[CENSORSHIP / THE FIRST LESBIAN CHARACTER IN AN OTTOMAN NOVEL / MUASAKÂT-I NISÂIYYE] حمامجى الفت / Hamamci Ülfet

AHMED RÂSIM, (1864-1932).

Ikdam Matbaasi [i.e., Ikdam Newspaper Press]., Istanbul, [AH 1338] = 1922.

Original wrappers. Foolscap 8vo. (18,5 x 12 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 76, [4] p. Some age toning to the front cover. Else, a very good copy.

Early edition (second in the literature, the first in 1898 under the title only 'Ülfet' which was banned) of this first lesbian novella in Ottoman and Turkish literature written by Ahmed Rasim (1864-1932) who was an Ottoman liberal politician and writer, who wrote primarily about social issues.

Hamamci Ülfet is banned work by Rasim when it was published first in 1898, which carries the traces of the Ottoman period, in which the lifestyles of lesbian women are explained without judgment using plain language. While the author talks about lesbian women of Istanbul without displaying a moralistic attitude, he also mentions the entertainment in Istanbul's baths, other entertainment venues, clothing and apparel, and the elite places of the society. The fact that the character named Pakize, who has many relationships, falls in love with a woman named Hamamci Ülfet is at the centre of the issue.

Ahmed Rasim was a Turkish writer who used the pen name 'Leylâ Feride' sometimes (it's a female name). He worked as a civil servant at the Ministry of Post and Telegraph. After that, he earned his living by writing and working in newspapers. He was the Istanbul parliamentary deputy between 1927-32.

Özege 6752 / 2., As of February 2025, OCLC locates more than ten institutional copies. Commercially, it’s scarce.