@kayagenc.bsky.social
Kaya Genç, a European Press Prize Laureate, is the author of Şehir, The Lion and the Nightingale, Under the Shadow, An Istanbul Anthology, and Macera. Web: www.kayagenc.net Substack: kayagenc.substack.com
Good to see critical voices are still alive and well in Turkish culture despite Erdoğan's best efforts to stifle dissent
www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ma...
İlker Çatak’s Yellow Letters and Emin Alper’s Salvation both won headline honours at the Berlin film festival and show dissenting cinema is thriving in the face of Erdoğan’s repression. My piece for @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ma...
Written by the the European Press Prize laureate Kaya Genç, this carefully told Psyche Portrait of the Kurdish novelist Burhan Sönmez traces his journey from despair to purpose in the wake of political violence, capturing his extraordinary drive and intellect
@kayagenc.bsky.social
Çok teşekkürler!
Kaya Genç’s portrait of Burhan Sönmez is so beautifully written it reads like a novel, except it is a life. The opening is cinematic, then it turns tender, angry, hopeful. This is political writing with an actual human heart.
This is a wonderful profile of Kurdish writer Burhan Sönmez, a free-ranging trip through his life, human rights work and literary career.
Also features a great shoutout to @peninternational.bsky.social and @englishpen.bsky.social
psyche.co/portraits/bu...
"Each of us has a song" by @kayagenc.bsky.social . [3/5]
Written by the the European Press Prize laureate Kaya Genç, this carefully told Psyche Portrait of the Kurdish novelist Burhan Sönmez traces his journey from despair to purpose in the wake of political violence, capturing his extraordinary drive and intellect @kayagenc.bsky.social
Burhan Sönmez, now the president of @peninternational.bsky.social, was a rising human rights lawyer in Turkey. A brutal assault nearly killed him – and propelled him to a life in literature. New essay for @psyche.co: psyche.co/portraits/bu... @burhansonmez.bsky.social
In July, I visited @burhansonmez.bsky.social in Cambridge to write his portrait. Our conversations and walks lasted for days. We saw Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night; visited Wittgenstein’s grave, talked and reflected. My piece for Psyche:
psyche.co/portraits/bu...
Kaya Genç on "One Thousand and One Kisses": "These vivid glimpses of Istanbul are invaluable to all curious readers, depicting the mores of a bygone age, much as 'Sex and the City' did with New York City." https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/istanbul-anonymous-erotic-stories-one-thousand-one-kisses/
Temmuz ayında portresini yazmak için @burhansonmez.bsky.social’i Cambridge’de ziyaret ettim. Günler süren konuşmalarımız, yürüyüşlerimiz, Shakespeare’in 12. Gece’sini izleyip Wittgenstein’ın mezarını ziyaretimize uzanan deneyimlerin sonucunda ortaya bu uzun yazı çıktı:
psyche.co/portraits/bu...
New substack!
open.substack.com/pub/kayagenc...
Şehir’e dair Türkiye’nin önde gelen kültürel eleştiri yayını @k24kitap.bsky.social’de yayımlanan bu olağanüstü yazısında Kerem Görkem, Türkiye’de özkurmaca yazmanın imkanlarına, zorluklarına değiniyor ve romanımı bir romancı hassasiyetiyle okuyor.
www.k24kitap.org/kitaplar/seh...
Edebiyat dergilerimizde Şehir'e dair eleştirileri görmek büyük mutluluk. En önemli çevirmen ve yazarlarımızdan Sabri Gürses’e Sabitfikir dergisinin Şubat 2026 sayısındaki bu kapsamlı deneme/eleştirisi için teşekkürler!
Kaya Genç on "One Thousand and One Kisses": "These vivid glimpses of Istanbul are invaluable to all curious readers, depicting the mores of a bygone age, much as 'Sex and the City' did with New York City." https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/istanbul-anonymous-erotic-stories-one-thousand-one-kisses/
Bu hikayeler bize Türkiye topraklarının heterodoks kültür mirasını ve günümüz Türkiye’sinin baskıcı rejimini yöneten erkekleri korkutmaya devam eden bağımsız, asi, kendi kendine yeten bir ruhu hatırlatıyor. @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social için yeni bir makale: lareviewofbooks.org/article/ista...
These stories remind us of the heterodox legacy of Turkish culture, and an independent, rebellious, self-sufficient spirit that continues to scare the men who helm Turkey’s repressive regime. New piece for @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social: lareviewofbooks.org/article/ista...
“Men continually disappoint sexually active, restless women in these tales: they’re emotionally unavailable, hopelessly immature, and laughably listless.” Kaya Genç reviews "One Thousand and One Kisses": https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/istanbul-anonymous-erotic-stories-one-thousand-one-kisses/
New piece in @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social on a cheerful collection of Turkish erotica that offers insights into early 20th-century sexuality in Istanbul lareviewofbooks.org/article/ista...
Frog Bey’le Oradan Buradan’ın yeni bölümünde, Şehir üzerine sohbet ettik. Bir saati aşan bu konuşmada, 2000'lere ve Amsterdam'a döndük:
@apacikradyo.com.tr’da Açık Dergi'nin konuğu olmak, Ceyhan Usanmaz'ın Bu Köşe Kitap Köşesi'nde Şehir'i okumak büyük bir zevkti!
open.spotify.com/episode/6uB5...
As Istanbul’s cultural establishments continue to battle reputational issues, Kaya Genç advocates for greater accountability amid the country’s growing illiberalism artreview.com/rethinking-i...
The Dial Magazine’deki bu uzun makalede, Donald J. Trump’ın hükümdarlığı altındaki ABD’nin Türkiye’ye çok benzediğini yazdım: www.thedial.world/articles/new... @thedialmag.bsky.social
In 2014, Erdoğan became the first president in Turkey to win an American-style election. Once in power, he used the example of the U.S. electoral system to justify the creation of a strongman presidency. Kaya Genç reports: www.thedial.world/articles/new...
Trump's attacks on universities & media, capture of the judiciary, and inflammatory rhetoric against "others" looks very familiar from the Turkish perspective - @kayagenc.bsky.social writes for @thedialmag.bsky.social on how the two countries now mirror each other www.thedial.world/articles/new...
During Trump’s first term, many Americans believed he was an exception in an otherwise functional political system. But the Turkish right saw what they refused to see: The American president could do what he wanted. Kaya Genç reports: www.thedial.world/articles/new...
In @thedialmag.bsky.social I argue that under the reign of Donald J. Trump, the U.S. looks a lot like Turkey:
www.thedial.world/articles/new...
