Sucide in Yusuf Atılgan's Works

Abstract

Yusuf Atılgan is a significant novelist and a short story writer in modern Turkish Literature. Yusuf Atılgan deals with, in his works, the common themes like personal suffering, loneliness, isolation, alienation, dissidence, inner conflict,escapism, lack of communication, freedom and suicide in Turkish Literature after 1950’s. In this article, the theme of suicide in Atılgan’s Works will be examined. There are two types of suicide in Atılgan’s works; those which remain as a thought and those put into action. In the article the whole process of suicide of Zebercet, the heroine of Anayurt Oteli, its reasons and results are treated in detail. In addition, the suicide attempts in his novel Canistan, and his short stories Yaşanmaz and Bodur Minareden have been handled. The striking common point in suicide attempts is that both the heroines and heroes are persons who are isolated from society, alienated, lonely, unhappy and self-indulged.