Translating narratives and counter-narratives in Ahmet Ümit’s When Pera Trees Whisper

Abstract

Abstract This study analyzes the translation of political narratives in Beyoğlu’nun En Güzel Abisi, a 2013 detective novel by the best-selling Turkish author Ahmet Ümit. Translated into English by Elke Dixon as When Pera Trees Whisper (2014), the novel addresses the events of 6–7 September 1955 that led to the exodus of non-Muslim communities from Istanbul as well as the Gezi Park protests in 2013. The source text reproduces the competing public narratives on issues including ethnic diversity in Turkey, the public mobilization at Gezi, and police intervention during the protests. These narratives play a crucial role, particularly in light of the framing of the protagonist, Chief Inspector Nevzat, as a “good cop” in previous installments of the detective series. In the target text, Elke Dixon translates narratives and counter-narratives for an international readership, conveying the variety of narrative perspectives and framing choices through explicitations, shifts, and other strategies.