Aşk-ı Mennu / Forbidden Love
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Autor:
Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil
Country:
Turkey (TR)
Book Theme:
From book to video
Publisher:
Yapı Kredi Yayınları
Publishing Year:
1899
Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil was born in Istanbul in 1866 and became one of the foremost writers of the late Ottoman and early Turkish Republican era. He studied in Istanbul and İzmir, developed fluency in French, and was influenced by European literature. As a key figure of the “Edebiyat-ı Cedide” (New Literature) movement, he contributed to modernizing Turkish prose and helped establish the journal Servet‑i Fünûn. His major novels include Mai ve Siyah and Aşk-ı Memnu, which brought realistic social critique and psychological depth to Turkish fiction. He held various public posts, including in the Ottoman administration, and lived through the transition to the Republic before passing away in Istanbul in 1945
National Award for Children’s and Young People’s
Abstract
Aşk-ı Memnu is a gripping psychological and social novel of late Ottoman Istanbul’s upper classes. It charts the calculated marriage of a wealthy older man, Adnan Bey, to the elegant Bihter, and Bihter’s ensuing passionate affair with his nephew Behlül. As secrets deepen, the facade of respectability collapses — leading to tragedy, ruin and moral reckoning. The novel explores themes of forbidden love, social ambition, gender and class tensions, and the consequences of living by appearances rather than authenticity.
