Historical-biographical novel by Zulfu Livaneli "On the Back of the Tiger: Tyranny and Freedom" (2022)

Abstract

This article is dedicated to analyzing the latest novel of the well-known contemporary Turkish writer Zulfu Livaneli, "On the Back of the Tiger: Tyranny and Freedom" (2022), according to the author's reception of the belletristic paradigm. The article demonstrates how historical events related to the life of one of the last Turkish sultans, Abdulhamid II (deposition from power and exile in Thessaloniki), are incorporated into the narrative scope of the novel and how these events influence the country's life. It is argued that the figure of Abdulhamid is more vividly portrayed through the image of his opponent-doctor, another central character in the novel. The research aim is to establish that this novel, in terms of its poetic features, belongs to the historical-biographical genre. The article analyzes the plot and compositional features of the novel with an emphasis on its imagery (central images) and chronotope. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that the novelistic work of Z. Livaneli, viewed from this aspect, is for the first time the subject of analytical study in domestic Turkological literary studies. As a result, it is demonstrated that the poetics of Z. Livaneli's novel fits within the historical-biographical genre with specific features unique to the author.