REQUIEM OF SOCIALIST DREAMS: IDEOLOGICAL COMMITMENT in THE FICTION OF YAṢAR KEMAL AND MUSTANSAR HUSSAIN TARAR

Despite many differences of socio-political and cultural realities, Yaṣar Kemal of Türkiye and Mustansar Hussain Tarar of Pakistan, as two celebrated novelists have striking similarities in terms of their moral vision and dreams of a peaceful and prosperous world. Their consciousness is marked, firstly, by a romantic and one’s proper place and behavior within it, and, secondly, by a unique tragi-comic sense of the universe. This sense manifests itself as humor and irony while dealing with questions of existential importance. Their differences are mainly due to the contrasting histories of their countries: while what is now Pakistan experienced the ravages of systemic colonialism and subsequent traumatic national history, modern Türkiye has been a free land, carved out of a grand empire spread over vast spaces and history. Therefore, Tarar’s moral and cosmic vision is darker in contrast to that of Kemal who concentrates more on the socio-economic disparities in his society than on the politico-ideological issues. Regarding similarities, one may say that both writers had socialist inclinations during their youth. This important ideological stance has partially impacted their writings as well. However, they do not wear their ideology on their sleeves. Instead, they employ folklore and political allegory to underpin their politics and ideological commitment.