Labyrinth, Burhan Sonmez
Labyrinth, Burhan Sonmez
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Labyrinth

Author: Burhan Sönmez

Narrator: Brad Sanders

Unabridged: 4 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/20/2021


Synopsis

From a prize-winning Turkish novelist, a heady, political tale of one man’s search for identity and meaning in Istanbul after the loss of his memory.

A blues singer, Boratin, attempts suicide by jumping off the Bosphorus Bridge, but opens his eyes in the hospital. He has lost his memory, and can't recall why he wished to end his life. He remembers only things that are unrelated to himself, but confuses their timing. He knows that the Ottoman Empire fell, and that the last sultan died, but has no idea when. His mind falters when remembering civilizations, while life, like a labyrinth, leads him down different paths.

From the confusion of his social and individual memory, he is faced with two questions. Does physical recognition provide a sense of identity? Which is more liberating for a man, or a society: knowing the past, or forgetting it?

Embroidered with Borgesian micro-stories, Labyrinth flows smoothly on the surface while traversing sharp bends beneath the current.

About Burhan Sönmez

Burhan Sönmez is the author of several novels, which have been published in more than thirty languages. He was born in Turkey and grew up speaking Turkish and Kurdish. He worked as a lawyer in Istanbul before going into political exile in Britain. Sönmez’s writing has appeared in such publications as The Guardian, Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, and La Repubblica. His previous novel, Labyrinth, was published in 2019. He was elected President of PEN International in 2021.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jim

This a story of a young man in Istanbul who jumped off the bridge over the Bosporus. Of the many people who have died doing so, he was one of the few to survive. His physical injuries were just broken ribs but he lost his memory. It’s coincidental that I just read a Japanese translation about an eld......more

Goodreads review by Zeren

Dört roman ve dört birbirinden farklı üslup, kurgu, tarz... Daha önce pek çok kez söylediğimi yeniden tekrarlayayım, Burhan Sönmez yazdıklarını en merakla beklediğim yazarlar listesinin başlarında yer alıyor artık. Labirent de yine önceki üç romandan farklı ama bu sefer ayrı bir tekliği de var bence......more

Goodreads review by Marius

3.5 stele......more