15 March: Remembering Tomris Uyar on Birthday

OV Digital Desk
3 Min Read
Tomris Uyar

Image Courtesy: Google Doodle

Tomris Uyar (15 March 1941 – 4 July 2003) was a Turkish writer and translator.

Life and Career

Born in Istanbul on March 15, 1941, Uyar grew up attending American schools, and her access to English-language short fiction and Turkey’s contemporary literature served as a strong inspiration for the future writer.

Beginning her career as a translator, Uyar continued in the craft for the rest of her life, tackling avant-garde English fiction, and in the process developing a rare mastery of the intricacies of the Turkish language.

As a writer, she devoted herself to short fiction with a bit of support from her cats. Whenever one entered the room, she credited the felines for stimulating her writing process. These “inspiration cats,” referenced in the Doodle artwork, helped her to publish over 900 pages across 11 volumes of her stories throughout her career.

Amongst her greatest influences was Turkish writer Sait Faik, known for narrating evocative human stories unconstrained by form or plot. Drawing from influences like Faik, Uyar’s work pushed the boundaries of the form, employing postmodern techniques in the exploration of the lives of ordinary people, particularly from a female perspective. Over the years, her writing progressed to a caliber that positioned her to receive the aforementioned Sait Faik Story Award twice, a prize created in honor of the writer that had such a profound impact on Uyar and her narratives.

Tomris Uyar passed away on 4 July 2003, at the age of 61. Her death was a great loss to the Turkish literary community, as she was considered one of the most talented and influential writers of her time.

Award and Legacy

Tomris Uyar’s legacy as a writer continues to inspire and influence contemporary Turkish literature. Her unique style and exploration of existential themes left a lasting impact on the literary scene in Turkey. Her works are studied and celebrated for their linguistic richness, depth of emotion, and thought-provoking narratives.

A leading figure in 1970s Turkish literature, Uyar was known for her realist style that often focused on the authentic depiction of female characters and family dynamics. On this day in 1980 and 1987, Uyar was honored with one of Turkish literature’s most esteemed awards for short stories, the Sait Faik Story Award.

On 11 May 2020, Google celebrated Tomris with a doodle.

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