Yaşar Kemal’s novel Deniz Küstü (The Sea Sulked), published in 1973, is a work that narrates the Anatolian peasant’s struggle with nature and social structures. The novel thematically explores the human relationship with nature, especially the sea, along with hope, despair, and resistance.

Content and Theme

The main theme of the novel is the impact of the sea on people and the complexity of the relationship established with it. The sea is depicted both as a source of life and as a hostile, alienated force. The villagers who earn their living from the sea struggle against the harsh face of nature and economic hardships.

Deniz Küstü also addresses the individual’s confrontation with nature and fate. The conflict with the sea carries not only a physical but also a metaphorical meaning; it symbolizes human existential loneliness and disharmony with nature.

Narrative and Style

Yaşar Kemal’s language conveys nature descriptions and the cultural texture of Anatolia. The novel's events and characters are presented as parts of a broad panorama. The narrator has a perspective that describes both the external and the inner world of the characters.

Characters

The characters in the novel are mostly Anatolian villagers living in close contact with the sea and nature, struggling in poverty and hardship. Alongside individuals, Yaşar Kemal also draws a portrait of the social structure.

Thematic Framework & Academic Approaches

Eco-Critical Approach

The novel addresses ecological destruction through the use of harpoons, rifles, and trawl fishing by fishermen that disrupt the biological balance of the Sea of Marmara. This is solidified through the migration of dolphin herds, emphasizing the human-induced destruction of nature. The fishermen in the town of Menekşe are affected both socially and economically by environmental degradation; this is assessed from an eco-critical perspective within the axis of human-nature relationships.

Ecosociological Perspective

As in Yaşar Kemal’s general works, Deniz Küstü also portrays nature as a character. Ecosociological analysis relates nature’s transformation processes to the social structure and ecological balance. The urban transformation in Istanbul and the misuse of the sea are reflected in the novel as an environmental sociological crisis.

Urban Space and Architectural Perspective

The studies by Emine Köseoğlu and Didem Ardalı Büyükarman examine Menekşe and its surroundings in an architectural context: the “change in public space quality” due to migration and urbanization is presented.

Themes

• Dual Face of Nature: The sea is presented both as a source of livelihood and as a destructive force due to aggressive hunting (eco-criticism).
• Social and Economic Reflections: The ecological crisis directly affects the fishermen’s well-being; when the marine ecosystem deteriorates, fishermen suffer.
• Urbanization and Spatial Transformation: The distorted urbanization in Istanbul, particularly in Menekşe, disrupts the social structure and decreases spatial quality.