Memed, My Hawk

Memed, My Hawk (Turkish: İnce Memed, meaning "Memed, the Slim) is a 1955 novel by Yaşar Kemal. It was Kemal's debut novel and is the first novel in his İnce Memed tetralogy. The novel won the Varlik prize for that year (Turkey's highest literary prize) and earned Kemal a national reputation. In 1961, the book was translated into English by Edouard Roditi, thus gaining Kemal his first exposure to English-speaking readers.

İnce Memed is the best-known Turkish novel published since World War II.

Plot

Memed, a young boy from a village in Anatolia, is abused and beaten by the villainous local landowner Abdi Agha. Having endured great cruelty towards himself and his mother, Memed finally escapes with his beloved, a girl named Hatche. Abdi Agha catches up with the young couple, but only manages to capture Hatche, while Memed is able to avoid his pursuers and runs into the mountains. There he joins a band of brigands and exacts revenge against his old adversary. Hatche was then imprisoned and later dies. When Memed returns to the town, Hatche's mother tells him he has a "women's heart" if he surrenders himself. He instead rides into town to find his enemy, on a horse given to him by the townspeople. He finds Agha in the south-east corner of his house and shoots him in the breast. The local authorities hear the gunshots, but Memed gets away. Before Hatche dies she gives birth to Memed's son, who is also named Memed. The protagonist then must take care of his son.

Memed, My Hawk (film)

Memed My Hawk is a 1984 British-Yugoslav drama film directed by Peter Ustinov and starring Ustinov, Herbert Lom, Denis Quilley and Michael Elphick. It is an adaptation of the 1955 Turkish novel Memed, My Hawk by Yaşar Kemal. Producer Fuad Kavur. cinematographer Freddie Francis. Music Manos Hadjidakis.

Background

Memed, My Hawk is the first novel written by the Turkish novelist Yashar Kemal. As soon as it was published, it also appeared in an English translation. Kemall was nominated for the Nobel prize for literature. Twentieth Century Fox, then led by Darryl F. Zanuck, acquired the film rights to the book. Zanuck announced that Fox was going to turn Memed into an epic motion picture. The cast included a young Terence Stamp, and Peter Ustinov. The Turkish government of the day asked the US State Department to intervene so that Fox would drop the project. The reason behind this was the Turkish government's belief that Memed My Hawk was Communist propaganda. Fox obliged, and the project was dropped.