Historical novels have always held a special place in literature, largely because traditional historiography—grounded in documents—often sidelines the human experience, focusing instead on states, leaders, and grand narratives. In contrast, historical fiction brings ordinary people to the forefront, allowing readers to grasp the lived realities behind historical events. For those who find conventional history “dry,” such novels offer a more accessible path into the past.
What prompted me to write these reflections is Ahmet Altan’s latest novel, That Year. The first of Altan’s works I read was Like a Sword Wound, which depicted the Second Constitutional Era of the Ottoman Empire.
My own introduction to novels dates back to middle school, when I first read Jack London. Later, I became fascinated with Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar and, through books borrowed from the school library, immersed myself in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.
The first historical novel I read was a gift from my history teacher in high school, awarded for my academic performance. Titled Broken Dagger, it was written by Yılmaz Boyunağa and reflected an ideological perspective aligned with the “Turkish-Islamic synthesis,” portraying Mahmud of Ghazni and his campaigns in India.
During my university years, I developed a deep interest in Mustafa Necati Sepetçioğlu’s works, which narrate the Islamization of the Turks and their state-building process. I also discovered Tarık Buğra, reading Pharaoh’s Faith, which explores the disillusionment following the Turkish War of Independence. Later, I read his Waiting for the Rain, depicting the brief experience of the Free Republican Party.
Inspired by these readings, I once considered writing historical novels myself, though I never pursued it. Still, I continued to follow the genre closely. The last novel I read before leaving Turkey was Ahmet Ümit’s Farewell My Homeland, centered on an Ottoman loyalist militant.
More recently, I read Orhan Pamuk’s Nights of Plague and Zülfü Livaneli’s On the Back of the Tiger. Without overstepping my limits as a non-literary critic, I would say Pamuk excels in narrative construction, while Livaneli aligns his work with the revived image of Sultan Abdülhamid II as a “Great Ruler.”
“That Year”
Ahmet Altan’s That Year tackles the Armenian deportations—often considered a taboo subject—through a specific thesis. According to Altan, the Ottoman leadership, emboldened by their victory at Gallipoli during World War I, gained excessive confidence. This “intoxication of victory” led them to implement a project aimed at eliminating what they perceived as a “problem” within Anatolia: the Armenian population.
Through the character Hikmet Bey, Altan expresses this idea:
“Sometimes victories frighten me more than defeats. That victory gave the government enormous confidence. Their supporters multiplied. They now believe they can do anything—and they will.”
One of the central characters, Colonel Ragıp Bey, returns from Gallipoli as a hero, while his Armenian lover, the nurse Efronya, becomes a victim of deportation. Through her journey—from İzmit and Adapazarı through Eskişehir, Konya, Ereğli, and eventually Aleppo—the novel vividly portrays the suffering endured during the forced marches.
Efronya’s story highlights the human dimension often absent from official, archive-based histories. Instead of a state-centered narrative, the novel presents a deeply emotional and human perspective.
In the novel, Interior Minister Talat Pasha is depicted as the key architect of the deportation policy. The rationale, as presented, is tied to the loss of the Balkans: to secure Anatolia, Muslim populations from Rumelia were to be resettled in areas vacated by Armenians. In this logic, injustices were acknowledged but justified as necessary sacrifices:
“There is such a great mission before us that we must endure these injustices.”
The deportation routes were marked by immense suffering—hunger, disease, violence, and death. This reality is captured in a brief but powerful exchange:
“What happens to the thousands of Armenians on the roads? How do they survive? Where do they stay?”
After a pause, Dilara Hanım answers quietly:
“They die.”
The novel suggests that, despite being called “relocation,” the process functioned as a death march. It raises a haunting question:
“Can a state that survives by killing women and children truly be called a state?”
Yet perhaps the most profound reflection comes from a religious figure in the story:
“Oppression is a sin. But oppression never ends.”
The Ottoman Fronts in 1915
The year 1915 was not defined solely by the Gallipoli Campaign. While the Ottoman Empire successfully repelled Allied naval forces on March 18, 1915, and later resisted land invasions beginning April 25, the war extended across multiple fronts.
Gallipoli saw brutal trench warfare, with heavy casualties on both sides. British commander General Hamilton acknowledged the strength and morale of Ottoman forces, noting their disciplined leadership and resilience.
Elsewhere, the Ottoman Empire launched the First Suez Canal Offensive under Cemal Pasha, aiming to seize Egypt from British control. The campaign ended in failure, with significant losses.
In Iraq, Ottoman forces managed to halt British advances at the Battle of Ctesiphon, eventually forcing British troops into a retreat to Kut, where they were later besieged.
On the Caucasus front, following the disastrous Sarıkamış campaign, Ottoman forces struggled against Russian advances. Meanwhile, Armenian uprisings in regions such as Van coincided with Russian military movements, further complicating the situation.
The Deportations
The first step toward the Armenian deportations came with an April 24, 1915 directive. This date is widely commemorated today.
The Ottoman government justified its actions by citing alleged Armenian collaboration with Russia, insurgencies in various regions, and threats to national security. Armenian political organizations were shut down, and prominent figures arrested.
The formal legal framework followed on May 27, 1915, with the Temporary Law of Deportation. This law granted military authorities the power to relocate populations deemed a threat.
Initially limited to Eastern Anatolia, the deportations soon expanded across much of the empire. Evidence suggests that the ruling Committee of Union and Progress pursued a form of demographic engineering.
Convoys of Armenians—women, children, and the elderly—were sent on long marches under harsh conditions. Many perished due to starvation, disease, attacks, and exhaustion.
Numerous eyewitness accounts and documents testify to these घटनाएँ. Ottoman officials, foreign observers, and even military personnel recorded the suffering. At the same time, properties left behind by Armenians were redistributed, contributing to the creation of a new Muslim-Turkish economic class.
Conclusion
Through the story of Efronya and the contrasting figure of Ragıp Bey, Altan’s novel captures the moral and historical dilemma of the period.
The book leaves us with a powerful reflection:
“History is like a flashlight. It illuminates only where you point it; the rest remains in darkness. And it is the hand holding the light that decides where it shines.”
References
Altan, Ahmet. That Year (O Yıl). Istanbul: Everest Publishing, 2025.
Nizamoğlu, Yüksel. From Heroism to Exile: Vehip Pasha (Kahramanlıktan Sürgüne Vehip Paşa). Istanbul: Yitik Hazine, 2013.
Çakmak, Fevzi. Operations on the Eastern Front During World War I (Birinci Dünya Savaşında Doğu Cephesi Harekâtı). Ankara: Turkish General Staff Military History and Strategic Studies Directorate (ATASE), 2005.
Neçare, Osman, ed. Proceedings of the Kut al-Amara Symposium (Kutü’l-Amâre Sempozyumu Bildirileri). Ankara: Atatürk Research Center (ATAM), 2016.
Bardakçı, Murat. The Abandoned Papers of Talat Pasha (Talat Paşa’nın Evrak-ı Metrukesi). Istanbul: Everest Publishing, 2009.
Sezer, Cemal. “Ottoman Practices Toward Armenians During Deportation (1915–1917).” CTAD 13 (2011): 30–53.
Atnur, İbrahim Ethem. “Women and Children.” In The Turkish–Armenian Conflict (Türk-Ermeni İhtilafı). Ankara: Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), 2007.
Kurt, Ümit. “The Structure and Function of Abandoned Properties and Liquidation Commissions (Emval-i Metrûke ve Tasfiye Komisyonları).” Toplumsal Tarih 259 (2015): 527–543.
