To everyone who has flitted through Istanbul, the novel will lay bare a grey underbelly that is usually brushed off. As a lover of Istanbul, I was particularly struck by Elif's descriptions of the city, in particular the Cemetery of the Companionless outside Istanbul. Happy to say I was not disappointed at all. Many of the graves have no headstones, only numbers. Unlike other graveyards there are no flowers, no visitors, no names engraved on marble tombstonesjust. In Turkish the literal translation is the cemetery of the companionless. Dawn is breaking across the city of Istanbul. Instead, Leila's body is disposed of in a place known as The Cemetery of the Companionless, a real place in Istanbul. The Unseen . I was also inspired greatly by an actual place that exists on the outskirts of Istanbul. They exhume the wrong grave. by Roy Jacobsen. A magician's trick gone . The graveyard is marked only by numbers, and is the final resting place of those who were either shunned in death or who died with no one around them: AIDS victims in the 1990s, suicides, abandoned babies, and more recently, the bodies of drowned Afghan and Pakistani refugees. Leila is the protagonist of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World; she has led a socially unacceptable life in the brothels of Istanbul and her end has been painful. I was invested enough in Leila that it felt out of place. Maybe the opposite of goodness is, in fact, numbness." There are so many questions we never ask. Leila's narrative exposes the seamy side of Istanbul, an ominous place . Apparently, 10 minutes . It is the place, she said, of "many outcasts", of sex workers, AIDS victims and refugees. So many assumptions we make every second of every day because our minds and our lives are sealed off from one another, accessible only through time, patience, and the slow work of trustall of which are often in short supply . I can't even begin to express how I felt reading the part about the "Cemetery of the Companionless" (It's a real cemetery in Istanbul, go read about it). Elif Shafak (writer) - the cemetery of the companionless by with a free trial. But as soon as she reaches Istanbul, Leila realises "Istanbul was an illusion. The Cemetery of the Companionless is where 'undesirable' or 'unworthy' people . In her most recent novel, 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World, which was shortlisted for the 2019 Man Booker Prize, Shafak 'gave' a story to a murdered sex worker, Tequila Leila, from the Cemetery of the Companionless in skdar, Istanbul. A pall hangs over their efforts until the journey to the cemetery when the tone shifts into an almost antic, campy atmosphere. I had picked up reading or rather listening to this book on the Audible for the book prompt of the TBRCHALLENGE2020 - #6 a book picked up on the recommendation of a fellow blogger/reviewer. Part 2 consists of Leila's friends retrieving her body from the Cemetery of the Companionless to give her a proper burial. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World Elif Shafak. This story is simultaneously wonderful, poignant, funny and deeply sad. "There are no names on the. As usual, Shafak provides a vivid depiction of Istanbul and some of the historical events, in this case the massacre in Istanbul on International Workers' Day in 1977, violent protests against the Sixth Fleet in 1969 and the inclusion of the "Cemetery of the Companionless" - a place that left a knot in the pit of my stomach. The three most popular cemeteries for the anonymous are located within the graveyards of Kilyos in Istanbul, Sincan in Ankara and Doanay in Izmir. In addition, 880 unmarked graves at Kilyos cemetery in Istanbul have not been included in the total because government officials could not verify how many were those of migrants who had died . In her most recent novel, 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World, which was shortlisted for the 2019 Man Booker Prize, Shafak 'gave' a story to a murdered sex worker, Tequila Leila, from the Cemetery of the Companionless in skdar, Istanbul. There rest the "unwanted" (prostitutes, refugees . Cemeteries in Istanbul, Istanbul, a Find a Grave. "Maybe the opposite of goodness is not evil. Leila is a lively character, and her life, particularly in Istanbul, isn't unrelentingly bleak. They catch a tree on fire with a cigarette. Translated by Don Bartlett and Don Shaw. In Istanbul there is a cemetery known as the Cemetery of the Companionless where anyone without a family to claim them is buried with no headstone just a number on a wooden post to mark their passing from the world. This is an ode to outsiders and to those who don't belong. Quotations: Elif Shafak (writer) - the cemetery of the companionless by Think Again - a Big Think Podcast instantly on your tablet, phone or browser - no downloads needed. