[EARLY QUEER / FIRST LESBIAN OTTOMAN NOVELLA / MUASAKÂT-I NISÂIYYE: LESBIAN LOVE IN CONSTANTINOPLE] Hamamci Ülfet.

AHMED RÂSIM, (1864-1932)., Ikdam Matbaasi [i.e. Ikdam Nespaper Press]., Ist., [AH 1338] = 1922.

Original wrappers. A fine copy. Near mint. Foolscap 8vo. (18,5 x 12 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 76, [4] p.

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 center 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. Very scarce.