Uzakların Yankısı (Echoes of Distant Places) is a book of short stories written by Emine Batar. Published in June 2024 as part of Dergâh Publications' Turkish Literature series, the 96-page work presents a thematic structure woven with inner memories.
Subject
The narratives progress through universal fragments of childhood memories. The sound of a bird heard by the character “İbrahim” throughout the night, blending with a dog’s barking, establishes a spatial and emotional bridge between the past and the present for the reader. The connection between blood and life is addressed metaphorically through the image of a cherry. Throughout the work, the individual’s themes of belonging, memory, and existence are woven with metaphorical details.
Themes
- Memory and Remembrance: The overlaps between childhood imprints and individual/universal memories.
- The Relationship Between Nature and Emotion: The accompaniment of nature to an emotional state through the images of a bird, a dog, and the moon.
- Layers of Metaphorical Meaning: References to existential questions through symbolic elements like the blood-cherry relationship.
- The Rhythm of Night and Silence: The making visible of spiritual vibrations in the stillness of time.
Narration and Style
The author creates the narrative atmosphere using descriptive and direct sentences. The rhythmic repetitions in some sections (e.g., “the dog barked three times”) provide a consistent structure to the narrative. The language has a simple structure, with metaphorical elements supporting the layers of meaning in the narrative.
