Elif Şafak and the Subtle Power of Translational Resistance
In the realm of Turkish literature, Elif Şafak stands out not only for her powerful storytelling but also for her bold stance on issues of language, identity, and cultural resistance. One of the most striking examples is the Turkish translation of her novel The Bastard of Istanbul, a work that challenged conventional notions of authorship and translation.
Rather than leaving the translation entirely in the hands of a translator, Şafak collaborated directly with Aslı Biçen, engaging in a process that blurred the boundaries between writer and translator. This act, subtle yet deeply political, reflects what sociologist Pierre Bourdieu called habitus—a socially conditioned set of dispositions that shape how individuals act and react within specific fields.
The translated version, Baba ve Piç, was not a direct reproduction of the English text. Instead, it incorporated lexical and syntactical elements that were deliberately chosen to resist dominant linguistic norms in Turkey. Through this strategy, Şafak and Biçen crafted a version of the novel that spoke to a local audience while simultaneously challenging national narratives about language purity and cultural authenticity.
This act of translation can thus be seen as a quiet form of resistance—a refusal to conform entirely to the expectations of nationalist or traditionalist discourses. By inserting herself into the translation process, Şafak not only reclaimed agency over how her story would be told in Turkish but also reasserted the power of translation as a space of negotiation and transformation.
This spotlight revisits that moment in contemporary literature where translation was not just a tool for dissemination but a site of authorship, activism, and cultural reimagination.