This article was automatically translated from the original Turkish version.
One of Sabahattin Ali’s most widely read and frequently discussed books is Kürk Mantolu Madonna. Since its publication, it has retained nearly all of its popularity. Even today, new readers continue to feel sorrow for Raif Efendi and become captivated by the mystery of Maria Puder.
But the interesting thing is, Kürk Mantolu Madonna was actually written “on request.”
Before delving into its writing history, those who have not yet read the book or who have forgotten its details due to the passage of time can find a summary at from here.
During the years of the Second World War, when mobilization was declared in Türkiye, Sabahattin Ali was called back to military service. At that very moment, the owner of Hakikat Gazetesi requested that he write a “non-political, compelling love story.” In fact, this was less a request and more a near-compulsion.
Needful of money, Sabahattin Ali reluctantly accepted the offer and began writing in a tent set up opposite a match factory while stationed at the military camp.
Despite the severe pain in his wrist—according to the account of his fellow soldier Niyazi Ağırnaslı—he continued writing with one hand, immersing his arm in a basin of warm water.
Depiction of Raif Efendi Falling in Love with Maria Puder’s Portrait (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)
The novel was first serialized in Hakikat Gazetesi under the title Büyük Hikaye, beginning on 18 December 1940.
Initially planned as 28 episodes, Sabahattin Ali expanded the story, increasing the number to 48 chapters. However, after some time, the newspaper owner claimed the novel was not attracting sufficient interest and began delaying payments.
In response, Sabahattin Ali wrote letters to the newspaper owner, clearly expressing both his resentment and the indignity he felt during this process:
“Did I not keep my word? Even while hospitalized with a fever of 39 degrees, even from home, I never missed a single day of sending my writings. Despite the common practice of writers who are not paid to stop submitting their work, I continued writing. To ask for the money I needed and deserved, I lowered my dignity, writing letter after letter, almost begging. I received one reply and one promise from you, but it was not fulfilled. Seeing this, we became defiant. Since we could not reach the level of the aforementioned senior editors whose novels secure circulation, and since we believe our mental products have value and deserve fair compensation, we humbly and repeatedly ask for your forgiveness.”
Afterward, Sabahattin Ali did not expand the story further, and it concluded on 8 February 1941. The work, originally serialized as Büyük Hikaye, was first published as a book in 1943.
Sabahattin Ali quietly portrays Raif Efendi, described by those around him as a “quiet, reserved, slow, and unemotional man,” as a man whose inner world is filled with profound love and who grieves deeply for its loss. Although written “on request,” the novel has become one of the most unforgettable works in our literature thanks to the masterful simplicity of its prose, its powerful psychological insights, and its emotional depth. Once disliked by contemporaneous writers and even dismissed as a “popular market novel,” the book has reached over two million readers to this day and is taught in schools.
Its annual rediscovery and each generation’s finding a piece of themselves within it is no accident. Kürk Mantolu Madonna is not merely a love story; it is also a timeless novel of solitude.
Did Maria Puder really exist? Was there such a woman in Sabahattin Ali’s life? We will discuss this in the next article.