Orhan Kemal's novel On Fertile Lands, as Turkish original name is Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde, stands out as a significant example of the social realist approach in Turkish literature. The novel, in the early 1950s, deals with the difficulties faced by three peasant friends who come from rural areas to Çukurova to work, the labor-capital conflict and class inequalities from a realist perspective. The author, through individual stories, offers important observations about the socio-economic structure of the period, the effects of industrialization, and the birth process of the working class. The novel was published in 1954.

Plot and Storyline

The protagonists of the novel are three peasants named Iflahsızın Yusuf, Pehlivan Ali, and Köse Hasan. These three friends, in order to escape the financial difficulties in their villages, set off from Sivas towards the fertile lands of Adana, Çukurova. They have their first work experiences in a ginning factory owned by their fellow villagers. However, the harsh working conditions they encounter there, the oppression of the foreman, and inhumane exploitation shatter their dreams in a short time.

Harsh working conditions lead Köse Hasan to illness, and he dies without receiving treatment. Pehlivan Ali, on the other hand, is swept into a chaotic life due to the employer's indifference, lack of occupational safety measures, and his relationship with a woman named Fatma; eventually, he loses his leg to a thresher machine and dies from blood loss. At the end of the novel, Yusuf, left alone, saves some money and returns to his village. However, the return to the village carries the weight of losses more than gains.

Themes and Main Idea

The main theme highlighted in the novel is poverty. This poverty is deepened by the class exploitation experienced by individuals who migrate from village life to the city in their struggle for survival. The imbalance between the strong and the weak, capital and labor, is strikingly explored throughout the novel. In the novel, the disappointments and dreams of non-idealized individuals, taken from real life, are presented with authenticity.

Urbanization and Moral Decay

The novel draws attention to not only economic but also cultural and moral disintegration. The order established by solidarity and kinship in the village is replaced by self-interest and individualism in the city. Female characters in the novel are depicted as figures exploited through both labor and sexuality. Especially Fatma, as a victim of this dual exploitation, represents the corrupting effects of urban life.

Setting and Social Reality

Çukurova, the setting of the novel, becomes not only a geographical area but also a center of class conflicts and modernization. Factories, construction sites, and fields are places where the transformations brought by modernization can be observed. The moral and psychological destruction of urbanization is conveyed through spatial details where individuals distance themselves from human values in the city.

Form and Narrative Features

Orhan Kemal's simple and natural style reinforces the reality of the novel through dialogues using the language of the people. Local dialects and everyday conversations not only bring the characters to life but also add authenticity to the social reality. The novel's narration is far from didactic, relying on observation and lived experience.

On Fertile Lands is a significant work that powerfully addresses class conflicts, the effects of urbanization on the individual, and the drama of people struggling with their livelihood with strong realism. The novel is a work that reflects Orhan Kemal's sensitivity to social issues and his stance in favor of labor.