Memory and reckoning with the past: Memories in Pınar Kür's novels

This study comprehensively examines the themes of memory and confrontation with the past in the novels of Pınar Kür, one of the prominent authors of Turkish literature, focusing on the role of memories in shaping individual identity. Memory is a fundamental concept that not only determines how individuals recall their past but also how the past reflects onto the present and the future. In Kür's novels, memory emerges as a dynamic structure that is continuously reconstructed on both individual and societal levels, gaining meaning within temporal and spatial contexts. Her novels explore the relationship individuals establish with their past, the emotional and cognitive impact of memories, the processes of remembering and forgetting, and the decisive role of these processes in identity formation through a multilayered narrative style. In this study, eight novels by Pınar Kür were analyzed through qualitative research methods and textual analysis. The research focuses on the characters' practices of confronting the past within the framework of individual and collective memory, the function of traumatic experiences in the narrative, and the role of places in shaping memory. Particularly, the role of memories in identity construction is evaluated within the theoretical perspectives of memory studies, as well as the epistemological and ontological dimensions of remembrance in literary texts. Kür's works provide a significant field of study in demonstrating how not only individual memory but also social and cultural memory are reproduced through literature. In this context, the study aims to contribute to the theoretical analysis of memory narratives in Turkish literature by examining the relationship between memory and identity within the intersection of literature and psychology through the works of Pınar Kür. The findings reveal that memory and confrontation with the past play a crucial role in the individual transformation of characters and in shaping their sense of social belonging. Keywords: Pınar Kür, Memory, Confrontation With The Past, Memories, İdentity, Collective Memory, Literature And Memory Studies.