From carnival to magical reality: Berji kristin tales from the garbage hills [Karnavaldan büyülü gerçekçiliğe: Berci kristin çöp masallari]

Abstract

With her different subjects and unique style Latife Tekin is a distunguished author of Turkish literature in the years following 1980s. Having synthesized the reality and the fantasy Tekin seems to have developed a new narration technique. Latife Tekin's Berji Kristin: Tales from Garbage Hills, which was published in 1984, arouse disagreement among some critics on the genre of this work. Since the concept of "magical realism" was not commonly known in Turkish literature of this era, some critics employed unsuitable instruments to interpret Berji Kristin: Tales from the Garbage Hills. It stands out in its unique way of using language, folkloric elements, and containment of supernatural events. In this study, after discussing the arguments based on Berji Kristin: Tales from Garbage Hills, the work will be examined with regard to Bakhtin's concept of carnivalesque novel. Thus, this article will prove that Berji Kristin: Tales from Garbage Hills has carnivalesque spirit with the employment of magic, reality, and fantasy.