We need to build the Cypriot identity, said Dr. Metin Murat, whose first novel ‘The Crescent Moon Fox’ was presented on Thursday at the Home for Cooperation, in Nicosia.
According to a press release by Armida Publications, ‘The Crescent Moon Fox’ is a novel set in Cyprus from the 1930s to early 2000s and talks about Turkish Cypriots. Through a group of diverse characters Murat reveals the true story of Cyprus from a non-partisan perspective reflecting both Greek and Turkish aspirations.
Dr. Metin Murat is a British-born Turkish Cypriot who grew up in a multi-cultural environment with deep exposure to English, French and Welsh cultures. He received his history and literary education from Aberystwyth University and Lancaster University, and his business education from the London School of Economics. This is his debut novel, realising a dual ambition: to tell the story of his father’s community, the original Turkish community of Cyprus, and to use literature as a path to tolerance and reconciliation, the press release reads.
On behalf of Armida Publications, publisher Kris Konnaris pointed out that the novel is ‘a work of literature which, in its own, honest way, touches upon impossible questions’. He went on to say that the writer’s family roots go back to the small rural village of Platanissos in the Karpas peninsula, from where his father’s family originates, and where a large part of the book unfolds.
Activists Andromachi Sofokleous and Kemal Baykalli from Island Talks also participated in the event by reading extracts from the novel.
During the discussion following the presentation of ‘The Crescent Moon Fox’, Dr. Murat said that the best way to touch someone else is through literature, art and poetry. That was the purpose of the book, he explained, adding that literature catches the emotion of everybody who has some degree of sensitivity as a human being.
Asked about the identity of Cypriots, the writer said that people need to talk, engage and share stories. “We need to build the Cypriot identity,” he pointed out, adding that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots should focus on what they have in common. “Too often we focus on differences rather than what unites us”, he said.
Replying to a question about the period in which the book unfolds, Dr. Murat said that the Turkish Cypriot experience of British colonialism was an interesting and useful area to explore. He went on to say that the 1960s was a time during which “terrible things happened”, adding that each side has to address these things with humility. “We cannot make peace, we cannot reconcile unless we address the pain,” he pointed out.
As regards today, Dr. Murat said that Turkish Cypriot society is at a crossroads and has to decide what it wants to be. He also expressed his fear that we are a generation that there will not be such thing as a Turkish Cypriot anymore. A Turkish Cypriot woman, who attended the book presentation, spoke about the oppression that Turkish Cypriots experience today because their Cypriot identity is being attacked by Turkey. She added that Turkish Cypriots will continue to resist attacks against their identity.
The writer noted that Cypriots have suffered from the separation of the education systems in the island and this is the reason why they lost the opportunity to have shared education in 1960, when Cyprus declared its independence.
Women’s life and presence in traditional Cypriot society is another important issue discussed in the novel. The writer said that if he did not tell stories of women from his village, their stories would be lost. Furthermore, he said that one of the main characters of the book is a gay man, something that allows the writer to challenge toxic masculinity and to break down stereotypes by showing that bravery comes in different shapes and forms.
Source: Cyprus News Agency