Istanbul seen from below: Burhan Sönmez and Janneken Øverland

There is a longstanding literary tradition of portraying the city of Istanbul in writing, both by Turkish and other writers. Where does Turkish writer Burhan Sönmez place himself within this tradition? In his novel Istanbul, Istanbul, four political prisoners are held captive below the city. Afraid to expose each other under torture, they refrain from telling each other personal details. Instead, they tell each other number of anecdotes, riddles and stories from world literature and from the great city above their heads. The book is both an innovative prison novel and a portrait of a world city. The conversation between Sönmez and critic Janneken Øverland took place at the House of Literature April 4, 2019, during the International Saladin Days.   Lithouse is a podcast from the House of Literature in Oslo, presenting adapted versions of lectures and conversations featuring international writers and thinkers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.