Sema Kaygusuz, whose childhood involved moving across various regions of Turkey due to her father's profession, settled in Istanbul after finishing university in 1994. Her early stories began appearing in Varlık magazine, earning her the Yaşar Nabi Nayır Youth Award. Kaygusuzuz's literary journey spans acclaimed short story collections, novels, essays, film scripts, and documentary books. Her work is recognized for its distinctive style and profound exploration of the human psyche, garnering international attention and awards for translations. Her ability to delve into the intricacies of human relationships and societal themes establishes her as a significant voice in contemporary Turkish literature.
The third instalment of Comma's popular series showcasing science fiction stories from the Middle East, this time asking the authors to write stories set 100 years after the Mahabad, home of the short-lived Republic.
"In 1938, in the remote Dersim region of Eastern Anatolia, the Turkish Republic launched an operation to erase an entire community of Zaza-speaking Alevi Kurds. Inspired by those brutal events, this densely lyrical and allusive novel grapples with the various inheritances of genocide, gendered violence and historical memory as they reverberate across time and place from within the unnamed protagonist's home in contemporary Istanbul."--back cover.
Blending mysticism and modernity, Kaygusuz's stories demonstrate why she is regarded as one of the most promising writers in Turkey today.