Memed My Hawk

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Summary: Once Upon a Time in Turkey
Review: Down in that fertile part of southern Anatolia called the Chukurova, where crops yielded forty-fold and deer, birds, and beetles throve, the feudal landlords, who owned entire villages, oppressed the peasants mightily. They took whatever share of the crops they desired and could beat the villagers on any whim, or even drive them from their homes. Justice was an undreamt-of luxury. For rebels, or for those who had incurred the landlords' wrath, the only alternative-besides joining the Army---was to become a bandit in the mountains. The life of a bandit, though, however free, was usually short. Yashar Kemal, who grew up in this area, wrote this novel back in the 1950s; his first major work, which by now has been translated into nearly every major language and has become a modern classic.

Kemal introduces the life and traditions of the inhabitants of the Chukurova, a region unknown in most parts of the world. At least, he gives us a picture of the life they had in the 1920s or '30s. The novel describes the social conditions then existing there, introduces dozens of interesting, colorful characters, and also focusses on the natural environment, which by our times, has mostly disappeared. All this is done through the medium of a fast-moving, action-packed story which could be the script of a film (and may well have been, though I never saw it anywhere). Memed, a slim young man, wishes to marry Hatche, a beautiful village girl. The nasty landlord has other ideas---he wants her to marry his ugly nephew. The young lovers elope into the forest, but are surrounded by the landlord's minions. Memed draws his pistol and shoots the nephew dead, wounding the landlord. Memed winds up as a bandit, Hatche winds up in jail, and the rotten landlord has Memed's mother beaten to death. Her son swears revenge. Nomads, trackers, crazy bandit chiefs, tough peasant women, village farmers, policemen---the number of lifelike characters is endless. Memed not only turns bandit, but he becomes a Robin Hood character, a legend in his own time, who defies the prevailing feudal order and even re-distributes the landlord's fields to the tillers at one point. No wonder they loved him ! Perhaps some of Kemal's later work is deeper psychologically, perhaps his palette of colors got wider, but MEMED MY HAWK stands out as a great story written in masterful style. It is a novel about justice, a novel that treats basic human emotions in any time or place. It heralded the arrival of a major author on the world scene. I recently read it again. I liked it just as much.

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Summary: Read this novel!
Review: I read this book because I saw in the cover (Spanish edition) the UNESCO logo. A novel indorsed by UNESCO? It couldn't be bad. Well, it turned out to be great.
This is the story of Memed, an 11- year old kid who lives with his mother in a small Turkish village. Tired of hardship and hard work, he decides to leave his impoverished home. He escapes and is taken in by an old, good-hearted peasant. His mother believes he's dead and looks for him for several days until she finally gives up hope.
But Memed starts feeling homesick, so he decides to go back home. Bad call. The local landowner, Abdi Aga, a ruthless man, when told that little Memed is alive, recovers the child, part of his working force, and gives him and his mother a HARD time. But Memed will grow, and revenge is in heart...
This is a great book by a great author. If you have had the luck to arrive to this page and read the reviews, go and get a copy for yourself. A fascinating story is awaiting you.

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Summary: You will not be able to put this down!!
Review: I started book on a Friday night and ended up reading until the first lights of day. I had to get an early breakfast to continue reading. Such is the captivity of the story of "Memed the Skinny".

"Memed My Hawk" is Yasar Kemal's most famous novel, and is followed by 3 sequels. It's the story of a rebellious young boy in Southern Turkey in 1930s versus the tyranny of the feudal lord. However, please do not pick up this book expecting a locally consticted fairy tale. Mr Kemal, a nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature, has always written about universal struggles against opression in with substantial depth and successful clarity.

Mr Kemal is known for his detailed descriptions of the natural and political environment around the Taurus mountains - which incidentally happen to be the birthplace of this reviewer - with a rich, colorful language. Unfortunately, I am unable to comment on the (English) translation since I have read the book in its original Turkish edition only. But I must advise the (English) reader to look for the best translation of the work if at all possible.

Please do not consider me biased because we share the same hometown with Mr Kemal(which is a very important aspect of Turkish friendships). But I can easily say that this is the first thing you must read if you are entering the world of Yasar Kemal and Turkish Literature. And you must follow this by Orhan Pamuk's "Black Book"...

