الترام الأخير

by Nedim Gürsel, نديم جورسيل, شفيق السيد صالح (Translator)

In these stories, art, history, architecture, and contemporary politics feed into the swirling palette of colors with which the migrant experience is painted. Through dreams, memories, and an unforgettable host of characters—the lonely Mustafa who cares only for the fate of his beloved poplar tree back home on the Anatolian plain, the tragic Madame Suslova who recalls memories of a lover who squandered her money on the roulette tables of Istanbul, and the members of the Coci family who make their desperate way through the Fréjus Tunnel—readers experience the constant state of longing and displacement associated with immigration and exile.   

Genres: Short Stories, Turkish Literature

167 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Nedim Gürsel was born in Gaziantep, Turkey, in 1951. He published his first novellas and essays in Turkish literary magazines in the late 60s. After the coup d’état in 1971, he had to testify in court for one of his articles. This led to his decision to temporarily reside in France. He studied Comparative Literature at the Sorbonne in Paris and completed his dissertation in 1979 on Nâzim Hikmet and Louis Aragon. Gürsel then returned to Turkey, but the military putsch of 1980 sent him back into exile in France. He first wrote articles and travel reports which were published in 'Le Monde', as well as in the Turkish newspapers 'Cumhuriyet' and 'Milliyet'. Today he teaches contemporary Turkish literature at the Sorbonne and directs the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

Reviews

[Wreade1872 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was really rather good :) . I suppose this is technically a set of short stories, although they're so short i'd describe them more as tableau's or vignettes.

This is a writers book, written for the sake of writing not reading and its rather glorious. A mix of autobiography, fiction and weird fiction. Its about love and sex, loss and loneliness.

From the writing i've deduced the author was exiled from Turkey for some years and that sense of wanting to come home is prevalent in more than a few of the tales. Really nice writing style, the translator i'm guessing did a very good job.

I preferred the weird fiction bits the best and could have done with a few less stories revolving around the authors many amorous encounters but overall very nice album. Thats really what it feels like, a real indie album with the most random assortment of styles and genres but all clearly by the same musician.

[Gretel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have no qualms about the way these stories are written or translated, I just felt as if I was reading the same storytelling multiple times. Nameless male protagonists, a new city to call his home, memories of persecution in his old homeland, a journey on a tram or a walk through a cemetery - the same ingredients are used again and again. I hoped for a little more variety, and I think variety would've made Gürsel's stories more powerful.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too self-referential (and self-reverential) for my taste, but overall a compelling - sometimes quite sexy - collection of stories about the experience of exile (political exile, voluntary exile), the lives of Turks in Europe, and the practice of writing. I was particularly moved by Gürsel's accounts of his periodic returns to Turkey, and of his experiences in Greece (where he feels close to, but not at home): "Last Summer," "Istanbul, My Love," and "Istanbul, Agapi Mu!" were strong.

Having not read the Turkish original, I can't comment on the quality of the translation, but I did find the translator's frequent footnotes incredibly distracting and unnecessary - Whitehouse makes a point of "explaining" nearly every place name and literary, historical or religious reference, which is just exhausting. One of my favorites: on the first page of "The Woman on the Beach," Whitehouse takes care to inform us that "simit" is "a freshly baked sesame-covered pretzel," and that Zeki Müren is a "popular Turkish singer, similar in style and attire to Liberace." Haaaahahaha

[Note: the footnoting issue, while annoying, didn't affect my rating - I didn't find the collection super strong overall, but I'm happy that more diverse Turkish voices and experiences are being translated into English, and as I mentioned, several of the stories were lovely.]

[Fathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

الغربة على سعتها سجن كبير لا تنقضي لياليها بغير الذكريات
يجترها الكاتب هنا في سرد متقطع احيانا وموصول احيانا اخرى

[Soz Soz · Rating 1 out of 5]

اسوء كتاب من الممكن انو اقراه بكل جدارة. لو كان فيني ما اعطي نجمة كان ما عطيت والله بس منيح انو جايني هدية وإلا مستحيل اشتري هيك شي كارثي.

[Burcu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nedim Gursel'in dili yalin, uslubu cok akici ve siirsel. Gurbeti ve yalnizligi oyle guzel anlatmis ki her satirinda kendi yasamindan derin izler anlamlar bulmak mumkun. Eve bu kadar Uzakta olmasam bu kitap bana bu kadar dokunmazdi kuskusuz. Bilhassa su cumlelerde gozyaslarimi tutamadim:

"Olum adildir
Ayni hasmetle vurur sahi, fakiri"

Devrilen bir agac hasmetiyle Ali'yi vuran olum, nerede Senin adilligin? Ya sen neredesin mezari Moskova'da durdukca " Olume Dair" siirini animsadigim Nazim agabey, dedemin Yemen'den donmeyen kardesi, Uskup'teki amcalarim, buyukannemin Sumnu'da Ali'nin atalariyla yatan agababasi, neredesiniz? Ve gidip de donmeyenler, donup murada erneyenler, yurtsuzlar, azik torbalari da Turkceden baska ekmek tasimayan Rum abdallari, dostlarim! Sizler, sizlerde dunyanin dort bir yaninda toprak oldunuz coktan!

"Gene gurbete dustu yolumuz
Kimbilir ki nerede kalir olumuz"