A lover of Istanbul, Mario Levi passes away
ISTANBUL
Turkish novelist of Jewish origin Mario Levi died on Jan. 31 in Istanbul at the age of 66. Levi was known for being a great lover of Istanbul.
Buart Art Workshop announced the news of his death, saying, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear teacher, the emotional and powerful writer of our literature, the unique human being, Mario Levi. We are grateful for his contributions to literature, to us... We offer our condolences to all his loved ones and family.”
His close friend and writer Ahmet Ümit said, “Levi was one of our unique writers. With his stories and novels, he was telling us about the old Istanbul and the Istanbul that is gradually disappearing today. He had a very unique style. He was one of our world-renowned writers. He was also a lecturer who explained art to people. It is a great loss.”
Born in Istanbul in 1957, Levi graduated from Saint Michel French High School and Istanbul University French Philology Department.
His first published book was “Jacques Brel: Bir Yalnız Adam” (Jacques Brel: A Lonely Man) in 1986. His first book of short stories, "Bir Şehre Gidememek” (Not Being Able to Go to a City) was published in 1990. These autobiographical stories are an account of the writer with both his loves, his childhood and preteen years. The book won the Haldun Taner Story Prize of the year.
His second book of short stories, "Madam Floridis Dönmeyebilir” (Madame Floridis May Not Return) published in 1991, includes people in Istanbul who are having difficulty in adapting to their own minority group and to society.
In 1992, his first novel, "En Güzel Aşk Hikayemiz” (Our Best Love Story) was published.
Levi also wrote articles in newspapers and magazines such as Hokka magazine, Şalom, Cumhuriyet Newspaper, Cumhuriyet Magazine, Studio Imge, Gösteri, Milliyet Sanat, Argos and Oksijen since 1984.
He also worked as a French teacher, importer, journalist, radio programmer and copywriter. He taught writing and creative writing in writing workshops for many years.
Known for his saying, "My deepest homeland is Turkish," Levi described himself as an “Istanbul lover.” He always included mentioned this passion for Istanbul in his books.
He finished his book “Istanbul Bir Masaldı” (Istanbul was a Fairy Tale), which he started in 1993, in six years and published in 1999. This book is the story of a Jewish family who lived in Istanbul between the 1920s and 1980s. He won the Yunus Nadi Novel Award in 2000 with this book.
His novel "Karanlık Çökerken Neredeydiniz?” (Where Were You When Darkness Fell?) was published in January 2009 and received very good reviews.
His latest novel “Bir Cümlelik Aşklar” (One-Sentence Love) was published in April 2016.
A member of a 500-year Istanbul family
In his interview with daily Hürriyet in November 2022, Levi said, "I reset my life several times," and talked about his family's centuries-old Istanbul, Turkish, and his greatest passions, Fenerbahçe and Kadıköy.
Levi, who is a member of a family that has been in Istanbul for five centuries and speaks six languages, was always devoted to Turkish and wrote all his works in Turkish, instead of French, which he studied at university and spoke as a native language.
He explained his devotion to Turkish rather than French, saying, “Turkish is like a lover with a soft voice. Sometimes it can replace the mother.”