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World Elif Shafak. Bloomsbury, $27 (320p) ISBN 978-1-63557-447- Among them are a dwarf, a gay, a trans, and a prostitute. It is growing fast. Share Elif Shafak (writer) - the cemetery of the companionless on LinkedIn There are so many questions we never ask. This book has been shortlisted for the Booker award. - Listen to 220. "Maybe the opposite of goodness is not evil. And Part 3, only several pages long, consists of Leila's taste of freedom as her corpse is released into the sea. In her acknowledgements, Shafak explains how these characters are inspired by real people and that the Cemetery of the Companionless really exists in Turkey, a graveyard marked only by numbers. The Turkish novelist Elif Shafak spoke to the National Public Radio this year about the Cemetery of the Companionless in Istanbul, where "there are no tombstones, no surnames nothing personal on the graves, just numbers". So many assumptions we make every second of every day because our minds and our lives are sealed off from one another, accessible only through time, patience, and the slow work of trustall of which are often in short supply while we're running . The Bastard of Istanbul "Cyanide is a colorless substance - potassium salt and hydrocyanic acid. Once again, Shafak has painted Istanbul with arresting colours- from deep fried muzzles to the Cemetery of the Companionless, from the opening of the grand Bosphorus bridge to the portrait of Sultan Abdulaziz behind Bitter Ma's desk. So many assumptions we make every second. This article focuses on the state confiscation of the Surp Hagop Armenian cemetery as more than just another fact about the famous 2013 protests in Gezi Park in Istanbul. (from The Road - Epilogue) They fall into the grave. Elif Shafak (writer) - the cemetery of the companionless from Think Again - a Big Think Podcast on Podchaser, aired Saturday, 16th November 2019. But as soon as she reaches Istanbul, Leila realises "Istanbul was an illusion. Read millions of eBooks and audiobooks on the web, iPad, iPhone and Android. *Historical Footnote: The Cemetery of the Companionless in Kilyos is a real place, as is the street of brothels, and historical events such as the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam in 1968 and the Massacre in Istanbul on International Workers' Day in 1977, where snipers from the roof of the Intercontinental Hotel opened fire on the crowds - which today . The recounting of Leila's life through her reflections during the 10 minutes 38 seconds after her death, including her friendship with other outsiders in Istanbul is beautifully told. The narrative opens up in surprising ways when Leila's five best friends, all outcasts like herself whose pasts are detailed in the book, decide to rescue her body from the "Cemetery of the Companionless," where it has been unceremoniously buried. by Roy Jacobsen. Many of Turkey's suicide victims are buried in the Cemetery of the Companionless in Kilyos, on the outskirts of Istanbul, a place I wrote about in my novel 10 Minutes, 38 Seconds in this Strange World. "Maybe the opposite of goodness is not evil. They smash a bottle and attract the police's attention. Translated by Don Bartlett and Don Shaw. the Cemetery of the Companionless, the Bosphorus . So many assumptions we make every second.- Oua o 220. Many of Turkey's suicide victims are buried in the Cemetery of the Companionless in Kilyos, on the outskirts of Istanbul, a place I wrote about in my novel 10 Minutes, 38 Seconds in this Strange. Bloomsbury, $27 (320p) ISBN 978-1-63557-447- Once again, Shafak has painted Istanbul with arresting colours- from deep fried muzzles to the Cemetery of the Companionless, from the opening of the grand Bosphorus bridge to the portrait of Sultan Abdulaziz behind Bitter Ma's desk. Leila is a lively character, and her life, particularly in Istanbul, isn't unrelentingly bleak. For acknowledging the Armenian genocide in her 2006 novel "The Bastard of Istanbul" she was put on trial for "insulting Turkishness . The Bastard Of Istanbul, refers to the death of Armenians in 1915 as genocide, perhaps the first Turkish novel to directly tackle the issue. After Leila's death, with no living relatives willing to claim her body, the city consigns her to the 'Cemetery of the Companionless'. The cemetery is home to the companionless sex workers, LGBTQ community, refugees, and babies those abandoned by families or fate, who have now turned into just numbers. Posted in Freedom of Speech, Interview, On Writing, Uncategorized | Tagged 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, Antonio Gramsci, Armenian genocide, Audre Lord, authoritarianism, Black and White for solidarity, Booker prize, Cemetery of the Companionless, dogma, Elif Shafak, Emma Graham-Harrison, Istanbul, language, Mahmoud Darwish . I've been to this place and I've done research about this place. *Historical Footnote: The Cemetery of the Companionless in Kilyos is a real place, as is the street of brothels, and historical events such as the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam in 1968 and the Massacre in Istanbul on International Workers' Day in 1977, where . Urban Istanbul, a stark contrast to traditional Van, binds Leila to forced prostitution. The Cemetery of the Companionless - a real place on the outskirts of Istanbul - plays a significant role in the novel. By ; 1443 cemetery of the companionless kilyos; 28/05/2022; cemetery of the companionless kilyos Just the name saddens me. She has been buried in the Cemetery of the Companionless - a real place in Istanbul where all "the undesirables" end up: people who die of Aids, victims of honour killings, suicides, alcoholics, drug addicts, members of the LGBT community, as well as hundreds of refugees who have drowned while trying to cross over to Europe.