ARTS AND CULTURE
Hikmet Hükümenoğlu surprised and delighted readers with his first detective novel, Sonra Gözler Görür (Afterwards the Eyes See, Can Yayınları), just a year after his much-lauded novel Harika Bir Hayat (A Wonderful Life, Can Yayınları) hit the stands. Hükümenoğlu states that writing in this new genre was “a tough gig but also fun” and that he worked hard not to disappoint the aficionados of the genre as well as his devoted readers.
The protagonist in the novel, a journalist, is also Hükümenoğlu’s nod to print journalism and old media, which he misses: “I am tired of logging into x (or whatever it’s called these days) just to stay up-to-date on the news. The main character in the novel, Ms. Ezgi Sezgin, is a determined truth-seeker who also has a personal connection to the case she’s trying to solve.”
As in his award-winning novel Körburun (Can Yayınları), the setting in this novel is an imaginary city as well: “Yenikent is indistinguishable from a typical coastal factory town in western Turkey. As a university city, it boasts a diverse population, providing me with ample opportunities to create a rich cast of characters.”
Hükümenoğlu plans to write the second and third installment in his detective series. When RCQ asked what makes literature still relevant in the 21st century, Hükümenoğlu had this to say: “I hope that it still aids us in understanding ourselves and this beautiful world that we are so eager to destroy.”
