Ghostwriting in Ottoman Literature: Athenian Priest Mehmed’s Conversion Narrative as Transcribed by Veysī

Şeyma Benli

Article Details

Ghostwriting in Ottoman Literature: Athenian Priest Mehmed’s Conversion Narrative as Transcribed by Veysī

Authors:

Şeyma Benli

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Osmanlı Sahası Klasik Türk Edebiyatı

Journal:

Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Dergisi Vol.65 Issue 2, pp.396-414

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001358898

pISSN:

1015-2091

Keywords:

Abstract:

 In a literary compendium consisting of the renowned Ottoman prosaist Veysīs d. 10371628 works, we find the work Vakḳ ʿa i Islām-i Rāhib. Although attributed to Veysī, it is absent from extant sources. Written in the first person, the work is both a conversion narrative and a rejection of Christianity by an Athenian priest. Upon realizing that Christians intentionally misinterpret Biblical passages heralding the coming of a messenger, the priest travels to Istanbul and converts to Islam before Sultan Ahmed I. Since he relates in his work that he does not speak Turkish, earlier studies have questioned how he could have authored the work in such an extremely artful style in Turkish. This article will examine a record in the hitherto unstudied Nuruosmaniye manuscript naming Veysī as the one who transcribed the Athenians account. The article uses historical and textual insights, material regarding book culture, newly discovered copies, and an in-depth readings of known copies to assess the records authenticity. By situating the work within Ottoman authorship culture, this article will reveal that it to be a rare instance of ghostwriting in Ottoman literature and highlights seventeenth-century practices in compiling multiple-text manuscripts.

 In a literary compendium consisting of the renowned Ottoman prosaist Veysīs d. 10371628 works, we find the work Vakḳ ʿa i Islām-i Rāhib. Although attributed to Veysī, it is absent from extant sources. Written in the first person, the work is both a conversion narrative and a rejection of Christianity by an Athenian priest. Upon realizing that Christians intentionally misinterpret Biblical passages heralding the coming of a messenger, the priest travels to Istanbul and converts to Islam before Sultan Ahmed I. Since he relates in his work that he does not speak Turkish, earlier studies have questioned how he could have authored the work in such an extremely artful style in Turkish. This article will examine a record in the hitherto unstudied Nuruosmaniye manuscript naming Veysī as the one who transcribed the Athenians account. The article uses historical and textual insights, material regarding book culture, newly discovered copies, and an in-depth readings of known copies to assess the records authenticity. By situating the work within Ottoman authorship culture, this article will reveal that it to be a rare instance of ghostwriting in Ottoman literature and highlights seventeenth-century practices in compiling multiple-text manuscripts.

 In a literary compendium consisting of the renowned Ottoman prosaist Veysīs d. 10371628 works, we find the work Vakḳ ʿa i Islām-i Rāhib. Although attributed to Veysī, it is absent from extant sources. Written in the first person, the work is both a conversion narrative and a rejection of Christianity by an Athenian priest. Upon realizing that Christians intentionally misinterpret Biblical passages heralding the coming of a messenger, the priest travels to Istanbul and converts to Islam before Sultan Ahmed I. Since he relates in his work that he does not speak Turkish, earlier studies have questioned how he could have authored the work in such an extremely artful style in Turkish. This article will examine a record in the hitherto unstudied Nuruosmaniye manuscript naming Veysī as the one who transcribed the Athenians account. The article uses historical and textual insights, material regarding book culture, newly discovered copies, and an in-depth readings of known copies to assess the records authenticity. By situating the work within Ottoman authorship culture, this article will reveal that it to be a rare instance of ghostwriting in Ottoman literature and highlights seventeenth-century practices in compiling multiple-text manuscripts.

 Osmanlı sanatlı nesir üslubunun önemli isimlerinden biri kabul olan Veysîye ö. 10371628 ait eserlerin toplandığı bir mecmuada, kaynaklarda bahsi geçmediği halde ona atfedilen, Vakʿa-i İslâm-ı Râhib adlı bir eser bulunmaktadır. Birinci tekil şahıs kipiyle yazılan eser, Atinada doğup büyümüş bir rahibin hem ihtida öyküsü hem de Hristiyanlığa reddiyesidir. Kitâb-ı Mukaddeste geleceği müjdelenen elçi hakkındaki pasajların kasten yanlış yorumlandığını ve beklenenin aslında Hz. İsa değil, Hz. Muhammed olduğunu anlayan rahip İstanbula gelerek Sultan I. Ahmedin huzurunda Müslüman olup Mehmed adını alır. Türkçe bilmediğini ifade eden rahibin bu dili bilmediği hâlde son derece sanatlı bir üslupla eserini nasıl meydana getirdiği sorusu, önceki çalışmalarda da tartışılan bir konu olmuştur. Bu makale, bahsi geçen çalışmalarda zikredilmeyen Nuruosmaniye nüshasındaki, eserin rahibin nakli üzerine Veysî tarafından kaleme alındığını belirten kaydı tartışmaya açacaktır. Kaydın sahihliğini tarihsel ve metinsel verilerin yanı sıra kitap kültürüyle ilgili veriler, bulunan yeni nüshalar ve bilinen nüshaların yakın okuması ile değerlendirecektir. Makale, söz konusu eseri Osmanlı yazarlık kültürü bağlamında ele alarak örneğine az rastlanır bir gölge yazarlık ürünü olduğunu ortaya koyarken 17. yüzyılda mecmua derleme pratiklerine dair yeni bir örneklem de sunmuş olacaktır.

Article Details

Ghostwriting in Ottoman Literature: Athenian Priest Mehmed’s Conversion Narrative as Transcribed by Veysī

Authors:

Şeyma Benli

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Osmanlı Sahası Klasik Türk Edebiyatı

Journal:

Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Dergisi Vol.65 Issue 2, pp.396-414

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001358898

pISSN:

1015-2091

17th century Ottoman literature

Ottoman book culture

multiple-text manuscript

ghostwriting

Veysī17. yüzyıl Osmanlı edebiyatı

Osmanlı kitap kültürü

mecmua

gölge yazarlık

Veysî

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Şeyma Benli

Publisher: Istanbul University

Main Topics: Osmanlı Sahası Klasik Türk Edebiyatı

Journal: Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Dergisi Vol.65 Issue 2, pp.396-414

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 1/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001358898

pISSN: 1015-2091

Issues

Authors:

Şeyma Benli

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Osmanlı Sahası Klasik Türk Edebiyatı

Journal:

Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Dergisi Vol.65 Issue 2, pp.396-414

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001358898

pISSN:

1015-2091