In a remarkable tale of literary collaboration, a jailed Kurdish leader and a Turkish writer have penned a bestselling novel despite their physical separation. The crime novel, titled Duet in Purgatory, has captured the attention of readers across Turkey, becoming one of the country’s highest-selling books.
The novel, which spans the last four decades of Turkey’s complex history and the enduring Kurdish conflict, was created through an unconventional writing process. Selahattin Demirtas, the imprisoned Kurdish leader serving a 42-year sentence, and Yigit Bener, a Turkish writer and translator, collaborated on the book through their correspondence, without ever discussing the plot, characters, or narrative style in advance.
The unusual project began when Bener sent Demirtas a copy of Louis-Ferdinand Celine’s Journey to the End of the Night along with a note of solidarity. Inspired by the idea of collaborating on a novel, Bener reached out to Demirtas with the proposal. The two authors, separated by prison bars and exile, decided to undertake the challenge of writing a novel together, taking turns to contribute chapters without a predetermined storyline.
Despite the limitations imposed by their circumstances, the authors successfully crafted a story featuring a retired left-wing lawyer and a bitter aging general, both reflecting on their tumultuous pasts. The novel’s success is attributed to its poignant exploration of themes relevant to contemporary Turkey, particularly reconciliation and the shared sense of defeat experienced by its protagonists.
Demirtas, a former co-president of the third largest political party in Turkey’s parliament, was imprisoned in 2016. His detention, condemned by the European Court of Human Rights as politically motivated, had sparked significant public and international outcry. The re-election of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2023 dashed hopes for Demirtas’s early release, prompting Bener to deepen their correspondence and collaborate on the novel.
The book, initially printed in a run of 55,000 copies by Demirtas’s publishing house, Dipnot, has resonated with readers. Critics have lauded its “funny, fast-paced, and spirited narrative,” and Bener’s recent book tour has drawn enthusiastic crowds eager to meet the free half of the writing duo.
The success of Duet in Purgatory is not just a testament to the resilience of its authors but also a reflection of its relevance to a polarized Turkey. As Bener and Demirtas’s story continues to captivate readers, it underscores the power of literature to bridge divides and inspire hope, even from behind bars.
