24/11/2023 | Writer: Aslı Alpar
We talked to ayşe düzkan and Mehtap Doğan about the book titled Moris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress, which was published by Güldünya Publishing House and banned on the charge of publishing obscene content.
The book titled Moris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress, which was published by Güldünya Publishing House and targeted by various media, particularly Akit and Milat newspapers, was banned on the charge of publishing obscene content by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services Board for the Protection of Minors from Obscene Publications and the decision was published on the Official Gazette on September 18.
We talked to ayşe düzkan and Mehtap Doğan of Güldünya Publishing House about the story of Morris, which was subjected to be sold in a bag or envelope.
Shall we like to talk about Morris’ censored story?
Moris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress is book written by Christine Baldacchino and illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant. It received the Stonewall Children and Young Adult Literature Honor Award in 2015 and it is one of our most popular books.
Baldacchino’s endearing book about the courage to be different was named one of the best books of the year by the prestigious US book magazine Kirkus and was included on the American Library Association’s Rainbow List.
We published it in Turkish in 2018. We and our readers loved this dress-up boy, but we were the target of several publications, especially Akit and Milat.
And then…
It was banned on the charge of publishing obscene content by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services Board for the Protection of Minors from Obscene Publications and the decision was published on the Official Gazette on September 18.
“Support is valuable”
Will it be sold in a bag or an envelope from now on?
The book was out of print when the decision was published in the Official Gazette. The contract has been renewed and the new edition will be sold in bags labelled “harmful to minors”. It is unacceptable that a children’s book should be sold in bags and that its sale to children should be banned.
Throughout this process, the interest and support we have received from our readers, from some media organizations and from friends has been incredibly valuable.
Have you appealed against the “obscene” ruling, or do you intend to do so?
We haven’t appealed yet, however we will.
Is the author Christine Baldacchino aware of this, and if so, what was her reaction?
We notified the copyright office, she must have known, but she did not react.
How did you feel when you were confronted with censorship, and how do you feel now?
Actually, this is the first time we have experienced something like this. So far, the economic conditions have made it harder than ever. But we feel the support of our readers, some buy and read all our books, some send our books to their friends in prison. All of this is very precious to us and we believe that together we will get through this.
“The Monstrous Child is coming soon”
In this political atmosphere, how is queer, feminist publishing going?
We actually have a different organisation than many other publishing houses. Our publishing house took its name from Güldünya Tören, who was shot in the middle of street by her brothers in 2004 and then killed by them in the hospital where she was being treated. In 2014 we set out saying “There are women and friends like you all over the world, women who work, love, get angry and struggle. Books from their pen... To remember that you are not alone!”
We work with women wherever possible. As well as books on feminist theory and politics, we publish books on the experiences feminist movements and different feminist organizations around the world, women’s biographies and experiences, works of women writers, and books about women artists. We have a strong focus on works from the global south and the global east. We also publish books for children, young people and adults, and feminist fairy tales.
What is the next book?
This week we will introduce our readers to a new children’s book. Francesca Simon, the author of Horrid Henry, who has a large fan base in Turkey, has written her first book for young adults, The Monstrous Child, which will be on the shelves of bookstores starting from this week.
The Monstrous Child is a novel that will appeal to readers of all ages who are of interest to imagination.
Combining her interest in mythology with her interest in complex family relationships and his sense of humour, Simon’s protagonist this time is Hel, the adolescent goddess of the Underworld. She is an angry, cynical but normal teenager... She has a mother and a father and siblings. Some of them are legless, some have eight legs. That’s a normal situation for a goddess! Hel is like other girls of her age, she feels sad, she feels happy, she falls in love... She has another difference from other adolescents: she lives in the underworld. Hel tries to make the best of it, creating gleaming halls in her dark kingdom and welcoming the dead who she is forced to host for eternity. Until eternity itself is threatened.
All books published by Güldünya Publishing House is sold at a discount on our website.
Translation: Selma Koçak
Tags: human rights, women
