ARTS AND CULTURE
By Seda Çaykara Şen RC 96
Semahat Arsel’s memoir Kuşaktan Kuşağa (From Generation to Generation) was published in March 2022 by Yapı Kredi Yayınlari. However, the book in itself is a lot more than a personal memoir, simultaneously taking the readers through both the history of a family and the history of a newly formed republic. Beginning from early 20th century Ankara, Arsel takes us in lovely detail through old customs and habits of the age, from wedding ceremonies and bayrams to familial life of a household. Just as stated in the foreword, it is impossible not to reflect on how much our life and values have changed in the past century. Supplemented by many photos, the book gives one a chance to escape the heaviness of “today”.
As for the personal history, Kuşaktan Kuşağa is a very sincere and honest memoir, the way Semahat Arsel talks about her personal hardships, worries, values and her perspective on life feels like a cozy afternoon chat over coffee with a fellow classmate. Hopefully her book will take its place among the indispensable works we will be returning to again and again to reflect on an age we are slowly losing.
Published July 2022
