Fulya Turhan
Writer Editor Explorer
Published writer, editor, translator, expert Sherlockian, and magazine feature writer focusing on TV series, movies, and literature, with a special interest in crime, mystery, science fiction and fantasy. Fulya Turhan attended the prestigious Boğaziçi University in Istanbul and graduated with a BA degree in Western Languages and Literatures, along with a certificate degree in Copywriting.
Sherlock Holmes & Father Brown (2014)
The Clash of Rationality and Faith
Under three chapters, Fulya Turhan explores philosophical and sociological issues and generic conventions in Detective Fiction in relation to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Father Brown Stories. The first chapter deals with the issues of reason, knowledge and justice. The second chapter explores the narrative structure of Detective Fiction and the narrators of the stories. And the Third chapter deals with the concepts of Religion and Science, and how women are represented in the narrative.
What Do Detectives
Eat and Drink?
Sherlock Holmes
"Merely examining what he eats or drinks would not be enough to define, understand or get to know the famous Sherlock Holmes. However, the gastronomical preferences of the great detective could very well provide us with valuable details about his daily routine, habits and tastes."
221B, International Issue 1, Dec. 2021 Mar. 2022
From Book
to Screen:
The Man in the High Castle
"The producers of the show were also aware that if a particular villain was to be created, they had to create a community to oppose this villain to nurture the conflict in the story. For this reason, again unlike the novel, a resistance group which has summoned up enough courage to plan to assassinate John Smith is also depicted in the series."
Episode, Issue 12,
Dec. 2018 Jan. 2019
A New
Sci-Fi Saga?
Foundation
"Many things can be said for Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy. It is an epic sci-fi classic about the fall of the galaxy. It is a massive story that covers 1000 years and dozens of planets. It is a meditation on the ageless questions of mathematics and humanity. However, it is definitely not an easy series to adapt. But why?"
Episode, Issue 16,
Sep. - Oct. 2019
The Gastronomy of
Peaky
Blinders
"Whiskey is undoubtedly the hallmark of the world of Peaky Blinders and Tommy Shelby. It is always possible to see a glass of whiskey in Tommy's hand. As Alfie Solomons says, whiskey is to be in the act. According to Tommy however, Whiskey is a good proofing tool, showing you the ones who are
telling the truth."
Episode, Issue 16,
Sep. - Oct. 2019
Kurt Wallander
One of the biggest problems of this questioning detective is the health problems arising from his irregular eating and drinking habits. Wallander gained seven kilos in the three months after he broke up with his wife, because all he ate was pizza, burgers and pastries.
Kay Scarpetta
Scarpetta tells us all the details as she cooks. She tells her nephew that she needs to use the sharpest part of the grater to grate the Permigiano Reggiano. Green peppers, mushrooms and onions are washed and put on the chopping board.
221B, Issue 23,
Nov. - Dec. 2019
Mma Precious Ramotswe
Mma Precious Ramotswe, who has always been proud of her country, the beauty of her lands, her house, her garden and her job, is an expert in cooking.
It's a ritual for her,
standing in the kitchen and the pot while sipping her
rooibos tea.
Comissario Brunetti
"Brunetti's lunch at the nearby trattorias succeeded in satisfying both Brunetti and the readers. Toasted bread with eggplant, Italian style… Asparagus pasta, pumpkin ravioli or roasted artichokes… After all these come coffees, cakes, and espressos.
Fictional characters do not really need food or drink to remain alive but still
gastronomy is a widely used narrative device in crime literature.
What do detectives eat and drink?
And what would that tell us anyway?
Killing Eve
Killing Eve is an adaptation of Luke Jennings' Code Name Villanelle novels, but the success of the series doesn't lie in there. It is the merit of Phoebe Waller-Bridge to take a novel which is so blended with the traditions of the spy genre, and turn it into Killing Eve.
American Gods
"With an impressive directing, screenplay and acting, we watched a very high-level first season that successfully carried the elements of the novel to a new medium. It is debatable how long this will last, because the second season did not create the same effect.
The Handmaid's Tale
Bruce Miller mentioned that he actually had some reservations about moving away from the novel and that he constantly consulted with Atwood. It is a blessing that the author of such an iconic novel is still alive. The author has a lot of experience in this field.
Sharp Objects
HBO's Sharp Objects is a fairly faithful adaptation of the novel. In particular, almost all the details of the central murder investigation have been preserved. The fact that the author Gillian Flynn is one of the writers in the show also plays a part in this.
“Read it before Hollywood does!” reads an ad campaign developed for the
Association of Librarians of the Czech Republic.
Is it still relevant though?
How is a book adapted into a different medium in the age of giant literature adaptations?