In Jail with Nazým Hikmet
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Jail with Nazým Hikmet ****
Orhan Kemal, trans. Bengisu Rona $14 Saqi
Writers’ experiences of imprisonment have always been
double-edged swords of misery and genius – ex-cons Alexander
Solzhenitsyn, Nelson Mandela and Malcom X, for example, in
the act of putting their memories to paper, can honestly be
said to have changed the world. ‘In Jail with Nazým Hikmet’
is a less dramatic undertaking, but nonetheless a revealing
exploration of the changes wrought in a young writer behind
bars.
In Bursa prison, Turkey in 1940, Orhan Kemal meets one of
his idols, the famous poet Nazým Hikmet. Both are there on
charges of inciting Communist mutiny in the Turkish army
during a period of extreme pre-war sensitivity (helpfully
explained by the translator’s excellent introduction). What
follows is a beautiful evocation of a tender and inspiring
friendship, as Hikmet guides the younger man during what
turn out to be the formative years on his way to being one
of Turkey’s most famous novelists.
This sensitive translation also includes what survives of
Kemal’s diaries on Hikmet, and the pair’s correspondence
after Kemal’s release. An unusual, inspiring delight.
Review by Ellen Hardy |
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