World War II in Zülfü Livaneli’s novel “Serenade” (2011)

Abstract

The article examines how the theme of World War II is reflected in modern Turkish literature, using as an example Z. Livaneli’s well-known novel “Serenade” (2011). The focus is on the perspective from which this theme is presented in the novel - the genocide of the Jewish people during the war, as expressed in the plot and the system of images. Particular importance is attached to the documentary factual material used by Z. Livaneli. Real facts from the wartime past are woven into the everyday life of contemporary Turkey in the novel, helping readers to better understand the tragedy of the protagonist and to appreciate his contribution to the anti-fascist struggle. The article also highlights markers of the belletristic code employed by the writer: the intertwining in the novel of the classical tradition of “high” literature with the templates of popular fiction.

References

1. Livaneli Z. Serenada dlya Nadi. Zabytaya tragediya Vtoroy mirovoy / perevod s turetskogo S. Serazidinovoy [Serenade for Nadya. The Forgotten Tragedy of World War II / translated from Turkish by S. Serazidinova]. Moscow: Colibri — Azbuka-Atticus, 2025 (In Russ.).
2. Repenkova M.M. Turetskiye pisateli perekhodnoy epokhi / Literaturnyye portrety [Turkish Writers of the Transitional Era. Literary Portraits]. Moscow: Nauka — Vostochnaya Literatura, 2020 (In Russ.).
3. Livaneli Z.Serenad. İstanbul: Doğan Kitap, 2008 (In Turkish).