Theses on the "National Truth": Border Crossings between History Writing and Historical Fiction in Attilâ İlhan'sGâzi Paşa

In: New perspectives on Turkey: NPT, Band 36, S. 97-123

Abstract

AbstractThe aim of this essay is to read Attilâ İlhan's novelGâzi Paşa, a historical novel about the Turkish Independence War, with a focus on the distinction between history writing and historical novel. I begin my analysis of this novel from the narratological perspective developed by Dorrit Cohn, who emphasizes two aspects of this distinction: different reference fields of history and fiction, and fiction's distinctive ability in reaching into the minds of characters. These aspects will help me to unravel the production of meaning inGâzi Paşathrough its ambivalent and intentional border crossings between the two fields. Then, I will explain this intentional textual swing through an analysis of itsroman à thèsefeatures, which I ground on Susan Rubin Suleiman's description of the genre. Finally, the essay will discussGâzi Paşa'sauthorial intention that aims at instructing an audience through a narrative of charisma, founded on a specific representation of Mustafa Kemal for the purpose of propagating a black-and-white perception of history and politics.