The Sultan, the Janissaries and a Sad Love Story...
In between the philosophy of name and love. On one hand there is the story of janissaries, on the other hand there is the story of Numan whose life changed and found himself in the journey of love. And other small stories that are related to this two stories through various connections.
In this novel, Nazan Bekiroğlu
Also portrays us how official history contrasts the independent historians through an indigenous perspective. The book tells a story of Mansur, whose former name is Numan, and Nihade while paralleling this to the historical process of founding Janissary organization. There are two loves that are drifted from existence to non-existence, one is of Mansur and the other is of janissaries. The writer stresses that there is only name left except nothingness and reminds us that we all are a part of this nothingness throughout the all times and thus we need to yield to the peaceful atmosphere of love.
Everything begins with a name and ends with fire. The writer at the very beginning of her story asks: “Isn’t life a name noted on a notebook?” In this book there is the story of a human who is left in this world.
Mansur falls in love with the mistress of the house he has visited. Thus realities, his past, his wife, his child everything gets lost for him. Now, Mansur begins to struggle in this emptiness. However, we can’t talk about a total submission in this love. Mansur’s questionings bring along disengagement as well. The disengagement goes parallel with of Janissary Organization. Whereas there is no room for conditions in love. Everything needs to happen unconditionally. Once questions come in separation begins.
One loses his Nihade, the other loses the sultan. (Modern person forgets his Creator. Do all other things refer to this issue?) Saying “I got lost in love, since one can’t be two separate things simultaneously”, the author tries to reach out to the reader with the subtext between the lines in the novel.