Eco from Left to Right
To those who ask how he writes his novels, Umberto Eco replies drily, “from left to right”. Eco has titled his book Confessions of a Young Novelist in a humorous reference to the fact that he is relatively young as a fiction writer having come to it after a long career in academia. The book, which blends Ecos writing experience with his knowledge of semiotics, describes step by step how he came to write The Name of the Rose and Foucaults Pendulum. It is a source of inspiration and encouragement.
Winning acclaim for her latest novel, stone sleep, Asli Tohumcu is a writer whose books have been translated into numerous languages. We asked her about her much loved Bursa.
What place does Bursa have in your life?
Bursa has always been a magical, fairytale place in my life. I grew up there on the most beautiful streets in the world, falling down and picking myself up again, skinning my knees, but never really hurting myself. Bursa is a place as impressive for its people as for its geography, a place that always wrapped me in cotton and protected me. And it still is.
Which parts of Bursa remind you of your childhood there?
The district of Cekirge above all. I always felt that I was about to see the sea at Husnuguzel Tea Garden. The world revolves around Altiparmak and Heykel, and Yesil is a quiet, peaceful place where time stands pleasantly still. Nothing has changed in that sense, I think.
Is it true that your new novel is set in Bursa?
Yes, my new novel Dead Resat doesnt just take place in Bursa, Bursa is also a protagonist in the novel. Its about a boy by the name of Adnan who took another boys place by mistake when he was born in the Bursa of the 1940s. The story of his struggle to survive despite the troubles he brought down on the head of the boy whose place he stole.
What would you recommend to people going to Bursa? That they have a Turkish bath at the Mahkeme Hamam and then eat some fresh pide (pee-deh flat bread) with tahina from the Mahkeme Bakery. After a leisurely tour of Bursas covered bazaar that they drink a bitter Turkish coffee at Koza (Silkworm) Khan. And finally, that they eat breakfast in the nearby village of Cumalikizik and then have an iskender at the first kebab shop they come to.
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