Abstract:

The first story examples in Turkish literature appear in Tanzimat period, when the society undergoes a process of Western modernization. The modernization process becoming effective in every area of life has played an important role in the emergence of the contemporary “short story” which deals with the effects and consequences of the changes in the lives of the individual and the society. After 1980 in Turkey, there increased a great interest in stories that reflected an memory or a plot rather than an action. As the leading figure to create the finest examples of the genre, Cemil Kavukçu secured his prominence in literature. Mostly dealing with the conditions of the period, the stories adress the attitudes of the urbanite and countryman towards the modernity. Kavukçu’s stories are formed by narrating the conditions of the period they were written in. The central question of these male-character based stores is the identity crisis of the individuals who are unable to hold on to life dominated by political conflicts and deep economical depression. Sociological and psychological data become important through interpersonal communication which supplies emotion and thought transfers in stories. Besides his novels and other story collections, Kavukçu’s Temmuz Suçlu (1990) consists of 19 noteworthy stories. Loneliness, lack of livelihood, fear, bohemian lifestyle; escape from reality, crowded urban environment, and society are the main themes of the stories. Heroins and idealistic characters are few. On the contrary, unhappy young and middle-aged men who are depressed, and badly affected by the poor conditions of the period are more common. Among the characters, bohemian, adventurous, rebellious, degenerate, bum, funky, and pessimistic ones stand out. These stories mirror these people’s feelings and thoughts about their inner worlds, unbearable lives, and identity crisis caused by the conditions.