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Avdo carves stones for graves. His life spans Turkey’s modern age. As an orphan in Mardin, he earns money by singing outdoors. A man who makes gravestones adopts him. He teaches Avdo his craft. Avdo meets Christians, Sunni Muslims and Alevis along the way. Turks, Kurds and Armenians also shape his world.

Burhan Sönmez’s novel is a work of literary fiction. It explores love, grief, friendship and rule by the police. Avdo loses loved ones but strives to keep his humanity. In quiet graveyards, spirits link the living with the past. The book suits readers drawn to personal tales of Turkey’s past. It shifts from one point of view to another. It also moves back and forth in time. Its linked tales bring buried trauma to light. They build toward a romantic close.

Sönmez is a Kurdish author, born in 1965. He studied law in Istanbul and worked there as a lawyer. He wrote about culture and politics for the press, too. This work appeared in both newspapers and magazines. Beyond writing, he works with human rights and cultural groups. He belonged to IHD and helped found TAKSAV. In 1996, Turkish police hurt him badly. He then sought refuge in Britain for a long stay.

His fiction has won two prizes for literature. These are the Sedat Simavi and EBRD prizes. His books have reached readers in 42 languages. He lives part of the time in Cambridge, part in Istanbul. He has led PEN International since 2021. This edition forms part of the Anansi collection.