Exercises in Fiction

Gökdemir İhsan

forthcoming 19 November 2026

In his new novel,(1) handled with the brilliance that is his hallmark, the renowned novelist (2) [Gökdemir İhsan] (3)—already the author of many masterpieces—has confined himself to staging only sharply drawn characters, moving within an atmosphere accessible to all, young and old alike. The plot centres on an encounter aboard a bus between the story’s hero and a rather enigmatic man who picks a quarrel with the first person he sees. In the closing scene, we find this mysterious figure listening intently to the advice of a friend, a master of dandyism. The whole leaves a delightful impression, finely etched by novelist (2) [Gökdemir İhsan] (3) with uncommon felicity.

Raymond Queneau, Exercices de Style (Gallimard, 1947), 38.

[1] This is not a novel.
[2] Gökdemir İhsan is not a novelist.
[3] If and only if X = Gökdemir İhsan.\

“Readers who genuinely love literature, who enjoy a game, and who are not afraid of a puzzle will take great pleasure in this book... All that remains for us is to thank Gökdemir İhsan for adding such a fine example of postmodern writing to our literature.”

-- Ali Teoman, novelist, Radikal Kitap

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ISBN: 978-1-916541-32-0