Turkish literature in Bosnian libraries

ISTANBUL - Anadolu Agency

Ayşe Kulin, one of the bestseller writers of Turkey, is famous with books ‘Farewell,’ ‘Her name is Aylin.’

Bosnians are increasingly choosing to read books by Turkish writers, according to data taken from the Bosnia Herzegovina Communication Services. In the last two years, books by Orhan Pamuk, Ayşe Kulin, Zülfi Livaneli and Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar have been amount the bestsellers in the country.

Until now, 48 Turkish books have been translated into Bosnian. Nedim Gürsel’s “Daugthers of Allah, Ayşe Kulin’s “Farewell,” “Her name is Aylin,” and “Last Train to Istanbul,” Elif Şafak’s “Love,” Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’s “Peace,” Orhan Pamuk’s “White Castle,” “The Museum of Innocence,” “Istanbul” and “My Name is Red,” and Zülfü Livaneli’s “Serenade,” are among the books translated into Bosnian.

On the non-fiction side of things, history books such as those written by İlber Ortaylı, “The Last Empire Ottoman,” are also being read a lot in the Bosnian market.

Meanwhile, E. L. James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey” and Luca Mozzati’s book “Islamic Art” are currently in the top five bestsellers’ list in Bosnia. Pamuk’s novels “Snow” and “My Name is Red” are particularly among the best-selling books in Bosnia.

Earlier, the Hürriyet Daily News reported that the director of the Şahinpaşiç Publishing House in Bosnia, Aydin Şahinpaşiç, said they had so far published six works from Turkish literature and that three books by Ayşe Kulin, Zülfü Livaneli and Sabahattin Ali were ready to be put on the market. In the meantime, books by Demet Altınyeleklioğlu, İskender Pala, Selim İleri and Mustafa Armağan, which have been translated into Bosnian, were among the works put up for sale at the recent International Sarajevo Book Fair.