Istanbul Noir - Mustafa Ziyalan [104]
reis: skipper of a fishing boat, chief.
alvar: loose trousers.
simit: ring-shaped, crunchy, savory roll (somewhat akin to a pretzel), usually sprinkled with sesame seeds; a popular street snack in Turkey.
sucuk: spicy, garlicky sausage akin to chorizo.
tesbih: prayer beads, worry beads.
teyze: aunt, used also as a term of endearment and respect.
tulumba: dessert made by pouring dough from a pastry bag, frying and dunking in a sweet syrup (akin to zeppole). yorgan: comforter.
Zamzam: holy water from the Well of Zamzam located in the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
YASEMN AYDINOLU was born in zmir in 1968 and has a degree in Chemical Engineering. She is temporarily residing in New York. “One Among Us” is her first published story.
TARKAN BARLAS was born in 1970 in Istanbul, where he grew up, attending Saint-Benoît French School and the Istanbul University Department of Journalism and Public Relations. His short stories have been published in Varlık and Adam Öykü. He received the 2006 Everest Publications First Novel Award for his novel Lanetli Oda. His second book, Huzursuz Ruhlar, a story collection, was published in 2008. Barlas works as an advertising copywriter.
MEHMET BLÂL was born in 1962 in Istanbul. He studied sociology at Istanbul University and Germanics and Political Science at Stuttgart University. He has worked as a reporter and editor and is currently an advertising copywriter, scriptwriter, and songwriter. He is the author of two novels and a collection of essays on Turkish pop music.
BEHÇET ÇELK was born in 1968 in Adana, Turkey. He graduated from the Istanbul University Faculty of Law in 1990 and had his first short story published in Varlık in 1987. His stories, essays, and translations have been published in various publications. Editor for Virgül, a journal of literary criticism, Çelik is the author of five story collections, the most recent of which, Gün Ortasında Arzu (2007), won the prestigious Sait Faik Short Story Award.
NAN ÇETN was born in 1966. He has worked in libraries, bookstores, and the publishing industry. His first published short story appeared in Adam Öykü in 1995. Since then he has published literary criticism and essays, two story collections (Bin Yapraklı Lotus, 2003, and çimizdeki ato, 2005), and a novel (blisname: Bir Hayalin Gerçek Tarihi, 2007).
SMAL GÜZELSOY was born in 1963 in the town of Idır and grew up in Istanbul. His articles and stories have been appearing in literary journals since 1987. His first book, consisting of (in his own words) a series of “micro-novels,” was published in 2000. A second novel, Ruh Hastası, was published in 2004. More recently he has published a trilogy, the Banknot Üçlemesi. Güzelsoy still lives in Istanbul, where he has worked as a guide in the city and other regions of Turkey.
HKMET HÜKÜMENOLU was born in 1971 in Istanbul. His first novel, Kar Kuyusu, was published in 2005, and his second, Küçük Yalanlar Kitabı, in 2007. Hükümenolu also writes short stories and scripts, works as a translator, and dabbles in electronic music.
MÜGE PLKÇ was born and raised in Istanbul. She received the Yaar Nabi Nayır Award (for writers and poets under the age of thirty) in 1996 and a Haldun Taner Award in 1997. She is the author of four story collections and two novels, and is the editor of two works of nonfiction. plikçi is currently the chairperson of the Turkey PEN Women Writers’ Committee.
RIZA KIRAÇ was born in 1970 in Istanbul, where he grew up. He studied cinema at Dokuz Eylül and Marmara Universities and has worked as director, assistant director, and writer for documentaries, commercials, and TV programs. His short films and documentaries have been shown at various national and international festivals. His stories have been published in a variety of literary journals and anthologies. He is also the author of two story collections and four novels.
LYDIA LUNCH continues