Magazine programmer confuses ‘Madonna in a Fur Coat’ with story of popstar Madonna

ISTANBUL

A lifestyle show host has invited derision on social media after mistakenly assuming on air that “Madonna in a Fur Coat” (Kürk Mantolu Madonna), a 1943 work by celebrated Turkish author Sabahattin Ali, was actually a book about American popstar Madonna’s love life.

Funda Özkalyoncuoğlu, the presenter of a magazine program on TV 8, made the faux pas while commenting on plans to turn the book into a film, suggesting it would be interesting to watch Madonna’s life.

However, Jess Molho, the moderator of the program, alerted Özkalyoncu to the fact that the novel was written in 1943 during Ali’s military service in a tent, implying that the book had nothing to do with the pop icon.

Özkalyoncu and the other presenter, Sena Keçeli, said in awe: “Was Madonna around back then?”

The duo’s response created a huge social media outcry in the country with many criticizing Özkalyoncu for her ignorance.

During the program, Özkalyoncu also claimed that she actually read the book and did not find any notable sentences to highlight.

Özkalyoncu told daily Hürriyet afterward that her remarks on the best-selling novel had been exaggerated.
Özkalyoncu also stated that she read the book about 40 years ago and did not remember it, adding that book lovers should have been more merciful in their judgements.

“Madonna in a Fur Coat” centers on a post-World War I love affair between Turkish student Raif Efendi and a German singer, Maria Puder, in Berlin.  

In the first part of the book, Ali narrates rural life during the early years of the Turkish Republic before Raif, a shy and melancholic young man, travels to Germany at his father’s request.  
    
Later, the book explores life in Berlin and Raif’s meeting with Maria, who becomes the love of his life.
The book has sold more than 1 million copies in 79 Turkish editions since 1998, according to publisher YKY Publications.      

In the last three years alone, around 750,000 copies have been sold, a huge number in Turkey. It was translated into English last year.

Ali, a left-wing poet, writer and journalist, was a fierce critic of the government during the early years of the Turkish Republic. He was imprisoned at least twice and was killed in 1948 by an unknown assailant in a murder widely attributed to Turkey’s secret service.