The Crazy Turk of New York City: Fact and Fiction in Erje Ayden's Work

This essay introduces Turkish-American author Erje Ayden and his work. Both have thus far been neglected in the twenty-first century scholarship, although Ayden had been a veritable legend in Greenwich Village during his lifetime. Most of his self-published novels are being currently reissued by var...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Amerikastudien 2016-01, Vol.61 (2), p.139-158
Main Author: Pultar, Gönül
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This essay introduces Turkish-American author Erje Ayden and his work. Both have thus far been neglected in the twenty-first century scholarship, although Ayden had been a veritable legend in Greenwich Village during his lifetime. Most of his self-published novels are being currently reissued by various publishers. This essay discusses the unique amalgam of fact and fiction they contain, focusing on The Crazy Green of Second Avenue and The Legend of Erje Ayden. It argues that his novels are ensconced within a tradition of the twentieth-century American novel, and that some reveal pioneering work in the non-fiction novel genre. Ayden is moreover able to articulate the predicament of the Turkish-American who finds him/herself situated in two different social and cultural milieus.
ISSN:0340-2827