Lying Down to Die (Book)

Adalet Ağaoğlu’s Ölmeye Yatmak, published in 1973, is one of the significant works in modern Turkish literature. Roman is the first volume of the author’s tetralogy Dar Zamanlar and examines the identity crises of intellectuals during the Republican era, social transformations, and the alienation of the individual.

Subject and Structure of the Novel

Ölmeye Yatmak begins with the protagonist Aysel lying in bed with the thought of death, in a main room. This moment serves as the starting point for the events recounted in the rest of the novel, which unfold through flashbacks that trace Aysel’s past—her childhood, education, family, and relationship with society. The narrative structure departs from traditional linearity; Aysel’s stream-of-consciousness recollections create a continuous transition between personal and social history.

The novel reflects the dilemmas faced by individuals, particularly women, who were incorporated into the Republican project after its proclamation. Aysel, a woman raised according to Republican ideology, is caught between her family’s traditional values and the expectations of the modern world. Her life, beginning in a Small town and continuing in Ankara, signifies her personal transformation and alienation.

Critique of Republican-Era Education Policies

The novel critically examines the Republican education system and the role teachers played during this period. Aysel’s childhood teacher, Dündar Teacher, embodies the idealistic educational policies of the Republic. In this context, Teacher Dündar strives to instill in students the values of Atatürk’s reforms, secularism, and nationalism as part of the modernization process. However, the novel also implies the need to question this process, as individuals shaped through such education later find themselves caught in ideological and cultural conflicts.

Ölmeye Yatmak also reveals how the process of molding individuals as “good citizens” during the Republican era affected personal freedoms and individual identity. The novel emphasizes the position of women and the internal conflicts they experienced during the dissemination of Republican ideology.

Aysel’s Process of Alienation

Aysel’s identity crisis, beginning in childhood, is one of the novel’s central threads. From an early age, she feels trapped between her family’s traditional structure and the modernization policies of the Republic. While her father expects her to grow up as a traditional woman, her schooling and teachers urge her to become a modern individual. This contradiction leads to her alienation from herself and her surroundings.

Aysel’s alienation is the result of her struggle with social norms. The difficulty of perceiving oneself as part of society deepens her search for identity. This process is not unique to Aysel but is presented as a situation shared by many Republican-era children who came of age during the same period. While Ölmeye Yatmak tells a personal story, it simultaneously unveils a collective experience.

The Role and Spatial Context of Ankara in the Novel

The novel also incorporates Ankara’s spatial narrative shaped within the framework of Republican ideology. Ölmeye Yatmak can be interpreted as a “city cartography” reflecting the city’s transformation between 1938 and 1960. Ankara’s urbanization and modernization process plays a significant role in the formation of individual identity.

In this context, the tension between Ankara’s traditional and modern elements parallels the personal conflicts in the novel. Although the newly established capital is perceived as a symbol of the Republic’s ideological values, it also harbors the inner crises of individuals who struggle to internalize those values.

Justice Ağaoğlu’s novel Ölmeye Yatmak is a major work that meticulously explores the social structure of Republican-era Türkiye, the identity crises experienced by individuals during this period, and the impact of modernization on the individual. Through Aysel’s personal story, the novel reflects the influence of Republican ideology on individuals and the alienation that emerged during this process. work addresses numerous themes—from education policies and the position of women to individual freedoms and social transformations—and has had a profound impact on Turkish literature. The intersection between Ankara’s urban development and the processes of individual identity formation further strengthens the novel’s spatial dimension.