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From Türkiye to world literature

The shifting image(s) of Nedim Gürsel

ORCiD logo with link | Hacettepe University
ORCiD logo with link | Hacettepe University
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Abstract
This paper examines the transformation of Nedim Gürsel’s image from that of a controversial author in Türkiye to a universal voice in world literature. Identifying Allah’ın Kızları as a born-translated work written by Gürsel for global circulation, the textual analysis explores how the French translation, Les Filles d’Allah, examines the source text’s born-translated composition. The extratextual analysis explains the varying accumulation of Gürsel’s symbolic capital in national and international book markets by foregrounding the consecrating mechanisms, such as Paris as a significant literary hub and Le Seuil as an influential publishing house. Allah’ın Kızları, which some readers consider an example of self-orientalization while others see it as a product of exile, contributes to the author’s evolving image(s). The paper concludes that Gürsel uses global narratives to ensure universal accessibility while simultaneously resorting to untranslatability to produce marketable otherness. The study ultimately reveals that this paradox is also present in the French translation.
Résumé
Cet article examine la transformation de l’image de Nedim Gürsel, d’auteur controversé en Turquie à une voix universelle reconnue dans la littérature mondiale. Considérant Allah’ın Kızları comme une œuvre ‘née traduite’ écrite par Gürsel en prévision d’une diffusion mondiale, l’analyse textuelle explore la manière dont la traduction française, Les Filles d’Allah, aborde la composition ‘née traduite’ du texte source. L’analyse extratextuelle identifie les mécanismes de consécration, en considérant Paris comme un centre littéraire de premier plan et Le Seuil comme un éditeur puissant, afin d’expliquer l’accumulation variable du capital symbolique de Gürsel sur les marchés nationaux et mondiaux. L’étude révèle que l’évolution de l’image de Gürsel est également influencée par la nature de son écriture, ‘née traduite’, perçue par certains comme auto-orientalisante, et par d’autres comme celle d’un écrivain exilé de premier plan. L’article conclut que Gürsel mobilise des récits mondiaux pour promouvoir l’accessibilité universelle, tout en recourant à l’intraduisibilité pour créer une altérité commercialisable, un paradoxe qui s’accentue dans la traduction.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Born-translated: Writing Allah’ın Kızları for the global market
    • Strategy 1: Making allusions to the works of world literature
    • Strategy 2: Highlighting the differences between East and West
    • Strategy 3: Foregrounding translation
    • Strategy 4: Appealing to diverse readerly interests
    • Strategy 5: Easing the reading process
  • The construction of Gürsel’s image(s) in national and world literature
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • References
References (54)
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