Abstract
The essay analyses the main features of “The March 12th Novel”, a literary trend emerging in the aftermath of the military intervention in Turkey of the 12th of March 1971. The “March 12th Novel”, which had a deep impact on Turkish prose during the 1970s, represents the first attempt by left wing novelists to investigate the traumatic dimension of the political persecution endured by the socialist movement in the years following the coup. Starting with a brief survey of the major changes that occurred in Turkish political and social life between the 1960s and 70s, the essay focuses on key topics like torture and repression, which deeply influenced the narrative structures and strategies built up by the “12th of March Novelists”. In this light I will try to clarify the position of the “March 12th” trend in contemporary Turkish literature. Taking into account the novels written by Cetin Altan, Füruzan, Erdal Öz and Sevgi Soysal, the essay will concentrate on the different ways these authors came to depict the defeat of the Turkish Left.