Author(s): Ahmet KOÃAK
The second half of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century includes a long period of time that has witnessed a great number of changes, such as wars, major cultural and national border changes in the European geography. The Turks and the Polish are two nations which have similarly experienced these processes of changes. The dates when they gained their independence as new states are also very close to each other. In Turkish literature Ahmed Midhat deals with Polish fight for independence in great detail in his novel Paris’te BirTürk (1877) (A Turk in Paris). The Polish are presented as the closest one to the Turks among the European nations. It can be observed that this closeness and interest between two nations have continued not only in novels but in translations as well. One of these translations is the one translated at the end of the 19th century by Ahmed Rasim who was not only a respected journalist but also a significant figure who left behind many works in various fields of literature. The book which was translated by Ahmed Rasim from Polish is the one written by “Poland’s well-known man of letters” Henryk Sienkiewicz’s (1846- 1916) Muzikac? Yanko Kamyonka (Istanbul 1316 [1899]). The statement “the most famous of those present” existing at the beginning of the translation points out the author’s success and fame in literature even before he won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
In this article polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz’s book which was translated under the title Muzikac? Yanko Kamyonka and which is not widely known will be examined; and base on this point, the historical, literary, and cultural closeness between the two nations and counties will be dealt with.
The Journal of International Social Research received 7760 citations as per Google Scholar report
