Deutsche Presse-Agentur
October 13, 2006 Friday 3:04 PM EST
NEWS FEATURE: Nobel Literature Prize causes mixed emotions in Turkey
Ingo Bierschwale, dpa
DPA CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT Turkey Nobel Literature NEWS FEATURE:
Nobel Literature Prize causes mixed emotions in Turkey Ingo
Bierschwale, dpa Istanbul
After Orhan Pamuk became the first Turkish author
to be awarded the Nobel Literature Prize, there were no masses taking
to the streets, no Turkish flags blowing in the wind, and no
cavalcades of honking fans.
Quite a few people in Turkey, however, joyfully jumped into the
air when they heard the Nobel committee’s decision Thursday from
Stockholm. Others followed suit, jumped out of their seats, and were
about to clap, before they realized what was going on and sat down
again in dismay. Others yet remained immobile, perplexed.
"We should applaud Orhan Pamuk like we have applauded our national
football team when they came third in the World Cup, like we
applauded the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, Sertab Erener,"
the tabloid Sabah commented Friday.
"An author who writes in Turkish and who has emerged from our
midst has won the Nobel Literature Prize. Full stop. The End!," the
newspaper commented.
Many Turkish newspaper columnists, however, seemed to be suffering
Friday. "If only he had not said those words which have wounded our
hearts deeply," Ertugrul Ozkok, editor in chief of Hurriyet wrote.
Ozkok was referring to Pamuk’s remarks that during World War I
"one million Armenians were killed" in the Ottoman Empire, opening
old wounds in his Turkish homeland.
"We are angry at Pamuk because our Turkish soul weighs heavy in
us, but for the same reason we are also proud he won the highest
literary award," Ozkok wrote.
Like the editor-in-chief of Hurriyet, many asked themselves the
question why they weren’t able to "just be happy" for Pamuk.
"Has the West chosen Pamuk, not because he is a Turk, but because
he defends the West’s theses better than the West itself?" a
columnist in another newspaper asked, concluding that "at least he
wrote his novels in Turkish, even if his thoughts are not Turkish."
Others commented that Turkey was in dire need of more democratic
debate. But "criticising in the name of justice and democracy is one
thing, and selling out your own country in order to sell books and
gain worldwide fame is another," commented the left-leaning daily
Milliyet.
There was also some unreserved approval. "Turkey will in the
future be regarded as the country of Orhan Pamuk," the liberal-
leaning Radical said. "Once again, world attention will focus on
Turkey, Turkish literature and Orhan Pamuk’s city, Istanbul. Pamuk is
an honour for our language, our literature and our country."
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul also saw Pamuk’s award in a positive
light. The Turkish political debate over the author would soon be
forgotten. Much more significant was the worldwide resonance of the
Literature Nobel Prize awarded to a Turkish author, he deemed.
Oct 1306 1504 GMT