The writing of Ayfer Tunç is in essence urban, and yet she manages to imbue her characters with a fragile humanity and an old-fashioned sense of the melancholy of modern life. Aziz Bey is at once the most genuine and the saddest of all her heroes. Here we see the life of an ordinary Turkish man, a master tambur player of local fame, whose life stretches from Istanbul to Beirut because of his obsessive love for Maryam. We witness the fading of this love with the passage of time and changing of circumstances, bringing us closer to this man than to many other modern protagonists. With the soft touch of an accomplished writer, the life of this singular musician is laid bare in all its sweetness and mediocrity, until we are almost sure that we might catch a glimpse of him next time we visit the vibrant, all-night bars of Istanbul.
“Some of Tunç’s protagonists love too little; others love too much. In almost every story, however, her characters are undone by their inability to empathise with the feelings of those nearest to them………After reading ‘The Aziz Bey Incident and Other Stories’, it’s hard not to feel impatient for more English translations of works by this deft and unsettling author.”
Julia Harte – TimeOut Istanbul
”Ayfer Tunç, an acclaimed novelist and short story writer in her native Turkey, is widely translated abroad but little known in English. In this engaging short story collection, we follow the fortunes of various characters, defeated by circumstances or forces outside their control. ”
”…this haunting, unique collection that vividly evokes Turkey’s various landscapes.”
Lucy Popescu, HuffPost Culture UK
Read an excerpt at BookOxygen
Read more about the author at the PEN ATLAS
