In Turkey, writer Ahmet Altan, 72, spent five years behind bars. The government accuses him of having helped launch the attempted coup against him in 2016. Released last April, the author is still in Istanbul. While his book, Mrs Hayat, written in prison, obtained the Femina Étranger prize, he speaks to us of the importance that the work took while he was locked up.
With our correspondent in Istanbul, Cherry Sudry-Le Dû
A puzzling love story, a free heroine, crossed on a television set where the actors sing and dance with very colorful outfits. It’s hard not to see Ahmet Altan’s novel as an allegory of freedom, especially when you know that the work was written behind bars.
“ I wrote by hand, then I read the papers to my lawyer who registered me, says Ahmet Altan. She would bring back copies a few days later for me to correct. And I absolutely had to have two copies of my texts because the guards could confiscate them from me at any time. ”
For the writer, even locked up, there is no question of submitting to the dictates of prison life. Writing her novel allows her to escape.
► See also: Turkey: journalist Ahmet Altan, imprisoned since 2016, finally free
“ I walked out with three books “
” I decided that I won’t let them steal my time, continues Ahmet Altan. When I wrote, I was free, I couldn’t see the walls. One can easily get out of prison with the force of the imagination. And by writing, I became strong. ”
Ahmet Altan has already published an essay on prison life, again in prison, as well as another novel written after Madame Hayat. “ I walked out with three books. I call it a success to get to write three books in prison », He concludes.
►Madame Hayat by Ahmet Altan, Actes Sud, September 2022, Prix Femina Étranger 2021