Turcology Research

Abstract

Biography, one of the oldest and most well-known narrative forms, traces back to Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Having gained a conceptual identity, particularly in the 17th century, biography underwent a significant transformation in the 20th century under the influence of modernist thought. As a result of this transformation, the genre transcended its traditional boundaries, giving rise to a new approach known as the new biography. This new approach diverges from traditional biography by adopting a sceptical and secular stance, incorporating multiple viewpoints, breaking away from chronological structure, shifting across different time periods, and focusing on the individual’s internal conflicts and psychological depth. One of the examples that concretizes this approach in a literary context is the novel Sinan’s Book (Книга Синана) by the Russian author Gleb Shulpyakov. Gleb Shulpyakov’s Sinan’s Book emerges as a work that embodies the fundamental characteristics of the new biography by intertwining the life and works of Mimar Sinan with significant historical events such as the Conquest of Istanbul and the modern individual’s search for identity. In the novel, the journey from Sinan’s birth and his conscription into the Ottoman Empire to his rise as an architect and the creation of masterpieces such as the Süleymaniye and Selimiye Mosques intertwines with the past, personal experiences, observations, and readings, transforming into a multilayered narrative. In these respects, Sinan’s Book departs from the conventions of traditional biography, challenges the boundaries between history and fiction, and adopts a narrative structure marked by diversity. This work will examine Gleb Shulpyakov’s Sinan’s Book within the framework of the new biography. Through selected excerpts from the novel, this analysis will evaluate how the work diverges from traditional biographical conventions and how it situates itself within the framework of contemporary biography. The analysis of the work will evaluate how it diverges from traditional biography conventions and its place within the framework of contemporary biography. In this context, the study aims to show that the work is not merely a biographical narrative, but also a unique literary work that reinterprets cultural and historical memory from a modern perspective.