The Prisoner of Ankara - Paperback

by Suat Dervis (Author), Maureen Freely (Translator)

An idealistic young man attempts to find his place in a changed world after incarceration, in this Turkish classic from the pioneering writer and activist, now available for the first time in English.

Dreaming of a better life for her son, Vasfi's mother encourages him to attend medical school, so he can become a great doctor. But Vasfi's infatuation with the beguiling Zeynep, and his fiery temper, destroy this promising future in a night: Quarreling over Zeynep, he kills his cousin in a drunken brawl, and spends the next 12 years in prison.

After his release, he struggles to get by in a world that has moved on without him. He hardly recognizes Zeynep, now a bitter, tightfisted shop owner. Homeless and unable to find work in Ankara or Istanbul, he relies on the kindness of others: an old woman who offers him shelter, because he reminds her of her lost son; a friend from prison who secures him a job as a construction worker.

In this tragic yet vibrant portrait of a life derailed, Suat Derviş offers an insightful, deeply humane perspective on the margins of society.

Author Biography

Suat Derviş (Istanbul, 1905-1972) is one of the leading female authors of Turkish literature. She was educated in Germany, where she wrote articles for newspapers and journals. After the rise of fascism, she returned to Turkey in 1932. She became renowned for her novels, which were serialized in Turkish newspapers and often centered around the tragic lives of lost, lonely, and struggling people in urban Turkey. In 1941 she began publishing Yeni Edebiyat ("New Literature"), a biweekly magazine on art and literature. A dedicated socialist, she was placed under house arrest for a short period of time following the publication of her book Why Do I Admire Soviet Russia. After her release, and a change of government in Turkey, she voluntarily exiled herself from 1953 to 1963. With the publication of The Prisoner of Ankara in 1957, she became the first female Turkish author to publish a novel in Europe. The novel received critical acclaim from Le Monde and the literary periodical Les Lettres Françaises, and was published in Turkish eleven years later. Her novel In the Shadow of the Yalı was published by Other Press in 2021.

Maureen Freely is the author of seven novels, and a former journalist who focused on literature, social justice, and human rights. Well known as a translator of Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk, she has brought into English several Turkish classics as well as newer work by Turkey's rising stars. As chair of the Translator's Association and more recently as president and chair of English PEN, she has campaigned for writers and freedom of expression internationally. She teaches at the University of Warwick.