Zafer ŞENOCAK Novels: Bilingualism and Mother Tongue Issue

Turkish-German Immigrant Literature from the 1960s to the Present covers the works created by Turkish-origin artists living in Germany, whether in German or Turkish. This literature is based on the issue of identity, as it is created by looking at the identities of the authors and poets rather than examining the commonalities in the content of the works. The attempt to merge Turkish and German identities under one roof has nourished the artists and served as a source of inspiration for their literary works. We can see traces of both identities in the novels written by Zafer Şenocak, who is considered among the second generation of Turkish-German immigrant literature authors. In this study, five Turkish-language novels by Turkish-German author Zafer Şenocak (Tehlikeli Akrabalık, Alman Terbiyesi, Yolculuk Nereye, Köşk, Dünyanın İki Ucu) will be examined. The main characters in these novels are Turks who live in Germany or have lived there for many years. In these works where the identity issue is predominant, one can also discern traces of the bilingual life that Turkish immigrants living in Germany experience. The characters in the mentioned novels, within the framework of the German society and family in which they live, maintain a dual life in language and culture, leading the protagonists into a profound quest to question their identities. In our study, the issue of identity in Zafer Şenocak's novels will be discussed within the context of bilingualism and mother tongue. In this regard, the novels will be analyzed using text analysis methodology, and changing attitudes towards the mother tongue will be identified.