The family narrative spans decades and generations.
Following her previous oral history books Bir Sabah Galata’da Uyandım (One Morning I Woke up in Galata, Varlık Yayınları), Çek Kayıkçı Balat’a (Boatman Row to Balat, Varlık Yayınları) and Baba Bize Neden Dönme Diyorlar? (Daddy, Why Do They Call Us Dönme?, Varlık Yayınları), Suzan Nana Tarablus continues her work with Anlatmak İçin Yaşadım (I Lived to Tell, Varlık Yayınları).
The book focuses on the period between the First and Second World Wars. “This narrative is a family adventure in the triangle of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey,” says Tarablus. “We learn about the invasion of Greece, Kavala's tobacco, the fashion world of Beyoğlu, and the story of those who could and could not escape from the Nazis, from the mouth of Mimika, who ‘lived to tell.’”
Suzan Nana Tarablus was very impressed by Mimika's family history: “I was shocked and curious about the story of the father's escape and the Greek underground organization Andarte, which undertook it. These insurgents went down in history as revolutionaries and resisters during the war, communists and enemies after the war. During my visit to Ikaria in the north-eastern Aegean last summer, I observed that these insurgents formed a dilemma in the people's memory. The island housed both the Andartes and the fugitives. On the one hand, a monument was built in their memory, and on the other hand, the indecision about whether they are heroes or enemies still remains.”
Published January 2023
