The literary legacy of Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil, whose copyrights have recently expired, is being revived not through superficial reprints but with academic precision. According to an article by Saliha Sultan, published in Karar Newspaper on May 10, 2025, the comprehensive project is being led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selçuk Atay from the Faculty of Letters at Karabük University, under the coordination of Telve Publishing House.
The project involves around 50 scholars from 32 different universities. Each text is meticulously compared with the author’s original publications from newspapers and journals, and the first editions released during his lifetime. Using a method known as critical edition, the texts are reconstructed based on Ottoman Turkish originals.
Dr. Atay highlights that over 17,000 changes were identified in Mai ve Siyah (Blue and Black) alone. He notes that recent debates over textual alterations in the works of Kemal Tahir further confirm the necessity and value of such detailed editorial efforts.
The project has been ongoing for nearly two years. With the novels and short stories already completed, the full collection will comprise 67 works published across 56 volumes.
