I also enjoyed reading the latest book "Damnation" by Iskan Tolun, who I would describe as a modern folk storyteller. I read it in one go and felt the atmosphere of the 1950s, a time of transition from the traditional system of large landowners to the modern age. The setting is Antep and its rural surroundings. What I particularly liked is how he describes the reverence for nature and uses mythological elements. The effects of the genocides of 1915 and Dersim 1937-38, as well as the pogrom of 6-7 September 1955 in Istanbul, can be felt subliminally. The landowner's son, Mehmet Ali, is a reflection of the student youth of the 1940s, who were increasingly turning to socialism. Quite a few sons of rich landowners oriented themselves to the left at that time. Iskan Tolun glorifies love through his characters, the shepherd Ismail and Aysecik, as well as the resistance and ultimate victory of good over evil. Aysecik is a very small reflection of the Aysecik that made the whole of Anatolia roar in the open-air cinemas in summer. In the background, you can sense the feminine wisdom of the honorable Aunt Anus. Even Yasar Kemal sends his regards through the young writer and journalist we meet on the train. After all, you could say that Iskan Tolun also comes from the same school. The evil character in the novel, the merciless, crazy Yavuz, is basically just the victim of a system of militarism, a military service to which young people are conscripted for the good of the fatherland. In turn, 12-year-old Esma falls victim to it. In contrast, the young woman Aysecik embodies the resistance. It is a book that is well worth reading at a time when the Istanbul Treaty, which is intended to prevent violence against women, is being debated and at the same time there is a dispute about whether the marriage of 12-year-old girls is religiously lawful. I would also like to point out that this story by Iskan Tolun could be made into a film. Ragip Zarakolu.