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  • Interview with Mine Soysal
  • Devrim Yilmaz (bio)

In your recent novel, Daralan (In a Tight Spot), Mete is a narrator who has just entered adolescence, is at odds with his inner voice, and sees himself as a patch attached to the slum. The word daralan refers to a person who is under depression and dar-alan also means "narrow space." So why did you choose this title?

Mete, Ayşe, Ömer, and Kader are real characters from today's Turkey—young people with various troubles that have already given up on the adult world. Poverty and deprivation have forced them to desperate acceptance of their conditions, without even questioning but still trying to hold on to some hope within them. Mete's unconditional support for his handicapped sister, for his hard-working mother who brings food to the table, and for his father who is depressed because of unemployment is a sign of maturity far beyond his age. He is a child who has to grow up early. The clues that show the real cost Mete is paying are hidden in his arguments with his inner voice, who can be happy just with the smallest smile on the faces of his loved ones. His big sister, Ayşe, is a young girl who is disabled and trapped at home after a traffic accident she had as a child. Ömer, who moved to the house across the street, is hard to get along with, sometimes smears or snuggles, and lies often to defend himself from violence or to open a tiny space for his existence. It is tragic that a person ends up like this in his teen years. Ömer's sister, Kader, is a girl who is deprived of her education in order to get married. She dreams of going to college and is considering running away with her boyfriend. She is miserable and on the verge of losing all joy in life. Unfortunately, there are many of them in this world. By writing Daralan, I wanted to give an outlet to the voices of young people in my country whose freedoms are restricted, who are suffering from violence and disability, and who are psychologically and physically abused. I wanted to state, "Things do not have to go on like this!"


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There is no other way of living for the children, the young people, the men, and especially the women of Tellibostan Street in your novel. Daralan, this restricted living space seems to be their destiny, and a better life—if it exists—is somewhere far away. Does this street represent helplessness in society?

Tellibostan Street is in the slum of a small town. It is a quiet neighborhood, where poor good people live. The silence has two meanings: the silence of living without knowing, without questioning, without seeking your rights, and also the humiliating, destructive silence of being forgotten, being invisible. [End Page 70] While at first the inhabitants of the street seem to be responsible for this situation, it becomes obvious that the real responsibility lies in inadequate basic education and political choices that move away from establishing conscientious citizenship. Our social habits do not allow us to hear the voices of young people, to listen to them, to try to understand them, and to establish healthy communication between generations. That is why "taught helplessness" may be a more accurate term to use here.

Mete and Ömer... Mete is a good-hearted young boy who is questioning the narrow spaces of his disabled sister, unemployed father, and long suffering mother but who has never experienced violence. Ömer, on the other hand, has experienced horrid domestic violence, has been drawn into a swamp, and is sinking fast. Although Mete is aware of Ömer's situation, he is hesitant to give a helping hand. Can goodness turn a blind eye to evil?

Mete's internal conflict is actually fixed on this question. Do we help only those we love and feel close to? Can we become deaf to people who are leading a life we cannot imagine or find terrifying? Do we have the right to ignore other people's problems just because...

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