Surgical Ward 9
Published on 2. March 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
128 pages
978-1-0682097-2-7 (ISBN)
Description
Istanbul, 1915. While the Ottoman Empire is in the thick of war and fighting for its life, an unnamed fifteen-year-old boy has his own pressing concerns: he suffers from severe bone tuberculosis and drifts from doctor to doctor, unwilling to follow their advice. As his incurable condition and resulting despair trap him in fevered, psychological seclusion, he seeks solace in his infatuation with an older girl, Nuezhet.
Surgical Ward 9 is a raw and honest account of a sick person's inner world-his envy, longing, ambition, disappointment, terror, hope, and despair. This melancholic yet strangely vibrant book bears traces of Peyami Safa's own childhood, and its power still endures today.
Surgical Ward 9 is a raw and honest account of a sick person's inner world-his envy, longing, ambition, disappointment, terror, hope, and despair. This melancholic yet strangely vibrant book bears traces of Peyami Safa's own childhood, and its power still endures today.
Reviews / Votes
"One of the first and finest authors to explore the East-West question in fiction."-Orhan Pamuk
"A unique book about real pain and grief. When I finished reading it, I was stunned."
-Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 191 mm
Width: 123 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
120 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0682097-2-7 (9781068209727)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Peyami Safa was a novelist, journalist and critic. One of Turkey's most prolific writers, Safa authored a dozen novels, as well as seventeen essay collections on the most pressing political, philosophical and linguistic subjects of his time. Despite never having attended school past the age of thirteen, Safa also wrote a number of textbooks for formal education and became a vocal participant in the New Republic's cultural and linguistic debates of the 1930's. His fiction, noted for its distinctive voice and psychological depth, has secured his place as a cornerstone of modern Turkish literature. Across generations, Safa's intricately woven novels continue to offer both profound literary pleasure and a resonant sense of discovery to new readers.
Ralph Hubbell is a translator of Turkish literature. His work has appeared in Words Without Borders, Asymptote, Cagibi and elsewhere. His translation of Oguz Atay's Waiting for the Fear appeared with NYRB in 2024. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Ralph Hubbell is a translator of Turkish literature. His work has appeared in Words Without Borders, Asymptote, Cagibi and elsewhere. His translation of Oguz Atay's Waiting for the Fear appeared with NYRB in 2024. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.