[FIRST UNABRIDGED OTTOMAN / TURKISH TRANSLATION OF ROBENSON CRUSOE MADE FROM ENGLISH ORIGINAL DIRECTLY] Robenson Kruzoe. Translated by Sükrü Kaya, (1883-1959).

Very Good Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928) Paperback. Cr. 8vo. (20 x 14 cm). In Ottoman script. 439 p. First Edition, thus. This first Turkish translation of Robinson Crusoe made by Sükrü Kaya is produced while the translator was in exile in Malta. With the help of Michael Seidel's argument, for instance, Kaya's translation might be regarded not only as a translation made in the circumstances of exile but also as a translation of what Seidel calls an "exile narrative". This might be the only reason why Kaya decided to translate this novel. It is highly probable that he was feeling depressed and lonely; therefore, he chose to translate the story of a lonely man like himself. Indeed, Kaya declares in the translator's preface to Robinson Crusoe that the activity of translation to an extent made him forget the pain of captivity [= Tercüme mesguliyeti bana esaretin acilarini kismen unutturuyordu]. The first Turkish translation of this novel was made by Ahmed Lutfî and published by Takvimhâne-i Âmire as early as 1864. It was an abridged translation, and an unabridged translation was not made until 1919 when Sükrü Kaya was in exile in Malta. This unabridged translation made by Kaya was published by Tanin Printing House in Istanbul in 1923, and it belonged to -The Collection of Immortal Works- [Ölmez Eserler Külliyati]. Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719) has been attracting the attention of many critics and scholars both in the West and in Turkey for years. Robinson Crusoe was originally written in English, and published on April 25, 1719, and its title was in fact quite long. Robinson Crusoe is among the novels which are argued to be the first English novel. The book has obtained worldwide fame, and there are hundreds of translations and adaptations. Probably due to the success of the first novel, Defoe wrote the second book which is entitled The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. (Sources: THE SHAPING ROLE OF RETRANSLATIONS IN TURKEY: THE CASE OF ROBINSON CRUSOE, Asli Emekçi.; OSMANLICADA ROBENSON, Ayse Banu Karadag). Sükrü Kaya, (1883-1959), was a Turkish civil servant and politician, who served as a government minister, Minister of Interior and Minister of Foreign affairs in several governments. (Wikipedia). First Unabridged Ottoman Turkish Edition. Özege 17028.; TBTK 8228. Only one institutional copy located in OCLC: 949585991 (Bogaziçi University Library).