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A Novel
by Suat Dervis
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.
"A melancholy look at dashed illusions." —Kirkus Reviews
"There is a sense of redemption when he returns to Istanbul to seek out Zeynep, but while Vasfi's brokenness is palpable, his self-pity wears on the reader, as does the slow pacing. This one doesn't quite hold up." —Publishers Weekly
"Set in the aftermath of the Ottoman Empire, The Prisoner of Ankara is a vivid and evocative novel, reminiscent of Dostoevsky, that brings to life the despair of prison and poverty, the sorrow of loving an illusion, and the hope that exists in humanity's compassion for each other, despite it all." —Jamila Ahmed, author of Every Rising Sun
"After twelve years in prison, Vasfi finds that his release does not necessarily grant him his freedom. In this timeless novel, Suat Derviş masterfully examines the relationship between freedom and dignity, and the remnants of possibility left for those, alone and abandoned, on the margins of society. Heartbreaking, tender, and threaded through with hope." —Inci Atrek, author of Holiday Country
This information about The Prisoner of Ankara was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
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.
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