White Russians in Istanbul, after Three Istanbuls by Mithat Cemal Kuntay

Abstract

The white Russians who came Istanbul in consequence of rejecting the Bolshevik Revolution took their places as a part of social life in the novels written in that period. One of these novels describing white Russians is Mithat Cemal Kuntay’s Three Istanbuls (Üç İstanbul). He enlightens three periods of Istanbul in Three Istanbuls as the reign of Abdülhamit, the Second Constitutionalist Era, and the Armistice Period. In the novel, besides different sides of Istanbul in the direction of the protagonist Adnan’s experiences, the position of Russians in Istanbul who came to the city with the Bolshevik Revolution attracts attention. In this study, the contribution of white Russians to the city’s life as a part of social life and the effect in the city were focused on and also it was pointed out that how white Russians marked an era. At the same time, this study is important because of the emphasis that when two communities find an opportunity to know each other better, they can live in harmony.

Keywords:

Mithat Cemal Kuntay, Three Istanbuls (Üç İstanbul), white Russians