Love and Migration by Vildan Serdar

Journal of Balkan Libraries Union ISSN 2148-077X h t tp :// w w w.b al k an l ib r a r i es .o rg /j ou rn al h t tp ://d e rg ip ar k.g o v.t r/j b l u Book Review Murat Derin Trakya University, Turkey e-mail: muratderin@trakya.edu.tr Journal of Balkan Libraries Union, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 3-4, 2017. Copyright © 2017 Balkan Libraries Union - All rights reserved. Love and Migration by Vildan Serdar Istanbul, 2016 303 pages ISBN 9786054042937 Love and Migration is the second book of author Vildan Serdar from Western Thrace. This work tells about the wars, immigrations, ruined lives, burned villages and love an environment full of anguish, despite everything in the Balkans during the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. The author, who knows the history and geography of the region well, reflected this in his novel. Describing the lives of ethnic groups in the Balkans as with a historical process and events, simple the author also included artistic and explanatory descriptions in his narrative. In this book, which has been drawn from experienced events, besides the Balkan Wars drama, he has also included information and speech texts that will increase the value education. “La havle”, “Hasbinallahü ve ni’mel vekil”, “Hamdü sena”, “Bismillah”, “Ayet el kürsi”, “Yasin” … such as the religious knowledge of people living in Rumelia, the love of Allah and the Prophet has been transferred to the reader. The culture of the Muslims living in the Balkans is transferred to the novel. In this book especially Turkish World has been discussed. The author explained that the immigrants from the Caucasia migrated to Skopje after Silistire and migrated from Skopje to Istanbul because of the Balkan Wars. Sheikh Shamil, Debreli Hasan, Süleyman Pasha, Fevzi Çakmak and Ömer Seyfettin's informations has been included in the novel. The ethnic structure in the Balkans has also touched on the coexistence of elements such as Turks, Albanians, Pomaks and Torbesh. During the Balkan Wars, the political division of the Ottoman Army was commented on in its own conservative style. It had been attached importance to culture of muslim who live in Balkans and hospitality, solidarity, tolarence and patriotism transferred fluently. Readers had been back to 1900’s love and sadness by warmhearted expression. The main character of novel is Dilşah from Komotini. Dilşah whose marriage, family, society, patriotism and spirituality discussed is beautiful as fairytale princess. Dilşah's husband Ahmet and their daughters are Zahide 3 Journal of Balkan Libraries Union and Vahide, her father Rıfat Pasha, her mother Mrs. Gülnihal, her sisters Neslişah and Mihrişah, her brother Cumali; Ahmet’s father Mr. Osman and mother Mrs. Asiye, his sisters Bahu and Safiyet, his brother Mehmet and his wife Gülsüme, their grandchildren is other characters of novel. “Those who do not know the history, cannot shape their future” the aim of the work written with this idea is to remind the new generations of their past and to learn lessons from the past. The author created an important work for Turkish Culture and Literature in the Balkans. It is also an incentive for those who want to write in Western Thrace. In this regard, we can say that it has already reached its goal. 4