Halide Edip Adivar

After the accreditation Library Committee meeting this afternoon, fellow committee member and parent of one of my students, checked out this book. I had not heard of the author, Halide Edip Adivar (1883-1964) but it turns out that not only is she a graduate of this school (1901) and successful novelist, but also a pioneer of the emancipation of women in Turkey. Born in Constantinople, her father was a secretary of the Ottoman Sultan. After marriage she became involved in educational reform for girls in Turkey, she was also actively involved in politics. In 1910 she divorced her husband because he took a second wife and in 1917 married Dr. Adnan (later Adıvar). In 1916-1917, she acted as Ottoman inspector for schools in Damascus, Beirut and the Collège Saint Joseph in Mount Lebanon. Actively involved in Turkey's nationalist movement, during the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) she was granted the ranks of first corporal and then sergeant in the nationalist army. In 1926, Halide Edip and many associates were accused of treason. She and her husband escaped to Europe and lived in France and the United Kingdom from 1926 to 1939. She returned to Turkey in 1939, becoming a professor in English literature at the Faculty of Letters in Istanbul*. In 1950, she was elected to Parliament, resigning in 1954. She died in 1964.

"Common themes in Halide Edip's novels were strong, independent female characters who succeeded in reaching their goals against strong opposition. She was also a strong Turkish nationalist, and several stories highlighted the central role of women in the fight for Turkish Independence." Wikipedia


We have, apparently, over 40 of her novels in our library. More info here

Karen, neighbour-friend-librarian, gave me dinner.


*When the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923, the capital was moved to Ankara, and Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul in 1930.