Literature
THE GARDEN OF CHILDREN IN EXILE (Book)
Two girls play in a snowy garden in Stockholm. One is the Chilean Cassandra, whose father was killed during the Pinochet coup. The other is her closest friend Aylin, who suddenly finds herself and her family in this alien city after the military coup in Turkey. Time separates the two friends. Both girls return to their own cultures and worlds, experiencing their rites of passage along the way. The childhood secrets they had once shared are replaced by maturity, by different secrets.
Aylin and Cassandra are only two of millions of children uprooted by coups around the world. Yet there is so little on what they feel, experience and are forged, these children flung from country to country by the prevailing political winds. Aylin Livaneli investigates this topic in The Garden of Children in Exile, through her correspondence with Cassandra and she looks for a better way to live. That better way is revealed through the tradition of philosophy dating back thousands of years.
Reviews…
This book comprises letters written to a childhood friend, a part of her own life in exile; as such, it is a precious piece of work, the product of real-life experiences, assimilated, nurtured and carefully saved. I would heartily recommend you to read this book… You know how they say people grow in their friendships; this book will become a true companion for those who wish to witness how Aylin has grown in writing and philosophy.
Iclal Aydin, Vatan National Newspaper
Livaneli writes about a journey to her inner self… The meaning of existence, our raison d’être, the infinity of individual quests, the illusion of being stuck in the middle and how to find a way to change oneself, all these are featured in the book to demonstrate just which labyrinths life sends us into.
Whilst Livaneli may occasionally focus on a sophisticated style, philosophy stands firmly at the center of her thoughts as she pushes ajar the doors of life. As she points out, looking at the world in which we live in is not enough, we need to appreciate the meaning of life. what comes to the fore, in her writing, is her warm sympathy for humanity. Livaneli shirks from a know-it-all style when she comments on life. Her starting point is underpinned by experience, observation, understanding and knowing.
A credible writer, who appreciates the depth of what she’s written, stands before us with this book.
Feridun Andaç, Dünya National Newspaper
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