Elchin Safarli "The Sweet Salt of the Bosphorus": a summary, a story and reviews

Each page of the novel "Sweet Salt of the Bosphorus" Elchin Safarli imbued with the smell of Istanbul, the charming atmosphere of the East, the aromas of spices and exotic dishes. The Turkish capital, with the eyes of the author, is externally vivid and slightly pretentious, mysterious and beautiful, and sometimes deaf and full of despair. Its inhabitants are strikingly different from each other and show the reader the amazing realities of Turkish reality: traditions, customs and life. Their destinies are a dish from the beautiful story of love, despair, fulfilled hopes and ruined lives, densely flavored with the originality of oriental color. They are a reflection of the Turkish capital, which is sung in the novel by Elchin Safarli.

"Sweet salt of the Bosphorus": a summary

For many, Istanbul is a city of alluring prospects, for others - a secret refuge. Someone wants to leave it and go in search of happiness in Europe, someone hides in his arms from the ordinary life of Western life. For visitors, Istanbul is always a lottery. Win units in it. A journalist from Baku, the main character of the book "Sweet Salt of the Bosphorus", calls the Turkish capital "the city of the soul". For him, Istanbul is a dream that smells of pistachios in the autumn and is covered with powdered sugar in the winter. To her hero leads a thorny path, woven from personal tragedies. The betrayal and speedy death of a beloved woman make him flounder between Baku and the "city of the soul". The burned tickets for the plane to Istanbul, the room of the dead Aida, her grave are on one side, the dream is on the other. There he is waited by the dog Aydynlig, the red-haired silent artist Gulben and the firebird on top of the hill of Chamlydzha. In Istanbul, the familiar smell of strong coffee; A peaceful moon above the Bosphorus, a loyal friend, saving from loneliness; A lovely mosque and the majestic Cathedral of Hagia Sophia.

The Istanbul ghost

There, on the way to the confectioner's shop, a journalist met Arzu, a woman who predicts fortune for the chosen ones. She is an image from tradition, the ghost of Istanbul, which is in rainy weather. It has been half a century since Arzu died. She committed suicide, having learned about the death of her beloved husband. Allah did not forgive the sinner who put her hands upon her, and she believed in eternal wanderings through the city, covered with a veil of rain. Arzu told the journalist that in Istanbul he would meet love and find his home. She disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving a pair of red shoes at his feet - a silent evidence of their meeting. The prediction of the ghost woman came true. The journalist, really, moved to the "city of the soul" forever and met there the beautiful Zeynep, his future wife.

Istanbul is the "city of the soul"

In Istanbul, from the heart of a young man, fetters fell. The journalist inhaled freedom with full breast and felt an infinite happiness from finding his dream in the city. Here everything was different. Birthday, which was previously associated with useless self-analysis and shy hopes for a bright future, turned into a tumultuous holiday with a noisy meal and clear plans for life. In Istanbul, there was an atmosphere of freedom. The young man first felt that he lives according to his own desires, believes in himself, acts without doubting. Istanbul was presented to him as a guardian angel and a native hearth, an imperious city that does not tolerate parting. Wherever a journalist leaves, he always comes back. The young man's world was the streets of his beloved Istanbul, an apartment with an oak floor, aromas of spices in the Egyptian bazaar, a view of the Golden Horn and people he wrote about in his notes. This is, according to Elchin Safarli, the sweet salt of the Bosphorus. The plot of the book is a reflection of this statement, but at times highly distorted. After all, for the main character Istanbul turned into a fairy tale, and for others - an infernal hell.

Cascades of images of Elchin Safarli

Before the eyes of the readers there are many contrasting images that create an integral picture of life in the Turkish capital. The journalist describes in his sketches the women and men of Istanbul, their views, dreams and way of life. With his Turkish friend Aisha, a young man dances to clubs in the morning, hums songs, walking around the city, and discusses at dinner European stereotypes about Turkish women. Residents of the West believe that Muslim women are still praying from morning till night, they refuse from the benefits of civilization and dress in shapeless robes. Aishe agrees with this statement only half. In Istanbul, women are modern and bright, the girl thinks, but sadly admits that in other parts of Turkey their rights are still being violated. A typical inhabitant of the capital can be called Shinay, the editor of the newspaper, in which the journalist works. She is a believer and proud of it, but she does not cover her head, she smokes a hookah and can release a strong word.

The salt of the Bosphorus is not sweet for everyone

Another heroine of Safarli's book "The Sweet Salt of the Bosphorus" - Sung, and at all dreams of escaping from Turkey. She hates Istanbul, and the Bosphorus compares with a clogged marsh. The girl is convinced that the Turks lost their face under the influence of Europe. She herself is proud of her origin and will never yield to the West's trends. Sena considers herself to be a believer. However, the journalist finds his girlfriend's Islam a bit childish. Her clothes are exceptionally green, which the prophet Muhammad loved. Allah Seine is not a deity, but a good old man, who is always ready to listen and help. She smokes a lot, she does not cover her head. The girl is sure that God in this matter is in solidarity with her. Seine in life had a hard time. She removed the kidney, operated on the nose. Now the Seine has an inflamed facial nerve. She goes to the hospital more often than to the mosque, but does not leave the dream of moving to London.

