The Middle of Desolation

The Middle of Desolation, at the first glimpse seems on the surface as the story of a sub lieutenant; Ayhan’s two months stay in Ankara after his getting back in January, 1975 from the war he got wounded in Cyprus in 1974, spoiled with the questions in his mind for the past and his existence following his stay in a military hospital for months in Girne and his passionate affair with Ferda whom is very different from him only until he starts pursuing his childhood friend Zafer -a political activist-. But apart from this short-lasting affair, braided with an intense and morbid sexuality, which reminds one of a desperate effort of deliverance rather than love, what is also being depicted in the novel is a glamorous, yet tragic adventure, through which the long journey of Ayhan’s struggle with himself, and of a generation that is attempted to dissolve and wipe out by the March 12th fascist coup d’etat.

Besides the traces of Mehmet Erođlu’s mastery of editing in The Middle of Desolation, that is to be proved in his later novels, we also come across to clues of his handling the tragic situations of mankind as a writer for his upcoming novels; frequent flashbacks sliding through each other, skipping of time in which concepts are made use of, a tightly woven novel braid, deep psychological analyses we don’t come across much in the Turkish novel, ideologies observed as ideals of mankind, a cosmic point of view determined to go beyond time and localness, and isolated man questioning his existence, facing his destiny: Concepts and situations that are questioned, like war, being a savior, novelty, sexuality, heroism, courage and profound regrets.

Another striking thing about Mehmet Erođlu’s first novel, which is of antimilitarist nature, is that it was not published until 1984 –with  a 5-year delay - because of the fascist atmosphere of the September 12th Military coup d’etat although it won the 1979 Milliyet Novel Award. Contrary to similar novels of the time, The Middle of Desolation was written with a close observation to the left from the inside, instead of from a distance. The fact that this observation contains critical elements, aiming at the policies of the leftist youth of that time -1965 and 1971- and that emphasizing of the violent sexuality of the protagonist, Ayhan’s , received reactions from certain focal points at the time it was published. But still, The Middle of Desolation, which was published years later only after some words like “socialism” and “communism” were expurgated, is still one of the first books that view the young leftist activists as individuals and reflect them not only through their nobilities but also weaknesses, without mythicize or satirizing it.

With his very first novel, Mehmet Erođlu has appeared as a prolific writer with a tone of his own and intellectual concerns.

Despite the fact of the belated publishing, The Middle of Desolation still collects the attention it earned from the readers and the literary circles and, this recognition was prominent even further after the 1979 Milliyet Novel Award along with Orhan Kemal Novel Prize (1985) and the Madaralý Novel Award (1985).