Burhan Sönmez Books

Longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award This gorgeous, haunting saga tells the story of modern Turkey and its diverse communities through the life of a gravestone maker. In the city of Mardin, near Turkey’s border with Syria, the orphaned Avdo finds purpose when an old mason takes him on as an apprentice. From Master Josef, he learns the importance of their art, which looks after the dead and bears witness to their lives. Avdo then travels the country and meets a woman he loves wholeheartedly, only to lose her through a tragic crime. Resigned to a lonely existence, he retreats from the world into his cemetery workshop, but even there, life, with all its sorrows, joys, injustices, and gifts, draws him in unexpected directions. An intimate, indelible epic, Stone and Shadow melds fragments not only from twentieth-century Turkish history, but also from the Ottoman Empire, the wider Middle East, and Europe. Together they form a breathtaking picture of a rich, complex society that encompasses Christians, Sunni Muslims, Alawites, Turks, Kurds, and Armenians.

After a military coup, four prisoners sit below ground awaiting their turn at the hands of their wardens. Between interrogations, the condemned share parables and riddles about their beloved city to pass the time. Istanbul, Istanbul is a harrowing and riveting novel about the power of human imagination and compassion in the face of adversity.

Two young people from foreign lands meet in a shop in Cambridge: Brani Tawo, a Kurdish political refugee from Turkey, and Feruzeh, who had fled to the UK from revolutionary Iran. Slowly, their love begins to grow, fed by stories, a shared love of literature and a subtle recognition of their mutual displacement.

Notable International Crime Novel of the Year – Crime Reads / Lit Hub From a prize-winning Turkish novelist, a heady, political tale of one man’s search for identity and meaning in Istanbul after the loss of his memory. A blues singer, Boratin, attempts suicide by jumping off the Bosphorus Bridge, but opens his eyes in the hospital. He has lost his memory, and can't recall why he wished to end his life. He remembers only things that are unrelated to himself, but confuses their timing. He knows that the Ottoman Empire fell, and that the last sultan died, but has no idea when. His mind falters when remembering civilizations, while life, like a labyrinth, leads him down different paths. From the confusion of his social and individual memory, he is faced with two questions. Does physical recognition provide a sense of identity? Which is more liberating for a man, or a society: knowing the past, or forgetting it? Embroidered with Borgesian micro-stories, Labyrinth flows smoothly on the surface while traversing sharp bends beneath the current.

Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, this inventive thriller intertwines love and revenge with a debate surrounding Franz Kafka's legacy. As student activists question the ethics of publishing Kafka's works against his wishes, an assassination attempt on his friend Max Brod leads to a gripping interrogation of Ferdy Kaplan. Through this process, Kaplan's past unfolds, revealing a deep connection to Kafka and a radical group. The narrative explores themes of anti-Semitism, immigration, and the significance of literature, all while vividly depicting a pivotal historical moment.

Yokluğun bilincinden söz edemeyiz. Âşık, sevgiliyi tanımadan önce içinde bulunduğu yokluğun farkında değildir. Oradan çıkıp varlığa ermesi, kendini bilmesi ancak severek mümkün olur. Varoluşun başı döndürmesi bundandır, yıldızlı gökyüzü gibi, insanın aklını alır. “Aşkı tattıktan sonra sevgilisini kaybeden âşığın içine düştüğü yalnızlık ise gerçek yalnızlıktır. Bu, Tanrı’nın evreni yaratmasından önceki yalnızlığı gibi yokluktan değil, varlıktan doğar. Önce varlığa ermiş, sonra yitirmiştir. Nasıl ki Tanrı evreni yok edip artık yalnızlığa geri dönemezse, âşık da geri dönülmez bir yerdedir. Aşk sayesinde kendini var etmiştir, ama kendi varlığının Tanrısı değildir, çaresizliği, acıları buradan gelir.”

Boratin, ein junger Musiker öffnet nach einem Selbstmordversuch in einem Istanbuler Krankenhaus die Augen. Er kann sich an nichts erinnern, nicht einmal an seine eigenen Lieder. Für ihn besteht kein Zweifel daran, dass die einzige Wahrheit sein geschundener Körper ist. Nicht wissend, ob das Vergessen nun Fluch oder Segen ist, begibt er sich nach draußen, auf die Suche nach sich und seiner Geschichte, mitten hinein in die flirrende Metropole am Bosporus, die ihm in ihrer Gebrochenheit und ihrer Geschichtsvergessenheit zum Erschrecken ähnlich ist. Wir folgen Boratin auf seiner Suche, und wissen dabei nie mehr, als er selbst. Seine unbeantworteten Fragen werden zu Fragen, nach deren Beantwortung wir selbst suchen. Der Titel des Romans ist dabei keine Übertreibung, denn in all dem Chaos gibt Burhan Sönmez seinen Lesern einzig seine unnachahmlich eindringliche und leise Sprache als Orientierungsmittel an die Hand. Ein Roman voller Traurigkeit und tiefer Strahlkraft vom Autor des Bestsellers »Istanbul, Istanbul«.