EKİN ARDA

News Center- Sibel Öz is a famous author in Turkey, best known for her book, “En Çok Seni Bekledim (can be translated as ‘The most I waited for you’)” She is also the author of “Oyuncu-Yeşilcam Yıldız Sisteminde Bir Anti Yıldız: Adile Naşit (An Anti-Star in the Yeşilcam Actors-Star System: Adile Naşit)” book. “Adile Naşit was a Turkish, Greek, and Armenian woman, like Turkey. Like us. We love her so much because she was such a woman; because she was like us. She was different from other famous actors; there was no difference between Adile Naşit on stage and Adile Naşit in real life. For this reason, she was loved by people. Because she was a member of our family.”

We spoke to author Sibel Öz about how she decided to write her book “An Anti-Star in the Yeşilcam Actors-Star System: Adile Naşit” and what she wants to draw attention with her book.

How did you decide to write your book named, “An Anti-Star in the Yeşilcam Actors-Star System: Adile Naşit”? Why did you write a book about Adile Naşit?

After graduating from the department of radio, television, and cinema at Marmara University, I did my master's degree in cinema. The subject of this book was also the subject of my master's thesis. When I decided to write this book, I worked on it a lot; I added something, removed some parts. Why did I write about Adile Naşit? There was no study about her despite the fact that she was an actress whom we lost recently.

“She is always remembered, loved”

The people always remember and love Adile Naşit. Her name always makes us smile. She wasn’t an ordinary person, we knew that. She had different characteristics; her humanity, love, personality, her multi-ethnic identity… There were both stereotypes and a mystery around Adile Naşit. That’s why I decided to write a book about her. I worked for five years to write this book. As I searched about her, I understand that we evaluated Adile Naşit with the roles presented to us by popular culture. My aim to write this book is to encourage people to think and understand her and Yeşilçam (Cinema of Turkey).

Could you tell us about the content of the book?

The book is not a classic biography book. It is a work seeking an answer to the question of who Adile Naşit is, mostly in cinema. It tells the life of Adile Naşit in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s when many political and cultural developments took place. It focuses on Adile Naşit’s identity in cinema. We should know Adile Naşit’s family to understand her. For this reason, the first chapter is about her family and their life in Istanbul; the modest but lively social life of old Istanbul, its colorfulness, how people fueled the cinema halls despite poverty. Adile Naşit was born into this world. The flat her family lived in was just above the theatre hall. All members of her family performed in theatre plays. Her father Mr.Raşit (comedian), her mother Amelya Hanım (theater actress), her grandmother Küçük Virjin and her grandfather Yorgi. Adile Naşit was funny like her father. She was a real actress. For this reason, you will find the story of an actress rather than “Hafize Ana” (her character name in films).

Adile Naşit always smiled in her films. How was her real life?

Adile Naşit was an actress who survived many difficulties. She wasn’t a star who appeared by the mechanisms and criteria of the cinema sector. There were norms and measures imposed on the female star in the sector. Adile Naşit had physical disadvantages for the sector. She always performed the roles of an old woman, mother throughout her life even if when she was very young because of her physical appearance. According to the norms of Yeşilçam, women had to be the object of physical and sexual desire.

“She never played the starring role but she marked her performance in films”

Her multi-ethnic identity was also a disadvantage for her. She never played the starring role but she marked her performance in films.

The name of your book is “An Anti-Star in the Yeşilcam Star System”. Why did you choose this name? Why Anti-Star?

The star is an indispensable element of the cinema sector. The sector gets credit from cinemagoers; it maintains an addictive relationship through the stars. The concept of anti-star refers to being against the cinema sector dominated by the star system and popular culture. Anti-star is a stance against the system. Adile Naşit was a famous actress. She wasn’t a star who appeared by the mechanisms and criteria of the cinema sector. She managed to establish a direct bond with the cinema lovers by showing an alternative or non-normative stance. Becoming famous was not her aim and she was a different star for cinema lovers.

People, especially children love Adile Naşit. Why do they love her so much?

Adile Naşit was a Turkish, Greek, and Armenian woman, like Turkey. Like us. We love her so much because she was such a woman; because she was like us. She was different from other famous actors; there was no difference between Adile Naşit on stage and Adile Naşit in real life. For this reason, she is loved by people. Because she is a member of our family.

Could you tell us about yourselves? Who is Sibel Öz?

I was born in Istanbul’s Üsküdar district. I graduated from the department of radio, television, and cinema at Marmara University. I did my master's degree in cinema at the same university. My first storybook, “En Çok Seni Bekledim (can be translated as ‘The most I waited for you’)” was published in 2006 (Agora Publishing House; 2nd edition, Notabene, 2019). Then, my second book “Serçeler Ölürse (If Sparrows Die)” was published in 2012 and “Yokuş Yukarı İstanbul (Uphill Istanbul)” was published in 2015. My book “Oyuncu-Yeşilcam Yıldız Sisteminde Bir Anti Yıldız: Adile Naşit (An Anti-Star in the Yeşilcam Actors-Star System: Adile Naşit)” was published in 2020. I have been working as a literary editor for Notabene Publishing House since 2013.