The Dystopian and Anarchistic Carnivals in Postmodern Turkish Literature: The Sea of Black Memories and Carnival in The Land of Blood

Abstract

This article explores the intricate relationship between dystopia and anarchy through the works of two prominent figures in Turkish postmodern literature: Mehmet Açar and Süreyyya Evren. Açar’s multi-layered narrative techniques, intertextual strategies, and engagement with dystopian themes rarely encountered in Turkish literature intersect with Evren’s anarchist literary approach to produce distinctly anti-authoritarian discourses. While their texts bring together seemingly contradictory elements, they also pose incisive questions about social norms, offering readers novel interpretive perspectives. Through their fictional worlds, the interplay between dystopia and anarchy raises critical questions not only within Turkish literature but also across global literary and philosophical discourses. Simultaneously, the works of Açar and Evren invite readers to interrogate contemporary societal issues and reflect on the intricate relationships between authority, freedom, and social structures within literary frameworks. The article further examines how radical possibilities within anarchist ideology complicate and destabilize the dark futurities envisioned in dystopian narratives In this context, Açar’s layered storytelling and Evren’s experimental use of language sharpen readers’ sensitivity to intertextuality and multiply the interpretive possibilities embedded within the texts. Ultimately, this study investigates how the quest for freedom both individual and collective is constructed within literary narratives, and how dystopian and anarchic elements interact in shaping that construction.