A Look at Yuri Bondarev in Turkey from Past to Present

Yuri Vasilyevich Bondarev is one of the well-known names of 20th century Russian literature, and he is one Russian writer familiar to Turkish readers. A successful author of war prose, Bondarev attracted the attention of the Turkish audience with a wide range of literary works which includes novels, novellas, short stories, poems, articles, essays, interviews, etc. In this respect, the years in which he produced writings on the universal theme of war have an important place in Turkish politics. Bondarev began to be published in Turkey during the politization process following the military coup (1980) and he continued to be present in Turkey until the day he died. Especially in the 80’s when he was adopted as a war prose writer he was a guide for left-wing people in the struggle after the events of September 12. It is worth noting that the recent significant increase of interest in Bondarev’s work among Turkish linguists and philologists indicates that he is popular with the Turkish reader no less than the recognized classics of Russian literature. In this article, Bondarev’s position in Turkey from past to present will be analyzed in view of the studies on him in Turkish press and literature, and it will be emphasized that the author engrossed the Turkish reader with his artistic expertise and the ideology relayed through his works.