Centuries-old traditions through the eyes of the inhabitants of the Turkish capital

Turkish traditions Safarli devoted a large part of his novel "The Sweet Salt of the Bosphorus". The content of each chapter is a new story. Some heroes are subject to age-old customs, others are fighting for a personal right to freedom and happiness. Sports columnist Mahsun is a successful young man. He earns well, has a bright appearance. His house is waiting for his wife and son. Wife Mahsun respects, but does not like. Her young man was chosen by her mother. For him, Birsen is just an excellent hostess and the mother of his child. Mahsun has a fiery temperament, often falls in love and regularly turns novels on the side, but he does not intend to leave the family. The wife and children in Turkey are sacred. The journalist sincerely does not understand why such a prominent guy could not marry for love. The answer is custom. The complete opposite of Mahsun is Tahir. He went against the will of his mother and married a Russian girl. Even after years the woman did not accept the choice of her son.

Sexual minorities in Istanbul

In his book, the author also touches upon topics unusual for Eastern culture. Among them is same-sex love. Turkish Damla and Guler are actively fighting the sanctimonious morality in Safarli's novel The Sweet Salt of the Bosphorus. What do these girls dream about and what are they striving for? Damla and Guler believe that gay marriage will be legalized in Turkey someday, and discrimination of people with non-traditional orientation will disappear from the everyday life of society. They write letters to state institutions, in which they openly express their position. Residents of Istanbul refer to this issue in two ways: many openly condemn Damla and Guler, others take their relationship as a reality. However, they live quite comfortably. Damla is a screenwriter and works on serials. Guler is busy with translation work. Not long ago they bought an apartment.

Not everyone wins the lottery

The fate of emigrants in Istanbul is another burning issue, which the author of the novel paid attention to. "Sweet salt of the Bosphorus" reveals to the reader the unsightly truth of life. Not all seekers of happiness win the lottery. Zhenya came to Turkey from Kiev after the death of her mother, unable to withstand sexual harassment from her father. Here she works as a prostitute. She talks about her life, not embarrassed, but her words make her hopeless. Zhenya says that the Turks pay well, but do not care about contraception, naively believing that circumcision is the best defense. Most of all, she is afraid of AIDS. In addition, the girl has nothing to scare. One day a Kurd bit her earlobe. Zhenya herself stopped the blood. To go to the hospital the girl did not dare: her visa was delayed. Zhenya does not believe in the future, for her it is covered with fog. Against the backdrop of her tragedy, the history of the Russian girl Sveta stands out. She also came to Istanbul for happiness. Sveta spent a lot of time looking for work and eventually got a job as a waitress in a cafe where she met her future husband. The girl admits that she was born under a lucky star.

The fate of the Kurdish population of Turkey

Describes Safarli and the life of the Kurdish population in Turkey. In this country they are neither their own, nor strangers. Turks artfully hide their dislike for them behind a mask of politeness. Kurds themselves feel oppressed and dream of creating their own state. But women do not always aspire to this, tormented by the harsh nature of their spouses. One of the sketches of the journalist is dedicated to the Kurdish girl Sanya, who with shudders talks about her life. The husband beats her because of the light turned on after nine in the evening, can poison his daughter's puppy, because he squeamish animals. The family lives poorly. Money is enough only for food. Sanaha dreams of a better future for her daughter: education and a prestigious profession. Mother denies herself food to buy her another book. This is one of the darkest paintings that Elchin Safarli painted in his novel.

"Sweet salt of the Bosphorus": content

Images quickly replace each other, not letting the reader come to their senses. An English teacher from Georgia who lost her daughter hides from her sadness in Istanbul. At the concert of an outrageous singer with red hair, Jandan Erchetin, a bomb explodes. A fat Shirin wants to lose weight and hates Sheker-Bairam for an abundance of sweets. Radical transvestite Hasan from Iran misses his motherland and his renounced mother. Stripper Oksana refuses to sell her body to the Turks and hopes to marry. A talking aristocratic cat leads a conversation with a journalist in the night gloom. All these motley stories are strung on the main storyline - the love story of Azerbaijani journalist and Turkish girl Zeynep Chetin. Their relationship is simple and unpretentious, filled with tenderness, fervid sensuality and a pacified harmony that has never been broken throughout the book. The whole charm of the novel "The Sweet Salt of the Bosphorus" in contrasting images, placed on perfect happiness in a non-ideal world. Reading the book, you can catch the smell of Istanbul, feel the whiff of wind, face to face with the legendary Constantinople.

Readers' comments about the novel by Elchin Safarli

Reviews about the novel readers leave contradictory. Safarli's book did not leave anyone indifferent. Many are captivated by the fabulous atmosphere of Istanbul and the unusual idea of the author. However, there are many readers, irritated by excessive sentimentality and a truly huge amount of gastronomic metaphors. But this is Elchin Safarli. "Sweet salt of the Bosphorus" is a bright, emotional work. Perhaps, without sensual digressions and oriental sweets on every page, the book would not be so alive.