Zafer Şenocak (/zæˈfɑɹ ˈʃɛnoʊʤək/ born May 25, 1961) is a German writer well known for his poems, essays, and books. Born in Ankara, he has lived in Germany since 1970 and in Berlin since 1989.
Life
Şenocak was born on May 25, 1961, in Ankara, Turkey. He and his family lived in Istanbul until 1970, when they moved to Munich, Germany. At the University of Munich, Şenocak studied German literature, political science, and philosophy. During this time, he began publishing his German poems. He has lived in Berlin since 1989 while occasionally working abroad in France, Canada, and the United States.
Work
Since his 1983 debut with Elektrisches Blau (English Electrical Blue), Şenocak has written numerous poems, essays, and novels, primarily in German but also in Turkish, and he has also translated his works from one language to the other. Many of his works have been published in other languages as well, including English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Czech, among others. When asked about his decision to write in one language over another, Şenocak responded that, when writing fiction, one needs first and foremost the “inner voice,” which will then determine the language.[1]
One of Şenocak’s earliest and most well-known poems, Doppelmann published in his 1985 collection of poems Flammentropfen, is a reflection on cultural identity and his own experience with biculturalism, topics that are prevalent in almost all of his works. Şenocak’s texts about multiculturalism, transculturalism, and identity, are often based on his own experiences as a person with two different cultures, though his works are not strictly autobiographical.[1]
In 1998 Şenocak published his novel Gefährliche Verwandtschaft, translated into English as Perilous Kinship by Tom Cheesman, in which the protagonist Sascha, a German writer, attempts to connect to his Turkish heritage by exploring the history of his deceased Turkish grandfather through his old diaries but is confronted with a language barrier that prevents him from fully understanding and connecting to his family history. Like many of his other texts, this story deals with transculturalism and cultural identity, and it also explores the links between language and one’s personal sense of identity, as well as the role language plays in our social interactions.
In his works, Şenocak also features ethnic minorities in Germany, particularly German Turks, so much so that he is often regarded as a leading voice in Turkish-German relations and as a speaker for Turks in Germany, although Şenocak has said that he himself does not claim to speak for any groups.[1] His book, Atlas des Tropischen Deutschland (1992) (Atlas of a Tropical Germany, translated by Leslie Adelson) is a series of essays which criticize the view of guest workers in Germany as foreigners, despite their contributions to German society. Şenocak has often voiced his opinions on the integration of minorities in Germany and more broadly on the relations between Turkey and Europe in various interviews and essays.[1][2][3]
Şenocak’s latest book, Das Fremde, Das in Jedem Wohnt (2018) is a more autobiographical reflection on biculturalism, foreignness (Fremde), and how differences and diversity hold society together.
Gropp, Lewiss. “‘It Is a Privilege to Live in Germany’ - An Interview with Zafer Senocak.” Translated by Paul McCarthy, Migration and Integration, Goethe Institut, Jan. 2012, www.goethe.de/lhr/prj/daz/mag/ksz/en8636968.htm
Littler, Margaret. “Guilt, Victimhood, and Identity in Zafer Şenocak's ‘Gefährliche Verwandtschaft.’” The German Quarterly, vol. 78, no. 3, 2005, pp. 357–373. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/30039415.
