, a Westernized dandy.
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10 Book
Kuyrukluyıldız Altında Bir İzdivaç
A cheerful satire that makes us laugh at a neighborhood thrown into a panic by fear of the end of the world.
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11 Book
Gulyabani
A story that pokes gentle fun at superstition, as a brave girl solves the secret of the ghost haunting a mansion.
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12 Book
Evlere Şenlik, Kaynanam Nasıl Kudurdu?
A family comedy that recounts, with plenty of laughs, the uproar in a house full of mothers-in-law, brides and neighbors.
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13 Book
Efsuncu Baba
A novel that describes quack healers and their gullible followers with a sweet-and-sour humor, calling us back to common sense.
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14 Book
Felatun Bey ile Rakım Efendi
One of our first novels, a smile-inducing tale in which hardworking, kind-hearted Rakım is rewarded for his efforts with happiness.
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15 Book
Bize Göre
Writings that look at life's small details, from ants to Istanbul streets, through the graceful, witty eyes of a poet.
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16 Book
The Time Regulation Institute
A wise satire that both amuses and makes you think, set in Hayri İrdal's strange life full of clocks.
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17 Book
Fahim Bey ve Biz
A novel that tenderly portrays the lovable, dreamy Fahim Bey and looks warmly on human flaws.
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18 Book
Boğaziçi Mehtapları
A memoir that brings back the music heard from boats on the moonlit Bosphorus and the elegance of old Istanbul.
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19 Book
Çamlıca'daki Eniştemiz
A novel telling, with sweet longing, the story of an eccentric, dreamy brother-in-law living in a mansion on Çamlıca.
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20 Book
Ali Nizami Bey'in Alafrangalığı ve Şeyhliği
A novel that recounts, with fine humor and affection, the life of a Westernized gentleman who ends up a sheikh.
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21 Book
Boğaziçi Yalıları
A peaceful memoir that celebrates the Bosphorus waterfront mansions, their gardens and the graceful life there in poetic language.
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22 Book
Geçmiş Zaman Köşkleri
Writings that wistfully bring back the gardens, dinner tables and quiet days of old Istanbul's mansions.
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23 Book
Geçmiş Zaman Fıkraları
A collection that passes on, with a smile, the witty ways and sweet anecdotes of the people of old Istanbul.
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24 Book
Kendi Gök Kubbemiz
Poems that place Istanbul's neighborhoods, sea and mornings inside you in harmonious verse.
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25 Book
Beauty and Love
A dreamlike, ornate Sufi tale that reveals Beauty and Love to be, in truth, a single being.
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26 Book
Filler Sultanı ile Kırmızı Sakallı Topal Karınca
A wise, fairy-tale-flavored story in which the solidarity of the small triumphs over great powers.
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27 Book
Hababam Sınıfı
A heartwarming classic full of laughter and friendship, about the mischievous students of a boarding school.
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28 Book
Zıkkımın Kökü
A funny account of a childhood in a poor neighborhood, told with humor and love.
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29 Book
Zübük
A comic novel that skewers a cunning small-town politician, making you think as you laugh.
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30 Book
Yaşar Ne Yaşar Ne Yaşamaz
The comic struggle with bureaucracy of a man who is officially dead on paper.
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31 Book
Alemdağ'da Var Bir Yılan
Stories that express a longing for people, the sea and love in poetic language.
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32 Book
Lüzumsuz Adam
Simple, warm stories that look tenderly at the little people of Istanbul.
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33 Book
Mahalle Kahvesi
Stories that open onto the world of the neighborhood coffeehouse, its fishermen and its friends from the islands.
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34 Book
Şişhane'ye Yağmur Yağıyordu
Stories that portray the colorful people of old Istanbul with a fine humor.
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35 Book
A Strangeness in My Mind
A gentle novel about the city, love and patience, seen through the eyes of Mevlut, a boza seller.
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36 Book
Kumral Ada Mavi Tuna
An enchanting travel novel in which love, dream and reality intertwine.
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37 Book
İstanbul Bir Masaldı
A novel that tells the many-voiced memory of Istanbul through the story of a family across generations.
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38 Book
Göçmüş Kediler Bahçesi
Elegant stories, where fairy tale meets reality, that let you savor the taste of language.
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39 Book
Memleket Hikâyeleri
Stories that portray the people of Anatolian towns in a lively, flowing language.
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40 Book
Üvercinka
A beloved poetry collection of the Second New movement, celebrating love, the body and life in fresh language.
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41 Book
Yaşamak Güzel Şey Be Kardeşim
A novel that clings passionately to life, just as its title says, and never lets go of hope.
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42 Book
Şehir Mektupları
Essays that recount the daily life of old Istanbul in pleasant, chatty prose.
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43 Book
Aziz İstanbul
Prose pieces that express love for Istanbul's neighborhoods, waters and music.
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44 Book
Araba Sevdası
One of our first humorous novels, recounting the ridiculous adventures of Bihruz Bey, a Westernized dandy.
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45 Book
Fatih-Harbiye
The story of a young woman torn between East and West, finding herself.
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46 Book
Fadiş
An encouraging children's novel about a determined village girl's eagerness to learn.
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47 Book
İçimizdeki Çocuk
A warm psychology book about making peace with the child within us and understanding ourselves.
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48 Book
Seyahatname
A great traveler's impressions of the Ottoman lands, seen with curiosity and humor.