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Oct 13 2006
NOBEL PRIZE FOR TURKISH WRITER FOCUSES ATTENTION ON CIVIL SOCIETY
ISSUES
Mevlut Katik 10/13/06
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In awarding the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature to Orhan Pamuk, the
Swedish Academy stressed the Turkish author's literary skill.
However, analysts and critics see unmistakeable evidence of political
motives in the decision. Pamuk has a relatively small body of work
for a Nobel laureate, but he has been a literary pioneer in trying to
fuse Western and Islamic cultures, and has emerged as an outspoken
proponent of free speech inside Turkey.
After the October 12 announcement, Pamuk said in broadcast interview
with CNN International that he considered the Nobel Prize as "a sort
of recognition of the Turkish language, Turkish culture, and Turkey."
He is the first Turk to win a Nobel Prize, and in selecting him, the
Swedish Academy appeared to offer a ringing endorsement for both
Turkey's integration into Europe, and for the expansion of civil
society in Turkey. The academy's statement noted that Pamuk, "in the
quest for the melancholic soul of his native city [Istanbul], has
discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures."
In Turkey, the news of Pamuk's award was both a source of pride, and
a cause for soul searching. Pamuk has been a central figure in an
on-going free speech controversy, in which several authors have faced
criminal prosecution under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code,
which calls for up to three years imprisonment for "public
denigration of Turkishness." In late 2005, Pamuk went on trial for
comments made earlier that year in which he stated that 1 million
Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turkish forces starting in 1915,
amid the chaos of World War 1. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. In early 2006, the case was dropped after the
Justice Ministry declined to press the charges.
Today, Armenia wants that the killings be recognized as genocide,
while the Turkish government rejects that the mass killings
constituted genocide. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive].
"This is a great achievement that no one should try to cast a shadow
over," commentator Ilnur Cevik wrote of Pamuk's prize in an October
13 editorial published by the New Anatolian English-language daily.
"Pamuk deserved what he got and has given us deep national pride and
jubilation." Referring to Pamuk's earlier prosecution, Cevik added
that the author "showed that our people should be bold and raise
issues and have them debated in a free atmosphere."
It is precisely this point that appears to trouble Turkish
traditionalists, many of whom have misgivings about Turkey's ongoing,
but troubled effort to join the European Union. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive]. From the traditionalists' viewpoint, EU
membership will produce unwanted side-effects, namely the permanent
alteration of the Turkish Republic's secular Islamic character. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Pamuk, by winning the Nobel Prize, becomes an instant symbol of the
new Turkey, one that embodies both Western and Islamic cultural and
political values. His laureate status also makes criticizing his
views all the more difficult. Thus, the award could fan domestic
debate on a variety of volatile issues, including free speech, the
role of Islam in Turkish society and the tragic events of 1915.
Hints of traditionalist concerns could be seen in commentaries
appearing in Turkey's two most popular newspapers. An October 13
editorial by the editor-in-chief of the Sabah mass-circulation daily,
Fatih Altayli, stated simply: "Shall we be happy or sad?" His
counterpart at Hurriyet, Ertugrul Ozkok, wrote: "I am very happy that
Turkey -- which has preoccupied the world agenda with Kurdish,
Armenian and Cyprus issues -- has produced a Nobel-winning writer.
But at the same time I wish he [Pamuk] had not presented his views
about his country as if they were concrete historical facts." [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Dogan Hizlan, Hurriyet's literary critic, wrote that a review of
Nobel laureates reveals that many recipients have been "opponents of
the establishments of their countries. However, I still tend to see
the prize from a literary point of view, and therefore am happy that
Orhan Pamuk as a Turkish writer won it."
Perihan Magden, another writer/journalist who was tried under Article
301, said "this prize won by Pamuk will increase interest in other
Turkish writers, Turkish language, and Turkey. It is Pamuk's most
natural right to state his opinions about Turkey's issues and
history."
Leaders of the Turkish government, which is led by the moderately
Islamist Justice and Development Party, cheered the announcement.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul telephoned Pamuk, who is in New York
serving as a visiting professor this semester at Columbia University,
to offer his congratulations.
The Nobel announcement occurred the same day that the French
parliament adopted a bill that would make it a crime to deny that
Armenians experienced a genocide in 1915. The bill, which still
requires French Senate approval and a presidential signature to
become law, provoked outrage in Turkey. The French action contrasts
sharply with Pamuk's views: while the author seeks ways to reconcile
Western and Islamic values, France appears intent on trying to build
a wall between the two cultures. Regardless of whether the bill
becomes law, the parliamentary vote strikes a considerable blow
against Turkey's EU bid by signaling Paris' unwillingness to accept a
Moslem nation as a union member. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].
