Basaran Duzgun’s novel traces Turkish Cypriot lives across four decades

Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot journalist Basaran Duzgun’s novel Orphaned Horses Land has been translated into English, recounting lives in Cyprus and the countries where its central character served during the Second World War.

The book is the first in a planned trilogy on recent Cypriot history and draws in part on stories told to Duzgun by his father and other people he encountered as a journalist.

From the Taurus mountains to Cyprus

Three hundred years ago, a group of nomadic Yoruk tribesmen from the Taurus mountains was ordered by the Sultan to move to Cyprus. Eighty-six Yoruks arrived in the west of the island, near Polis, and were given land close to Androlikou.

The land had a water pool supplied by an underground spring. When severe drought later affected the surrounding area, the Yoruks were the only people with water, leading to a bitter conflict with their neighbours. During the dispute, a young Yoruk shepherd named Hasan was killed.

Following negotiations, the Governor of Paphos ruled that the Yoruks had to relocate. They established a nearby village called Fasli.

A family story within a wider history

Centuries later, another Hasan was born in Fasli during the Great Depression. He was the second son of Niyazi from Fasli and Serife from Androlikou.

Hasan later served as a British soldier and fought at Monte Cassino during the Second World War. His military career took him to Egypt, Palestine and Italy.

Duzgun’s novel covers about 40 years, from 1924 to 1964, and is set in Cyprus as well as the countries where Hasan served. Although many events follow his father’s story, Duzgun said he did not intend to make his family the main focus of his novels.

Planned trilogy

Orphaned Horses Land is Duzgun’s first book to be translated into English. The second novel, Pink-Painted Room, has been published in Turkish and describes life in Cyprus during the 1960s.

The third book, Where the God Died, is awaiting publication in Turkish and focuses on the events of 1974. Duzgun said he hopes that both books will be published in English and translated into Greek.

Duzgun, 62, is editor-in-chief of Havadis, one of the north’s leading newspapers. He said he wanted Greek Cypriots to read his books because they cover not only Turkish Cypriot history but their story as well.

Stories gathered through journalism

Duzgun said his work focuses on the lives of poor people on the island rather than political leaders. As a journalist, he said, people in villages often shared personal accounts of war, love and other experiences they had witnessed themselves.

He said he had collected many such stories and had long intended to turn them into a novel. During the pandemic, as journalism shifted online, he began writing fiction.

Duzgun said that while he still works at the newspaper, he now feels more like a writer than a journalist. He added that his novels are fiction, but many of the stories they describe are based on real events and accounts.

Some stories included in Where the God Died were told to him by his father, Duzgun said, who had asked that they be published only after his death.