Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali (16+)

This newly translated Turkish classic has been elegantly explaining the true essence of humanity since its publication in 1943, and after 75 years, English readers can now partake in this electrifying masterpiece written by dissident Sabahattin Ali.

Set in 1920/30s Turkey and Germany, Madonna in a Fur Coat primarily follows the life story of a quiet and diffident man from Ankara, Raif Efendi, via his personal notebook that his young office-mate discovers once their unusual friendship develops.

Raif’s unnamed colleague, new to the translation publishing company, narrates the story.

He describes their friendship as pure “happenstance,” where Raif’s characteristic of never standing up for himself – in the office and at home – as well as showing how skilled he really is at his job strikes the narrator as odd, and he begins to look down on Raif just as everyone else does.

However, a chance glimpse at one of Raif’s masterful sketches completely shifts his perspective on this meek colleague.

The watershed moment in question was seeing a sketch that wholly captured one’s essence of humanity in only a few pencil scratches, and the narrator quickly becomes obsessed with understanding why such a keen observer of the world allows it to consistently take advantage of him.

As the narrator explores the various facets of Raif’s life, including his highly complex home dynamics, they form an unexpected friendship.

Once Raif falls ill and the narrator gains access to his mysterious notebook, he uncovers all answers to his questions about his unassuming new friend.

The life story that the journal contains is the primary plot of the novel: it begins when a young Raif moves from rural Ankara to Berlin in order to learn the soap trade at his father’s request.

There, he stumbles upon a painting called Madonna in a Fur Coat in an exhibition of local art; Raif, enamoured with the self-portrait, begins to visit the painting every single day, never getting tired of it.

But it’s not until he locks eyes with the real Madonna in a Fur Coat – the ever-unpredictable and intensely free-thinking Maria Puder – on a street one evening that he truly begins to learn what it means to live.

This kick-starts their unconventional friendship that unravels traditional gender norms in a thought-provoking way – Maria considering herself more of a “man” in the way that she is a natural leader and independent, and considers Raif more of a “woman” or a “little girl” due to his timid and submissive nature.

These gender relations aside, their platonic bond (as well as the underlying ‘will they, won’t they’ romance) is both genuine and fraught, yet heartwarming, as they become the only people to thoroughly understand each other.

Nonetheless, this deep connection cannot ward off the melancholy of yearning for long-passed opportunities once circumstance forces them apart once again.

Delve into Raif’s true soul alongside the narrator on this roller-coaster ride of anxious soul-searching (with a fair bit of defeatist introspection), tragic romance, and the exhilarating realisation of what it means to be happy in Ali’s life-changing Madonna in a Fur Coat.

For good reason, this classic novel of love, learning, and loss appeals to everyone – even though all of Ali’s other works are highly controversial (some even getting him arrested once they hit the shelves) due to their politically inflammatory comments on the Turkish government.

The autobiographical aspect of this book is also not to be discarded: Ali had a similar experience as Raif in Berlin, yet the narrator begins to merge with Raif’s younger-self near the book’s ending when he fully comprehends the true essence of humanity via learning what it has done to Raif.

As such, perhaps Madonna in a Fur Coat is simply a self-portrait of Ali? Pun intended.

Perhaps this is his personal reflection of how he came to become profoundly aware of the world around him… as well as the people in it.

On a final note, I’d also like to hear your thoughts on my column; for any comments on Madonna in a Fur Coat or simply to give me a book recommendation of whatever you’re reading at the moment (I appreciate all messages from members of our community!), contact me at bookspacebda@gmail.com to tell me all about it.

My new year’s resolution – likely for 2024 and 2025 – is to read a meaningful book from every country: your book recommendations can help me reach my goal! For frequent updates on what I’m reading, follow @bookspacebda on Instagram.