Nazlı Eray'ın yapıtlarında (oto)biyografik ögeler

Abstract

Nazlı Eray (b. 1945) is the author of more than twenty works, including short stories, novels, and memoirs. Although Eray has been known as one of the pioneers of fantasy fiction in Turkish literature, autobiographical elements constitute an important part of her works. In this thesis entitled “Aspects of (Auto)biography in Nazlı Eray’s Works” the author’s twenty three works are analyzed in order to determine the role of biographical and autobiographical elements in the formation of her original literary style. The first chapter of the thesis entitled “Autobiographical Themes in Nazlı Eray’s Works” is based mainly upon the novels Aşkı Giyinen Adam (A Man Wearing Love) and Deniz Kenarında Pazarfes/(Monday on the Seashore), which are used as sources of autobiographical information concerning the writer’s years of childhood and adolescence in Istanbul. In this respect, the other books are used as supplementary texts. As far as the writer’s years in Ankara are concerned, the autobiographical elements in her works are gathered by focusing on the recurring themes in the books. In this chapter, in addition to the writer’s works, her interviews are also used. The second chapter of the thesis entitled “Biographical Themes in Nazlı Eray’s Works” focuses on biographical influences in Eray’s works, especially her relationships with her relatives and certain celebrities. In the chapter entitled “Autofiction in Nazlı Eray’s Works” the author’s works are analyzed in terms of “autofiction”, a literary style that consists of blending fiction and autobiography. Nazlı Eray, who combines several aspects of her real life experiences with elements of fantasy in her works, has been writing “autofiction” from the very beginning. The writer, who has been pushing the limits of biography and autobiography as literary genres, has developed her distinct literary style, thus gaining a wide audience.