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Summary: Turkish Heroism !
Review: Memed, My Hawk is a tale of bravery, tragedy, action, adventure and romance all rolled into one neat package. And what a package it is! Memed is a young man who becomes an outlaw to avenge the wrong-doings of the greedy, rich Abdi Agha. Many things happen, the "Agha" kills Memed's mother, imprisons Hatche(his lover) and continues to oppress the poor and the novel seems to fly. But in the end, Memed returns from the mountains to exact bloody vengeance. From the above, one gets the impression that this book is nothing more then a violent bandit saga, but don't be fooled. The Turkish novelist Yashar Kemal mixes alot into the ingredients and creates an enjoyable journey. The book isn't perfect(I'm sure theres something lost in the translation too), but it's a good read and I recommend it. Beware of its sequels(3 of them). The second book is "They Burn The Thistles", but it's nothing like the first one, and I didn't enjoy it at all. Read "Memed, My Hawk" and experience "Action" Turkish-Style.

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Summary: Ince Memed
Review: The book is originally called "Ince Memed". It's Yasar Kemal's most famous and the best novel that I have ever read. It is an adventure type novel and tells the story about a boy called Memed and his life from as a child to teenager and to much older days. Memed lives in south of Turkey in a mountain village. Life standarts are very low and people are not happy because there is a very old system. Villages are controlled by wealthy men who are called as "Aga" in Turkish. In this story Memed gives a war against the Aga of his village and his own life. This is another "must read" book from Yasar Kemal and explains the humanity really well. I can surely say that this the best book I have ever read.

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Summary: One of the most powerful books I have ever read
Review: This book is a truly beautiful . Yashar Kemal is blessed with a rare gift to tell a story that has a message and not lose the story to the message. The first two chapters are slow and filled with imagery that you only later appreciate. I would recommend this book to anyone. I recommend the version translated by his wife. I would also recommend his short novella "The Birds Have Also Gone"

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Summary: Sturdy but it doesn't involve one
Review: This novel is in most respects a folktale, which some will find attractive and others not. The episodic structure allows for Kemal to write many set-pieces of description, and he has a very good eye for landscapes. However, the main character grows little once the first few chapters are over, which is a major drawback. I grew tired of the same descriptive phrase used for his eyes, as it struck me too much like what 'Kenneth Robeson' and 'Grant Stockbridge' would say about The Avenger and The Spider.

Come to think of it, the very nature of Memed's adventures, and the little band he assembles, is much like a boys'-own story, though bloodier and in an exotic locale. Yet this can tire when one expects more content. The political aspect of who reigns in the mountains and the power held by wealthy landowners, as well as the vaguely Communistic ideas Memed comes up with, are not developed enough, for me, and the novel would have more weight if these things had been addressed more.

Separately, the picture of village life and the sound of village talk did ring true, and if one compares the feuds and allegiances in the novel with current newspaper reports from many parts of the world the same passions and ignorance would be found.

While this book did disappoint, I will try Kemal again, as it would be interesting to see if he grew as a writer.

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Summary: Prose-poetry
Review: What I remember about this book is how passionately each chapter starts, usually with a description of nature before plunging "in medias res" into the action. The vivid description of colours, sounds and smells is meant to convey the intensity with which the bandits live their lives - lives which unstable and may be brief. Memed packs as much experience and sensation into his existence as possible, while possible. This mood is what makes the book great, not the commonplace plot.

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Summary: Captivating!
Review: Yasar Kemal's book, Memed My Hawk, written in the late fifties when Turkey was still a mainly agrarian society, is a folk tale about a young villager's struggle for freedom from the yoke of the local landlord. These landlords (Agas) controlled much of the arible land in Turkey where tenant farmers and villagers struggled to make a living. Under the power and control of the Agas, daily life for villagers was full of frustration and suffering.

The Turkish title, Ince Memed, which translates "Skinny Memed", relates to the physical attributes of the main character whereas the English title refers to Memed's heroism. Rich in symbolism and highly lyrical, the story engulfs the reader in Memed's (perhaps Yasar Kemal's) burdened life and his fight against Abdi Aga's unjust and despotic rule. Edouard Roditi's excellent translation provides for the reader the full range of colors with which Yasar Kemal paints his epic portrait.

In the early sixties when Peter Ustinov was in Istanbul to promote his play, "Photo Finish", he endeared himself to the Turks and walked away with the movie rights to Memed, My Hawk. The movie, which Ustinov made later under the same title, was a poor adaptation of Yasar Kemal's wonderful story. Ustinov's portrayal of Abdi Aga was forgettable. Pity.