Zafer Hanım

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Zafer Hanım was the first Turkish novelist. (Hanım is actually a title meaning "lady"). Her birth and death dates are not known. According to contemporary writer Mehmet Zihni she was a member of Fuat Pasha's family.[1] Her husband was late Kabuli Pasha who had died before she wrote her novel.

Zafer Hanım published her novel named Aşk'ı Vatan (Love of Motherland) in 1877. It is about two slave girls (Turkish: cariye) named Gülbeyaz and Refia who actually were Spaniards. According to Mehmet Zihni literary form of the novel was narration rather than fiction. Probably it was a narration of a true life story of two girls living in Laz Ahmet Pasha's house.[2]

Zafer Hanım's long forgotten novel was unearthed by Zehra Toska of Boğaziçi University. Toska also published the novel in 1994 (Oğlak Yayınları Publishing Co.)[3]

Until recently Fatma Aliye who wrote her first novel 14 years later than Zafer Hanım was considered as the first Turkish woman novelist. Now the critics disagree on the name of first woman novelist. Since Zafer Hanım wrote only one novel some critics still give the priority to Fatma Aliye.[4]

References

  1. Aksiyon magazine (Turkish)
  2. Sibel Eraslan's essay (Turkish)
  3. Idefix
  4. Milliyet newspaper blog(Turkish)
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