Alphan Akgül’s book Kim Egemen Olabilir Yazgısına: Türk Romanında Trajedi ve Özgür İrade, published in 2021, traces tragedy in the early Turkish novel and discusses the elements, causes, and consequences of tragedy in the context of the traditional-modern conflict. In this context, the book argues that in early Turkish novels, dramatic fiction with tragic plots was a conscious choice. In the study, a close reading of ten novels demonstrates the presence of tragedy and its impasse. These early novels are occasionally compared with other texts from world literature to reveal the elements of tragedy. The concept of tragedy, which has been discussed in Turkish literature from different periods, is approached comprehensively through the examples of single novels thanks to Akgül’s study.
