“Cosmic Idiots” as a Representation of the Unknown in Zamansız

Abstract

Zamansız, written by Latife Tekin, is a pandemic-era story that confronts death and seeks the path of existence in the face of disaster. Diverging from her previous works, the narrative opens a space in the ecological field, encompassing the “Other,” the non-human. This adds an eco-lyrical quality as it navigates the field of the unknown, differentiating itself from the author's previous eco-critical stance. In this narrative, which portrays earthly existence as intertwined with the unknown, unknown subjects and ambiguities are constructed. The desire for constant oscillation, enabling the incorporation of these subjects and ambiguities into the text with the boundless aspects of love and death, forms the passions that can only exist through such instability. This study will explore the representation of the “Other” in the narrative through the concept of the "cosmic idiot" as proposed by Isabelle Stengers. It will trace the otherness of the characters and their calls to the “Other”. In doing so, the unique functions of the fool representing the “Other,” such as "slow down," "suffering," "stupefaction," "bewilderment," and "blurring," will be examined. These actions aim to invalidate the known in the text, attempting to nullify the boundaries persistently and deliberately violated, encompassing the unknown and the ambiguous, including the non-human.