Gul, the Turkish foreign minister, told journalists on October 13
that the parliamentary vote will go down as "an unforgettable shame
on France." Meanwhile, Mehmet Barlas, Sabah's chief editorial writer,
blamed the vote on "irresponsible French politicians racing to try to
gain ground against one another and hunt for 400,000 French Armenian
votes."
Some international commentators stressed the irony of the two
developments occurring on the same day. An editorial published in the
British daily The Guardian described Pamuk's selection as "an
inspired choice." It went on to note that Pamuk was prosecuted under
Article 301 "the use of which is encouraged by rightwing nationalists
[in Turkey] who complain that Europe is undermining the country's
identity, and which must go if Turkey is to join the EU.
"But it is hypocritical of Europe to demand that Turkey modernize its
laws when France is moving in precisely the opposite -- illiberal --
direction," the commentary continued. "Pamuk's world-class
achievement should be a source of pride -- a compliment, not an
insult -- to a sometimes oversensitive nation. Turks would do well to
ponder its significance and try to look back at their history with a
more open mind."
The editorial additionally asserted that "some in France are quite
clearly exploiting the issue to prevent Turkey getting into the EU."
Celebrated writer Margaret Atwood, also writing in the Guardian on
October 13, said: "It will be difficult to conceive of a more perfect
winner for our catastrophic times. Just as Turkey stands at the
crossroads of the Muslim East/Middle East and the European and North
American West, so Pamuk's work inhabits the shifting ground of an
increasingly dangerous cultural and religious overlap, where
ideologies as well as personalities collide."
The Times literary editor Erica Wagner wrote on October 13 that "no
award is apolitical; this year's Nobel Prize for Literature is a firm
reminder of that. ... The Nobel [for Pamuk] will help to ensure that
this strong voice is still heard above those cries ... for an East-West
war."
Editor's Note: Mevlut Katik is a London-based journalist and analyst.
He is a former BBC correspondent and also worked for The Economist
group.
Oct 13 2006
NOBEL PRIZE FOR TURKISH WRITER FOCUSES ATTENTION ON CIVIL SOCIETY
ISSUES
Mevlut Katik 10/13/06
Print this article Email this article
In awarding the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature to Orhan Pamuk, the
Swedish Academy stressed the Turkish author's literary skill.
However, analysts and critics see unmistakeable evidence of political
motives in the decision. Pamuk has a relatively small body of work
for a Nobel laureate, but he has been a literary pioneer in trying to
fuse Western and Islamic cultures, and has emerged as an outspoken
proponent of free speech inside Turkey.
After the October 12 announcement, Pamuk said in broadcast interview
with CNN International that he considered the Nobel Prize as "a sort
of recognition of the Turkish language, Turkish culture, and Turkey."
He is the first Turk to win a Nobel Prize, and in selecting him, the
Swedish Academy appeared to offer a ringing endorsement for both
Turkey's integration into Europe, and for the expansion of civil
society in Turkey. The academy's statement noted that Pamuk, "in the
quest for the melancholic soul of his native city [Istanbul], has
discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures."
In Turkey, the news of Pamuk's award was both a source of pride, and
a cause for soul searching. Pamuk has been a central figure in an
on-going free speech controversy, in which several authors have faced
criminal prosecution under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code,
which calls for up to three years imprisonment for "public
denigration of Turkishness." In late 2005, Pamuk went on trial for
comments made earlier that year in which he stated that 1 million
Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turkish forces starting in 1915,
amid the chaos of World War 1. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. In early 2006, the case was dropped after the
Justice Ministry declined to press the charges.
Today, Armenia wants that the killings be recognized as genocide,
while the Turkish government rejects that the mass killings
constituted genocide. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive].
"This is a great achievement that no one should try to cast a shadow
over," commentator Ilnur Cevik wrote of Pamuk's prize in an October
13 editorial published by the New Anatolian English-language daily.
"Pamuk deserved what he got and has given us deep national pride and
jubilation." Referring to Pamuk's earlier prosecution, Cevik added
that the author "showed that our people should be bold and raise
issues and have them debated in a free atmosphere."
