Culture and Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik reacted to Turkey writer Mario Levi’s placement in the “Israeli products to boycott” list on social media.
Minister Çelik shared the following from his Twitter account:
“The rage felt at those massacring the oppressed in Gaza is righteous in every way. It is a requirement of humanity. It is a requirement of conscience and honor. It stands against the oppressor.
“What is done by those trying to convert this rightful rage into rage against Jewish people in general, and our Jewish citizens in particular and against synagogues is on the other hand most certainly not a right. It cannot be accepted in any form. It must be rejected in every way. It is wrong in the name of humanity...
“Provocative reactions against Mario Levi, a beautiful writer of Turkish in this context is a great wrong. This is a hate crime.
“Our Jewish citizens, their culture and synagogues are an inseparable piece of this land. They will always remain so...
“They are not “guests” on this soil. We are all together in our homeland, we are all the hosts...”
Levi had tweeted the following from his account after seeing his name on the “Israeli products to boycott” list:
TWEET: It seems some have included my books in the “Jewish products” to boycott. I have experienced this too in my beloved and beautiful country.
Many Twitter users had then supported Levi, and started the #MarioLeviTürkiyedir [Mario Levi is Turkey] hashtag. (EA/PU)
Who is Mario Levi? |
His first book Jacques Brel: A Lonely Man was published in 1986. This was the author’s undergraduate thesis turned into a novel. His first book of stories published in 1990 called Not Being Able to Go To a City carries autobiographical traits and treats the author’s loves, childhood and youth as subject. The book won that year’s Haldun Taner Story Prize. His second book Madame Floridis May Not Return dated 1991 featured Istanbul’s minority circles having trouble adapting to the city. In 1992 his first novel Our Best Love Story, which he views more like a story or account was published. He started his novel Istanbul Was A Fairy Tale in 1993 and published it in 1999 after working on it for six years. This book is the story of a Jewish family living in Istanbul between the 20’s and the 80’s. Other minorities from the city appear in the book as well. He won the Bu Yunus Nadi Novel Prize in 2000 with this book. His novel Amusement Park Closed was published in 2005 and Where Were You When Darkness Fell in 2009. Mario Levi has worked as a French teacher, an importer, a journalist, a radio programmer and a copywriter as well as being a writer. He also offers classes on writing to aspiring writers. His last book, I Made You Sponge Cake came out in 2013. |
He was born in Istanbul in 1957. He graduated from Saint Michel High School in 1975, and from Istanbul University French and Roman Philology Department in 1980. He wrote his first story in 1975. After 1984, he wrote for many publications such as Hokka magazine, Şalom Newspaper, Cumhuriyet Newspaper, Cumhuriyet Magazine, Stüdyo İmge, Gösteri, Milliyet Sanat Magazine and Argos.
