Abstract
ABSTRACT Despite being a prolific and popular serial novelist of the 1920s, Selahattin Enis is an almost forgotten Ottoman/Turkish writer. Orta Malı (Everybody's Woman), serialised in 1925-1926, was among his most successful novels. Despite this, it has long been excluded from the literary canon, published in Latin script only in 2017. Set in the early 1920s, Everybody's Woman centers on Fikriye, the novel's primary female character. Initially employed as a maid, Fikriye navigates from one mansion to another, guided by her desires. A married woman, she engages in multiple heterosexual and homosexual affairs, eventually becoming an ‘outstanding prostitute'. Selahattin Enis is characterised as an ‘ultra-realist' or ‘naturalist', and probably intended Fikriye to serve as a symbol of societal degradation. However, Fikriye's character evolves in a manner that diverges from the author's initial intent, gaining an ‘unconventional' autonomy. By ‘unconventional', I refer to her existence outside dominant norms. Fikriye's development occurs in opposition to the author's heteronormative intentions. While various explanations may be offered for the belated recognition of Selahattin Enis, this paper contends that the primary cause of this oversight, particularly in the case of Everybody’s Woman, lies in the queer characteristics of both the protagonist and the narrative.
Published Version
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