Livaneli depicts story of conflicts in his book

Sunday, March 27, 2011

VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

In his latest book, ‘Serenad’ (Serenade), Zülfü Livaneli tells about the painful events of 1915. Establishing friendship bridges between Turkey and Greece, Livaneli wishes to do the same thing with Armenia. ‘As an artist, I want to shake the society and tell the truth at any cost,’ he says

Zülfü Livaneli – a writer, screenwriter, director, politician, musician and UNESCO goodwill ambassador – has established friendship bridges between Turkey and Greece, and he’s now determined to make the same bridges between Turkey and Armenia. He said his plan is to give a concert with an Armenian artist in the capital Yerevan and then do the same in Turkey.

In his latest book, “Serenad” (Serenade), Livaneli depicts the conflict between the Ottomans and Armenians in 1915 in a stunning way. He said his biggest wish is for the book to be translated into Armenian.

“Families in Turkey do not know their own past. I am sure they will find an Armenian, Greek or Syrian if they search the roots of their family. There is no pure race in Turkey. This is why the past is kept hidden. The state’s MERNIS program was created so people could research their family roots. But it is not possible to go back more than a few generations,” Livaneli said.

He said the same pains from the past could appear again.

“We say that the Armenian ‘genocide’ or the Nazi violence are over, but that’s unlikely. The same events may occur again. Didn’t neighbors massacre each other in Bosnia in front of the civilized world?” he said.

A striking moment

The most striking section of his novel is the fifth part. In this section, Livaneli depicts the Armenian problem in detail through a story about a grandmother. A professor and general ask the grandmother, who is taken into a military hospital, how her father and mother died.

“This was the section that impressed me the most while writing,” Livaneli told the Hürriyet Daily News. “The general asks a very normal question, but it is impossible to define the grandmother’s pain. She replied, ‘because of the cruelty of human beings.’ The general remains silent because he understands.”

Livaneli pointed out the words of his protagonist’s brother when the brother learned his grandmother was Armenian. “The brother says, ‘So our blood is dirty, too.’ I was very impressed while writing these two scenes,” Livaneli said.

“We have known this land as ours for centuries, lived together; there was no priority of any race. People fell out with each other in order to overthrow the empire during the nationalization process. Young and inexperienced Enver, Talat and Cemal paşas unfortunately became the perpetrators of unimaginably violent crimes. All identities in Turkey were exterminated during the same process, too,” Livaneli said. “I had to write this book. This big pain should be discussed.”

A judge in Harput

Livaneli said his grandfather Zülfükar was a judge in Harput in the eastern province of Elazığ during the years of the painful events. “I have researched the past of my grandfather. If he was involved in these bloody events, it was very important to me. I had to know that my grandfather was innocent. I have learned that he rescued an Armenian girl and married her. But the girl died a short time later and then he married my grandmother.”

Another significant character in the novel is the German-American professor Wagner Maximilian. Visiting Turkey as an invited guest, Maximilian meets readers in another striking scene. The novel comes to life in the memory of readers like film scenes.

Maya – the novel’s protagonist – and Maximilian go to Şile on the coast of the Black Sea on a stormy winter day. The old professor Maximilian has a violin box in his hand. He stands still in front of the wild waves. Sometime later, he is about to die from the freezing cold. Maya takes him to a hotel and warms him with her naked body under blankets.

“This scene is very important to me,” said Livaneli. “Maya reaches the top of the concept of humanity. A female body gives a life.” When asked why the main character of his novel is a woman, Livaneli said, “Men are plain characters, but woman are very special beings.”

He said the novel was a love story although it depicted a painful history. “I know the word ‘love’ is a worn one; it has lost its meaning. Love is made dirty, but we can clean its meaning again.”

Livaneli said his novel could be adapted to the silver screen with an international production, and wishes that a famous name from Hollywood would play the role of Maximilian Wagner.

Livaneli, the goodwill ambassador

Livaneli has shared the same stage with many world-famous names, including Mikis Theodarakis, Joan Baez, Maria Farantouri and U2. He has written nearly 300 songs and 30 film scores. His novels have been translated into 30 languages. He has also directed many films and has won many national and international awards.

Livaneli collaborated with legendary Greek artist Theodarakis for 30 years. He published the poems of master poet Nazım Hikmet during the years he was exiled. Like Hikmet, Livaneli also had to leave Turkey. He lived in exile in Sweden for 11 years.

When he returned to Turkey, he was involved in politics for some time, but he withdrew. “I got involved in politics compulsorily, actually I always hated it. I thought that I could influence a mass of people with my position and could give them important messages. But I was worn out and could not do it,” he said.

Livaneli said he thinks it is the most difficult thing in the world to stay true to yourself. “All these experiences made me more mature. As an artist, I want to shake the society and tell the truth at any cost.”