Memed grows up in a small Turkish mountain village run by the cruel Abdi Agha. A feudal system prevails, and the villagers toil and sweat in rocky fields overgrown with thistles with most of the rewards for their labor going to Abdi Agha. Even as a very young boy, Memed recognized the inequity of this, and at one point ran away. He stayed with a kind family on the other side of the mountain for several months, but eventually returned because he missed his mother. Nevertheless, his small act of rebellion was remembered by Abdi Agha, who ever after was particularly cruel to Memed and his family.

When Memed was a young man he fell in love with Hatche. Unfortunately, Hatche was promised to Abdi Agha's nephew. Despite this Memed and Hatche decide to elope. They are pursued by Abdi Agha and his men, the nephew is killed and Hatche is jailed.

All of this is set up for the main story of the book, which I admit I did not connect with particularly well. Memed escapes to the hills and joins a band of brigands. During the time the novel was set, brigands, or bands of highwaymen/robbers, were apparently common in the hills of Turkey (and I learned that the red fez is the sign of brigandage). Some brigands are associated with particular pashas or aghas, some are well-tolerated by the police or government authorities, and others are in constant battle with police or aghas. Some brigands are cruel to the common people and some are the heroes of common people. Initially, Memed joined a band of brigands let by a leader who turned out to be one of the cruel brigands. When Memed sets out on his own, with his own followers, he becomes a sort of folk hero, and is mythologized by the villagers and common people who hear of his exploits.

As I was reading of Memed's exploits, his constant skirmishes and near escapes from the police and Abdi Agha's men who are pursuing him, I kept thinking of how much this reminded me of the Robin Hood story. And the episodes were like the adventures that might be described in a boy's own story. There was one battle with the authorities followed by miraculous escape, soon to be followed by another battle, one after the other. None of this I particularly enjoyed, so I have to say, this really wasn't the book for me.

I will say, however, that this is a much-loved classic in Turkey, and there are several sequels delineating the further adventures of Memed. The book itself brought world-wide acclaim to Kemal. It is an influential work in Turkey, and at one point, the Turkish government was considering banning it (or maybe did ban it) because of fears that it may have romanticized "socialism." So, there is that. And if you want to read about the escapades of a Turkish folk hero, this is the book for you.

First line: "The slopes of the Taurus Mountains rise from the shores of the Eastern Mediterranean on the southern coast of Turkey, in a steady ascent from the white, foam-fringed rocks to the peaks."

Last line: "With this fire a ball of light appears on the peak of Alidagn and for three nights the mountain is white, as bright as by day."

3 stars ( )

Set against the wild Cilician landscape, a rural place of thistle-covered land, brigands and evil landowners ...and the common people reduced to serfs.
Memed is the righteously aggrieved young son of a poverty stricken widow, living under the "rule" of nasty Abdi Agha. When Memed's beloved, Hatche, is chosen as a bride by Abi's nephew, the young couple elope...but there are repercussions. Memed, gradually, finds himself forced into life with a gang of brigands.....and leaves behind his original nickname "Slim Memed" to become the heroic "Memed my Hawk"..
Shoot-outs in the mountains, capturing a prisoner from the guards, coping with other unfriendly outlaws....Pretty good read, which really portrays the scenery and the life. ( )

So glad this came back into print. Picked an old copy up in a used bookstore because the cover (not this one) intrigued me. I could not put it down. The imagery is wonderful. ( )

A high three...read a bit like a swashbuckling '30s Saturday afternoon movie serial. And definitely some amusing characters and touches here and there. If nothing else, those descriptions of landscape...the valleys full of pomegranate trees! ( )

Zseniálisan szerkesztett regény, jól megrajzolt figurákkal, karakterekkel, fordulatos cselekménnyel. Igazi szegény-legény történet. Népmese, ballada és legenda keveredik benne. Az egyedi sors a szegénység, az elnyomottak sorsával szorosan összefüggve, lassan-lassan változik. Egy olyan világban, ahol a hírt és álhírt még emberek szállítják és egész falvak, vidékek életét befolyásolják vele. Történet a szerelemről, az igazságról, a jóra való törekvésről, férfi és női sorsokról. ( )