“Kemal Tahir’s Thugs” Real Thugs and Thugs in Kemal Tahir’s Novels

Abstract

This study aims to examine the “kabadayılar [urban tough guys] universe” that Kemal Tahir constructs in his novels through its historical background and its relationship with the period’s illicit underworld. Designed as a qualitative research, the study focuses particularly on the novels Kurt Kanunu [Law of the Wolf], Esir Şehrin İnsanları [People of the Captive City], and Esir Şehrin Mahpusu [Prisoner of the Captive City]. The main focus of the study is the figures that appear in the author’s works of fiction, such as Arap Abdullah and the Onikiler [Twelvers] gang, the Sarafim and Hrisantos gangs, Fantoma Mehmet, Laz Ali, Kör Emin, Haddaneli Arap Hulusi, and Sarraf Niyazi. The fact that a significant portion of these characters correspond to real historical figures strengthens the novels’ claim to realism. By tracing these figures’ presence in archival documents and the periodical press of the era, this research reveals the extent to which Kemal Tahir drew his characters from real life. The study also makes visible Kemal Tahir’s way of reading the social fabric through the underworld, power relations, and the transformations brought about by modernization. Ultimately, the article treats kabadayılık [being an urban tough] not merely as a criminal sphere but as a representational plane that reflects urban culture and sociopolitical tensions.