Turkish women writers in English translation

The present paper aims to present a brief survey of Turkish women writers in English translation. Due to the dominant position of English, Turkey has been rather dependent on translations from this language and the flow of translations into the opposite direction has been quite slow. Yet, there is a considerable increase in the number of translations from Turkish into English especially since the 1980s. This also holds true for the works of women writers, and, of women’s fiction in particular, which is closely related to the bond between writing and women’s increased consciousness. The paper also briefly touches upon issues such as what has not been translated and why, and the role translators play in the recognition and dissemination of works from a ‘minor’ language. A sample of writers and information about their works in English translation are presented in order to reveal, if not completely, the diverse nature of Turkish women’s writing