Description
The pioneering debut novel by one of Turkey's most radical authors, originally published in the 1970s, tells the story of an aspiring intellectual in a complex, modernizing country.
Erbil's groundbreaking coming-of-age novel, nominated for the Nobel upon original release, follows a young woman and aspiring poet in Turkey. Nermin frequents Istanbul's coffeehouses and underground readings, but is torn between the creative, anarchist youth culture of Turkey's capital and her parents, members of the old cultural guard who are wary of Nermin's turn toward secularism.
In four parts, A Strange Woman narrates the past and present of a complicated Turkish family through the eyes of each of its members. This rebellious, avant-garde novel tackles sexuality, psychology, and history through the lens of a modernizing 20th-century Turkey. Deep Vellum brings this long-awaited translation of the debut novel by a trailblazing feminist voice to US readers.
Serial rights targeting The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Literary Hub, Guernica, and others Print and digital publicity targeting NPR, The Atlantic, Public Books, The Rumpus, Bookforum, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The White Review, Words Without Borders, World Literature Today, Asymptote, Music & Literature, Little Star, A Public Space, and others Promotion at Texas Book Festival, Brooklyn Book Festival, National Book Festival, Winter Institute Review copies will be sent targeting all major print and digital literary media outlets, reviewers, and booksellers; additional copies available upon request Promotion on the publisher's website (deepvellum.org), Twitter feed (@deepvellum), and Facebook page (/deepvellum); and publisher's e-newsletter
About the Author
One of the most influential Turkish writers of the 20th century, Leyla Erbil was an innovative literary stylist who tackled issues at the heart of what it means to be human, in mind and body. Erbil ventured where few writers dared to tread, turning her lens to the tides of social norms and the shaping of identities, focusing intently on emotional conflict, and plumbing the depths of history and psyche. In 2002 and 2004 Erbil was nominated as candidate for the Nobel Literature Prize by Turkey PEN. She died in Istanbul in 2013.
Reviews
"How odd that a writer who first started making her mark in 1956 should remain a pioneer still today... How odd that, even after half a century, no writer capable of surpassing her has yet appeared." --Mahmut Temisyurek, award-winning poet " Leyla Erbil is a consummate literary artist." --Turkish National Committee for UNESCO "Complex but fascinating." --The Modern Novel
Book Information
ISBN 9781646051489
Author Leyla Erbil
Format Paperback
Page Count 196
Imprint Deep Vellum Publishing
Publisher Deep Vellum Publishing