Turhan Selçuk smiles satirically, almost vaguely, and you find yourself joining him.’
Yaşar Kemal
Moda has always been one of the most progressive neighbourhoods of İstanbul. It has always been the heart of the most encultured, most experimental and the most avant garde of İstanbul life. Moda is still a neighbourhood in which you can be surprised at every corner by a book store, an underground theater, an art galery, a church or a cultural center. I have learnt that a Cultural Center dedicated to the prominent satirist Turhan Selçuk has recently opened in Moda. The Cultural Center was established in an old Ottoman mansion that once belonged to Cemil Cem who was also a satirist himself.
I would highly recommend you to visit the Cultural Center to see the museum dedicated to the great master Turhan Selçuk as well as the library that hosts a wide range of books on politics, sociology, history and literature.
A photo from the great master’s youth
Note that Turhan Selçuk, born in 1922 was one of the founders of Turkish cartooning. He was the founder of two magazines and the producer of many collections and graphic novels until his death in the 2010.
His most famous character was Abdülcanbaz the Formidable Turk. ‘Though ostensibly set in the early Republic of Turkey, Abdülcanbaz’s almost 30 years of adventuring take him to the Ottoman Empire, the Wild West, outer space and – Jules Verne style – the centre of the earth, to name but a few scenarios. As Abdülcanbaz The Gentleman of Istanbul battles with the nefarious politician-come-businessman Sami the Specks, he forms alliances and rivalries with a range of historical and literary characters, from Al Capone and Tarzan to the 17th-century Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi and French gentleman thief Arsène Lupin.‘ (taken from cornucopia.net/blog/time-to-smile).
Abdülcanbaz the Formidable Turk
When you visit this hidden gem, do not forget to have a sip of Turkish tea in its lovely garden.
note on the visuals: taken from manumostudio.com and cornucopia.net.
