Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil
Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil's 1897 novel Mai ve Siyah (Blue and Black) is the first modern Turkish novel in the Western sense, depicting the ideals of a young dreamer named Ahmet Cemil, his struggle for these ideals, and the deep disappointments he encounters.
The desperate struggle between Ahmet Cemil's high artistic ideals, his passion for renewing Turkish poetry, and his dreams of pure love (Mai), and his ruthless life (Siyah) consisting of the stress of supporting his family after his father's death, cheap market conditions, and humiliating literary feuds.
Istanbul (the old humble house in Süleymaniye, Tepebaşı, the coffeehouses of Beyoğlu, the printing street of Babıali, the wealthy mansions in Erenköy).
The last quarter of the 19th century (reign of Abdulhamid II and the beginning of the Servet-i Fünun period).
Melancholic, poetic, troubled, and pessimistic; a suffocating atmosphere that drifts between the inner world of a dreamer and a ruthless, dark reality, occasionally illuminated by the false glitter of Beyoğlu.
Third-person (omniscient/observer), yet featuring a poetic and subjective narrator entirely focused on Ahmet Cemil's inner world, stream of consciousness, and emotional state.
In society, monetary power is far ahead of artistic value. Young idealists must exhaust their creativity on cheap translations or submit to hypocritical fawning to support their families. Class differences strictly dictate the relationships between the rich and the poor.
A period of dichotomy in Istanbul where Western lifestyles and traditional life were intertwined, characterized by fierce literary conflicts between the followers of Divan literature (the old) and the innovators influenced by French literature (the new).
Characters are arranged at equal intervals on a circle; you can read the relationship type and dynamics by clicking on the lines.
Bir çizgiye tıklayarak ilişki detayını açın.
While Hüseyin Nazmi is wealthy and carefree, Ahmet Cemil is poor and struggles; however, they share a deep, insightful, and respectful bond of confidentiality regarding art.
Following a habit from their school days, they read the poems they write to each other and stand side-by-side against criticism in Babıali.
Raci tries to crush Ahmet Cemil's innovative art and achievements out of envy; Ahmet Cemil, in turn, is disgusted by Raci's crude, talentless, and miserable life.
While Raci refers to Ahmet Cemil's poetry as 'what a bitter weariness,' Ahmet Cemil views him as a jester and an ignoramus.
After their father's death, Ahmet Cemil considers himself his sister's protector; İkbal's sadness is his greatest heartache.
Whenever he sees his sister's sad face, he tears apart internally, thinking, 'Poor child, if only she were happy!'
While his mother relies on him as the head of the house, Ahmet Cemil hides the sorrows of poverty and fatigue to avoid upsetting her.
When Ahmet Cemil enters the house in the dark of night, holding back his tears, he smiles at his mother to try and hide their poverty.
For Ahmet Cemil, Lamia is an unreachable, idealized fairy girl; he dares not confess his feelings due to his poverty and suffers inwardly.
He gazes at her for a long time as she plays the piano and silently worships her, thinking, 'If only you would play a bit more, kill me a bit more!'
For Vehbi Bey, İkbal and her family are an easy catch, while İkbal is a victim forced to endure her husband's peculiarities and crudeness.
İkbal looks at her brother with accusing eyes and sheds silent tears when her brother-in-law seizes the newspaper.
While Ahmet Cemil endures him for the sake of his sister, Vehbi Bey becomes arrogant with the power brought by being the printing house owner and crushes him.
Vehbi Bey dismisses and crushes all of Ahmet Cemil's idealistic dreams in the printing house by saying, 'You are just a broke fellow too.'
Ahmet Şevki Efendi, as a fatherly and experienced manager, watches over Ahmet Cemil and offers him sincerity against the cold face of the newspaper.
While Ahmet Şevki Efendi rages at Raci, he protectively cares for Ahmet Cemil and only shares his secrets with him.
Raci is a cruel and unfeeling husband/father who disregards his family's poverty and spends his money in taverns/nightclubs.
His wife explains at the newspaper, weeping, that her husband stole her earrings to spend the money and that they have no bread left to eat.
Ali Şekip, who appears to be an innocent man from the outside, actually places great value on Ahmet Cemil's talent and does him pragmatic favors.
It is Ali Şekip who finds work behind Raci's back at the newspaper and guides Ahmet Cemil in arranging his first translation payment.
