Modernist Continuities: Virginia Woolf and Women in Turkey

Throughout her writing life, Virginia Woolf was hugely preoccupied with the role of women in history and in the history of literature. She philosophized about women’s rights, articulated women’s voice, and examined women’s literary history. She crossed many boundaries that were unthinkable in her time, blended different worlds, and transported and expanded consciousness in her narrative. While she was crossing geographical and temporal boundaries in her literature, Virginia Woolf’s appeal has also transcended boundaries. Her literature has inspired many writers in Turkey who trespassed and defied boundaries, in which process they found their own ways for themselves. Her work and thoughts are celebrated in Turkey in many ways and it is a matter of great pleasure that all of her novels and most of her nonfictional works have been translated into Turkish, and she is read more widely and has a growing presence in Turkey. The scholarship is also rising up to acknowledge her influence on literary traditions in Turkey.

This edited collection invites proposals for chapters of previously unpublished and original work to be included in Modernist Continuities: Virginia Woolf and Women in Turkey. It welcomes papers that engage with Virginia Woolf’s reception by women writers in Turkey, literary networks built between Woolf’s works and works by women writers in Turkey, and her influence on the women’s movement. The book will form a picture of how Woolf’s writing has served as an inspiration for women in Turkey. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Virginia Woolf’s comments on or about Turkey;
• Bloomsbury Group’s connection to Turkey;
• Woolf’s legacy in women’s literature in Turkey. Of particular interest might be,
  • Halide Edip Adıvar,
  • Tomris Uyar,
  • Sevgi Soysal,
  • Leyla Erbil,
  • Tezer Özlü,
  • Erendiz Atasü,
  • Nilgün Marmara,
  • Mina Urgan,
• The influence of Virginia Woolf’s writing on women’s movement in Turkey,
• Translations of Virginia Woolf’s works.

Submissions from scholars of all backgrounds and levels of experience exploring Virginia Woolf’s connection to women writers and women’s movement in Turkey are encouraged. Particularly welcome are interdisciplinary contributions aiming at investigating Woolf’s influence on different aspects of literary, political, and cultural life in Turkey.

Please submit a short bio and a 500-word abstract by 31 May 2023. Full drafts between 7000 -9000 words (including notes and bibliography) written in MLA format will be due in 31 August 2023. The collection is due to be published in 2024, and we have received positive interest for publication from Bloomsbury Publishing.

Abstracts and queries should be directed to virginiawoolfandwomeninturkey@gmail.com