Non-Human Narrators in Turkish Literature: From Circulation Novels to “The Tar Remaining in Khojaly”

Abstract

This study examines the historical development of non-human narrators, their appearances in Turkish literature, and the aesthetic possibilities they provide to literary texts. Animals, objects, or unidentified (ambiguous) entities that recount their own life stories within a fictional world all fall under the category of non-human narrators. Although the origins of non-human narrators ,which allow reality to be perceived in diverse ways by shifting the focus away from an anthropocentric perspective, can be traced back to Apuleius’s Metamorphoses, their proliferation was made possible by the “circulation novels” of 18^th-century English literature.

In Turkish literature, while examples of speaking objects or animals are found in classical texts, the emergence of non-human narrators who construct the entire story, select and interpret events, and ultimately determine the narrative perspective dates back to the early 20ᵗʰ-century. In this context, the “mare” in Selim Sırrı Tarcan’s story “Acıklı Bir Sergüzeşt” (A Tragic Adventure) and the “mirror” in a brothel room in Kenan Hulusi Koray’s story “Ayna” (The Mirror) are significant as early examples. Kemal Râgıb Enson’s work, “Bir Liranın Başından Geçenler” (The Adventures of a Lira), serves as the Turkish counterpart to the English circulation novels. In addition to Kemal Râgıb’s work, this study identifies two previously overlooked circulation novels that remained serialized in newspapers: Bir On Liralığın Hikâyesi (The Story of a Ten-Lira Bill) by M. Fahrettin Pakkan and Bir Elli Liralığın Maceraları (The Adventures of a FiftyLira Bill) by Ziya Uras. Furthermore, numerous other texts utilizing non-human narrators are highlighted.

The final section of the study analyzes İmdat Avşar’s story “Hocalı’da Kalan Tar” (The Tar Remaining in Khojaly). In the story, the “tar” (a traditional string instrument) chosen as the narrator conveys the traumatic atmosphere of the Khojaly Massacre through the observations of an object. Thus, the limitations created by the direct narration of trauma are transcended, and the non-human narrator becomes a witness to collective suffering. This section also evaluates the function of using a non-human narrator specifically in “Hocalı’da Kalan Tar,” addresses the risks associated with this narrative choice, and discusses how these risks are managed in the story.

Citation: Kumsar, İsmail Alper (2026). “Non-Human Narrators in Turkish Literature: From Circulation Novels to ‘The Tar Remaining in Khojaly’”, Erdem, June, Issue:90, pp. 127-150.