YUSUF ATıLGAN (1921-1989) was a Turkish novelist and dramatist, best known for his novels Aylak Adam (The Flâneur) and Anayurt Oteli (Motherland Hotel). A pioneer of the modern Turkish novel, Atılgan’s work, in dealing with the existential crises of human beings, probes the depths of human psychology. His novel Aylak Adam was published in 1959, followed in 1973 by Anayurt Oteli, which gained further fame when a film based on the novel was made in 1987. Atılgan died of a heart attack in 1989 while in the middle of writing a novel titled Canistan, later published in incomplete form. Atılgan is also the author of a popular children’s book and a collection of short stories.
FRED STARK was an American translator who resided in Turkey for many years. His translations include works from many of Turkey’s most prominent authors, and commentary and interviews with cultural figures and artists. His translation of “The Mulberry Trees,” constitutes the final section of Bilge Karasu’s novel, A Long Day’s Evening (City Lights, 2012), which was shortlisted for the PEN Translation Prize in 2013.
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