Refik Halid Karay's novels in İstanbul's social life

Refik Halid Karay, one of the leading authors of the Second Constitutional and the Republican period literature, managed to sound the community out in his newspaper-magazine articles, novels, short stories, plays and journals. The important political-social events of this period can easily be traced in Karay's novels. Istanbul, which is regarded as a physical and social setting in Karay's novels, has a particular importance. His novels in which the setting takes place in Istanbul are emphasized the appearance and the change of the city especially from the Constitutional to the 1960's years. With the modernization, the new identities which the districts of Istanbul have gained are emphasized. However, whilst doing that Karay does not lose his optimism due to his admiration for Istanbul. He compares Istanbul, which he wrote in his novels, with its previous periods. In this thesis, Refik Halid Karay's novels which prioritize Istanbul and its social life are studied. The social, historical and political events reflected in the author's novels are identified; and these events are discussed along with the characters in his works and the current events. Additionally, the districts of Istanbul in his novels are examined abiding by the social mindset it represents. It appears that in the novels studied, Istanbul, which can be accepted as the center of social change, is considered with its districts, people, nightlife, transportation and communication devices as a whole, and that Karay tells about its social life by taking all these dynamics into account. Keywords: Refik Halid Karay, Istanbul, Social Life, Social Change