Zeliha Sevim Burak (29 June 1931 – 31 December 1983) was a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

author and playwright. Her mother was a Jewish migrant from Bulgaria and her father was a Turkish sea captain. She was born in Ortaköy and grew up in the Istanbul neighbourhood of Kuzguncuk. She completed middle school in the German high school in Istanbul. She worked in a range of professions from bookshop assistant to seamstress and model, but her main work was writing. Her avant-garde and post-structuralist novels, short stories and plays continue to be celebrated in exhibitions such as "One Master, One World: Sevim Burak" at the Yapı Kredi Cultural Centre 28 May-27 June 2004 and special journal issues such as Kitap-lik issue 155 which celebrates the 80th birthday of the author.

Works

Sevim Burak published three books in her lifetime: her first collection of short stories ''Yanık Saraylar'' (Burnt Palaces) in 1965, her play ''Sahibinin Sesi'' (His Master's Voice) and her second collection of short stories, titled with reference to the year and a half she lived in Nigeria, ''Afrika Dansı'' (African Dance) in 1982. Other works, including the

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

''İşte Baş, İşte Gövde, İşte Kanatlar'' (Here the Head, Here the Body, Here the Wings), the

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

''Ford Mach I'', the collection of short

stories Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events) ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting * Story (American English), or storey (British ...

''Palyaço Ruşen'', and a

collection of letters A letter collection or letter book consists of a publication, usually a book, containing a compilation of letters written by a real person. Unlike an epistolary novel, a letter collection belongs to non-fiction literature. As a publication, a lett ...

written to her son (Mach I’den Mektuplar) were published posthumously.Belkıs, Özlem. «SEVİM BURAK’IN OYUN METİNLERİNDE KADINLAR». Tiyatro Eleştirmenliği ve Dramaturji Bölüm Dergisi (İstanbul: İstanbul Üniversitesi), Sayı 14 (2009): 28-44. Sevim Burak's work can be divided into three categories: key short stories from ''Yanık Saraylar'' (Burnt Palaces) such as “Oh God Jehovah”, “The House Inlaid with Mother of Pearl”, and the eponymous “Burnt Palaces”, and their dramatised versions the playtexts ''Sahibinin Sesi'' (His Master's Voice) and ''İşte Baş, İşte Gövde, İşte Kanatlar'' (Here the Head, Here the Body, Here the Wings” and finally, short lyrical stories that share the same universe with these works and appear in ''Afrika Dansı'' (African Dance).

Selected publications

* Yanık Saraylar (Burnt Palaces) - 1965 * Sahibinin Sesi (His Master's Voice) - 1982 * Afrika Dansı (African Dance) - 1982 * Everest my lord - 1984 * Ford Mach I - 2003 * Mach 1'dan mektuplar (Letters from Mach 1)- 2004 * Beni Deliler Anlar - 2009

Works

Selected publications

References

Further reading