The Neighbourhood

Fülszöveg

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD (KÔÇEBAÇI) by Ahmet Kutsi Tecer presents a cross-section of life in a neighbourhood of Istanbul. The setting with its coffee house where all activities meet, decrepit old houses and torn street with a fountain and a mosque in the background is typical of not only this neighbourhood, but many neighbourhoods in Istanbul as well as other cities of Tiirkiye
The host of characters in the play are drawn with poetic insight and are familiar personalities of Istanbul. To mention only a few: there is a "tough" but soft coffeeman living with the constatit fear that his shop may be torn down, but still is able to keep his sense of humour, a grouchy old grocer who is about to go bankrupt because he cannot collect his bills, a conservative old "Beybaba," though a tolerant man, in perennial conflict with the emerging generation, a street cleaning woman whose husband is away in the army and she cannot look for a better job in a factory because she has to attend to her small... Tovább

Fülszöveg

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD (KÔÇEBAÇI) by Ahmet Kutsi Tecer presents a cross-section of life in a neighbourhood of Istanbul. The setting with its coffee house where all activities meet, decrepit old houses and torn street with a fountain and a mosque in the background is typical of not only this neighbourhood, but many neighbourhoods in Istanbul as well as other cities of Tiirkiye
The host of characters in the play are drawn with poetic insight and are familiar personalities of Istanbul. To mention only a few: there is a "tough" but soft coffeeman living with the constatit fear that his shop may be torn down, but still is able to keep his sense of humour, a grouchy old grocer who is about to go bankrupt because he cannot collect his bills, a conservative old "Beybaba," though a tolerant man, in perennial conflict with the emerging generation, a street cleaning woman whose husband is away in the army and she cannot look for a better job in a factory because she has to attend to her small children while working nine hours a day cleaning the streets of the neighbourhood.
The problems and sentiments of all these characters are universal—hence the play's enormous appeal to non-Turkish audiences. The English version of THE NEIGHBOURHOOD was enthusiastically received as a Play Circle production at the University of Wisconsin in 1952* and as an Ankara Players production in 1959. THE NEIGHBOURHOOD has been one of the most popular Turkish plays ever since its premiere at the Ankara State Theatre in 1947. It has been produced by the Municipal Theatre of Istanbul as well as many amateur groups in Tiirkiye
* This was the first Turkish play in English to be produced in an English-spealcing country. Vissza