Aysel Ingham (née Özakın, born 1942) is a Turkish-British novelist and playwright. She has written predominantly in English for over 25 years, although she has also published in three other languages (French, Turkish, and German).
[Arlene A. Teraoka, "Turkish-German literature," in ''The Feminist Encyclopedia of German Literature'', ed. Friederike Ursula Eigler and Susanne Kord (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997)]
529
She also publishes under the names Ada, Anna, or Ana Ingham.
Career
Özakın studied French in Ankara and in Paris, then worked as a lecturer in Istanbul (at Atatürk Egitim Enstitusu, which is now part of
Marmara University
Marmara University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Marmara Üniversitesi'') is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university, named after the Sea of Marmara, was founded as a university in 1982. However, its ...
). Her literary activity was repeatedly praised by literary critics.
[Ülker Gökberk, "Encounters with the Other in German Cultural Discourse," in ''Other Germanies: Questioning Identity in Women's Literature and Art'' edited by Karen Hermine Jankowsky and Carla Love]
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One example of her sensitive, accurate observational prose is a 1975 Turkish language novel under the title ''Gurbet Yavrum'', which was translated to German in 1987, under the title ''The Flying Carpet''.
Three months after the
1980 Turkish military coup, Aysel Özakın left Turkey to attend the
Berlin Literary Colloquium.
[Sabine Fisher,]
Özakin, Aysel
" in ''Encyclopedia of Contemporary German Culture'', edited by John Sandford (Routledge, 2013).
Özakin considers herself a
universalist writer, whose subject matter and protagonists are increasingly international.
Through her work, she has striven to cast off any stereotypical labels that would typically have been placed on her as a female author who works in a multitude of languages, and with characters set within a variety of cultural backdrops.
Personal life
She met her future husband, the English painter and sculptor
Bryan Ingham, in
Worpswede
Worpswede (Northern Low Saxon: ''Worpsweed'') is a municipality in the Osterholz-Scharmbeck, district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Teufelsmoor, northeast of Bremen (city), Bremen. The small town itself is located n ...
, Germany. Özakın moved to
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, England in 1988 to escape the limitations of publishing in Germany,
and married him in 1989. They lived together there until their separation in 1994, remaining on friendly terms.
She has resided in England since then, and writes her works solely in English.
Bibliography
* 1975 ''Gurbet Yavrum'' (Novel); E. Publishers, Istanbul
** German edition 1987:
Rowohlt, Reinbek
** Dutch edition 1988: Ambo, Deh Baarn
* 1976 ''Sessiz Bir Dayanisma'' (Short Stories); E. Publishers, Istanbul
* 1978 ''Alninda Mavi Kuslar'' (Novel); E. Publishers, Istanbul
* 1980 ''Genç Kız ve Ölüm'' (Novel); Yazko, Istanbul
** German Edition 1982, Buntbuch Verlag, Hamburg
** Dutch edition 1984; Schaloom, Amsterdam
** English edition 1988 (tr.
Celia Kerslake
Celia Kerslake (1946–7 February 2023) was a British Turkologist. She was the University Lecturer in Turkish and a Fellow of St Antony's College at the University of Oxford (1988–2011). She is known as the author of ''Turkish: A Comprehensive ...
);
Women's Press
The Women's Press was a feminist publishing company established in London in 1977. Throughout the late 1970s and the 1980s, The Women's Press was a highly visible presence, publishing feminist literature.
Founding
In 1977, Stephanie Dowrick cofo ...
, London
** German edition reprinted 1989
Luchterhand, Frankfurt am Main
* 1981 ''Sessiz Bir Dayanisma'' (Short Stories); Yazko, Istanbul
* 1981 ''Soll Ich alt werden'', German edition 1983. Buntbuch Verlag, Hamburg
* 1981 ''Turken in Deutschland 1984''.
Goldmann, München
** Greek edition 1983. Theoria, Athens
* 1984 ''Die leidenschaft der anderen'' (Novella); Buntbuch Verlag, Hamburg
* 1985 ''Das Lacheln des Benwubsein'' (Short Stories); Buntbuch Verlag, Hamburg
** Dutch edition 1986; Sjaloom, Amsterdam
* 1986 ''Du bist willkommen'' (Poems)
* 1986 ''Hosgeldin Dagyeli'' Buntbuch Verlag, Hamburg
* 1987 ''Zart erhob sich bis sie flog'' (Poems); Am Galgenberg, Hamburg; Buntbuch Verlag, Hamburg
* 1987 ''Die Blau Vogel auf dem Stirn''; Buntbuch Verlag, Hamburg
* 1988 ''Mavi Maske''. Roman Can, Istanbull
** German edition, 1989.
Luchterhand, Frankfurt
** Dutch edition 1989; Ambo Den Baarn Holland.
* 1989 ''Selo wants to buy a house'' (Children book); House de Geus. Holland
* 1991 ''Glaube Liebe Aircondition'' (Novel);
Luchterhand ;
Goldmann paperback
* 1993 ''De taal Van de Bergen'' (Novel); Ambo Den Baarn Holland
* 1995 ''Die Zunge der Berge''.
Luchterhand, Frankfurt
* 1997 ''Bartelsman'' (Novel)
* 2000 ''Three Colours of Love'' (Three short novels, published under the name Ada Ingham); Waterloo Press, Brighton
* 2004 ''La Langue des Montagnes''; L'Esprit des Peninsules, Paris
* 2007 ''La Voyage a travers l'oubli'' (poems published under the name Anna Ingham); La Soicete des Poets Francais
* 2008 4 Plays of Ana Ingham
* 2009 ''All Dreamers Go to America'' (Novel, published under the name Ana Ingham); Eloqent books/AEG New York. USA
* 2007 ''Ladder in the moonlight'' (Novel); Pen Press, Brighton
* 2009 ''Urgent Beauty'' (Novel); Eloquent Books/AEG. New York USA
* 2010 ''Lazy Friends'' (Novel); Strategic Book Group. USA
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozakin, Aysel
Living people
1942 births
Turkish women writers
British women writers