Exile is a collection of short stories with the taste of a novel. The over-riding theme is the sense of melancholy of those who have been alienated from their homeland, from their families or from society. By offering the reader short, vivid glimpses into other worlds; be they of real or fictional characters, Ilhan builds a patchwork of stories which highlight the lives of the dispossessed. As a woman writing in modern day Turkey, she is not afraid to take on the themes of honour killings or the American occupation of Iraq. All stories are open to her empathy and understanding.
Born in 1972, iler İlhan worked as a hotelier, a freelance writer (Boğazi i, Time Out İstanbul, etc.) and an editor (Chat, Travel+Leisure) at different periods of her life. İlhan, based in İstanbul, now works as the public relations manager of the ırağan Palace Kempinski hotel. In 1993, she received a prestigious youth award for a short story. The award was a tribute to the memory of Yaşar Nabi, a leading publisher and writer. Ilhan's stories, essays, book reviews, travel articles and translations into Turkish have been published in a variety of journals and newspaper supplements.
Industry Reviews
I hadn’t read anything like this book before. I was astonished. I have tried to think of what could come closest to describing it. I suggest the American poetess, Claudine Rankin’s 2014 book, ‘Citizen: An American Lyric.’ Rankin’s book also often reads like horror poetry. ‘Exile’ shows Çiler’s astonishing range and her sensitivity to her environment.
Karen Van Drie, Global Literature in Libraries Initiative
''One word left my mouth after reading this collection: WOW. This collection of short stories, well I call them flash monologues myself as Ciler draws the world around her from the American army being in Iraq across the border and what that brings to Turkish life... The power in these collection is the clarity of the voice behind the stories.... very short but the power is in that the punch isn’t drawn out it just smacks you in the face and lets your jaw drop.”
Stu Allen, Winston's Dad Blog