It is precisely this point that appears to trouble Turkish
traditionalists, many of whom have misgivings about Turkey's ongoing,
but troubled effort to join the European Union. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive]. From the traditionalists' viewpoint, EU
membership will produce unwanted side-effects, namely the permanent
alteration of the Turkish Republic's secular Islamic character. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Pamuk, by winning the Nobel Prize, becomes an instant symbol of the
new Turkey, one that embodies both Western and Islamic cultural and
political values. His laureate status also makes criticizing his
views all the more difficult. Thus, the award could fan domestic
debate on a variety of volatile issues, including free speech, the
role of Islam in Turkish society and the tragic events of 1915.
Hints of traditionalist concerns could be seen in commentaries
appearing in Turkey's two most popular newspapers. An October 13
editorial by the editor-in-chief of the Sabah mass-circulation daily,
Fatih Altayli, stated simply: "Shall we be happy or sad?" His
counterpart at Hurriyet, Ertugrul Ozkok, wrote: "I am very happy that
Turkey -- which has preoccupied the world agenda with Kurdish,
Armenian and Cyprus issues -- has produced a Nobel-winning writer.
But at the same time I wish he [Pamuk] had not presented his views
about his country as if they were concrete historical facts." [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Dogan Hizlan, Hurriyet's literary critic, wrote that a review of
Nobel laureates reveals that many recipients have been "opponents of
the establishments of their countries. However, I still tend to see
the prize from a literary point of view, and therefore am happy that
Orhan Pamuk as a Turkish writer won it."
Perihan Magden, another writer/journalist who was tried under Article
301, said "this prize won by Pamuk will increase interest in other
Turkish writers, Turkish language, and Turkey. It is Pamuk's most
natural right to state his opinions about Turkey's issues and
history."
Leaders of the Turkish government, which is led by the moderately
Islamist Justice and Development Party, cheered the announcement.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul telephoned Pamuk, who is in New York
serving as a visiting professor this semester at Columbia University,
to offer his congratulations.
The Nobel announcement occurred the same day that the French
parliament adopted a bill that would make it a crime to deny that
Armenians experienced a genocide in 1915. The bill, which still
requires French Senate approval and a presidential signature to
become law, provoked outrage in Turkey. The French action contrasts
sharply with Pamuk's views: while the author seeks ways to reconcile
Western and Islamic values, France appears intent on trying to build
a wall between the two cultures. Regardless of whether the bill
becomes law, the parliamentary vote strikes a considerable blow
against Turkey's EU bid by signaling Paris' unwillingness to accept a
Moslem nation as a union member. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].
Gul, the Turkish foreign minister, told journalists on October 13
that the parliamentary vote will go down as "an unforgettable shame
on France." Meanwhile, Mehmet Barlas, Sabah's chief editorial writer,
blamed the vote on "irresponsible French politicians racing to try to
gain ground against one another and hunt for 400,000 French Armenian
votes."
Some international commentators stressed the irony of the two
developments occurring on the same day. An editorial published in the
British daily The Guardian described Pamuk's selection as "an
inspired choice." It went on to note that Pamuk was prosecuted under
Article 301 "the use of which is encouraged by rightwing nationalists
[in Turkey] who complain that Europe is undermining the country's
identity, and which must go if Turkey is to join the EU.
"But it is hypocritical of Europe to demand that Turkey modernize its
laws when France is moving in precisely the opposite -- illiberal --
direction," the commentary continued. "Pamuk's world-class
achievement should be a source of pride -- a compliment, not an
insult -- to a sometimes oversensitive nation. Turks would do well to
ponder its significance and try to look back at their history with a
more open mind."
The editorial additionally asserted that "some in France are quite
clearly exploiting the issue to prevent Turkey getting into the EU."
Celebrated writer Margaret Atwood, also writing in the Guardian on
October 13, said: "It will be difficult to conceive of a more perfect
winner for our catastrophic times. Just as Turkey stands at the
crossroads of the Muslim East/Middle East and the European and North
American West, so Pamuk's work inhabits the shifting ground of an
increasingly dangerous cultural and religious overlap, where
ideologies as well as personalities collide."
The Times literary editor Erica Wagner wrote on October 13 that "no
award is apolitical; this year's Nobel Prize for Literature is a firm
reminder of that. ... The Nobel [for Pamuk] will help to ensure that
this strong voice is still heard above those cries ... for an East-West
war."
Editor's Note: Mevlut Katik is a London-based journalist and analyst.
He is a former BBC correspondent and also worked for The Economist
group.