On Kemal Tahir and Kemal Tahir Studies: An Interview with Kurtuluş Kayalı

Abstract

Kurtuluş Kayalı is a scholar renowned for his original contributions to Turkish political sociology, intellectual history, cinema, and literature. Writing, thinking, and speaking continuously on Kemal Tahir since the 1970s, Kayalı is among the most prolific figures in this field. His major works include Turkish Cinema Through Directors (1994), The Crisis of the Turkish Intellectual World (2000), Portraits from the World of Turkish Culture (2002), and An Intellectual Portrait of Kemal Tahir (2023).
In this interview, Kayalı reflects on his journey of reading Kemal Tahir from his very first encounter with the author to the present day, the intellectual climate of the 1960s, Kemal Tahir’s place in debates on the Turkish novel, and the trajectory of Kemal Tahir studies in Türkiye. The conversation offers a rich perspective for both scholars of Kemal Tahir and readers interested in Turkish intellectual history and literature.