BY GİZEM KÜÇÜKBAYRAK (ECON/III)
Last week, Bilkent University Library welcomed Buket Uzuner, the author of “Uzun Beyaz Bulut: Gelibolu” (The Long White Cloud: Gallipoli), as part of its series of talks, “Turkish Writers at Bilkent.” Appropriately, the talk was held on March 19, just a day after Martyrs’ Day in Turkey. The commemorative day, dedicated to Turkish soldiers fallen in battle, takes place on the anniversary of the Ottoman forces’ defeat of a naval attack during the Battle of Gallipoli on March 18, 1915.
After describing the subject of her novel, Ms. Uzuner spoke about the challenges she faced during her research for the book, including lack of documentation on the war from the Ottoman perspective. She noted in addition that “Uzun Beyaz Bulut” was “a book against war,” rather than a vehicle to glorify it.
The author also discussed more general topics, such as patriotism, nationalism and even gender equality, the latter when mentioning her participation in International Women’s Day earlier this month.
After the talk, Ms. Uzuner stayed on to sign autographs for members of the audience, which included elementary school students from the Bilkent Music Preparatory School, who were brought by their teachers to attend the talk.