FOLKLORIC ELEMENTS IN THE NOVEL NAMED "THE LAND OF POMEGRANATE THE LAST YEARS OF ANDALUSIA" BY MUHSIN KADIOĞLU

Abstract

"The Land of Pomegranate The Last Years of Andalusia" is a historical novel written by Muhsin Kadıoğlu, telling the true story of the Turks helped the Muslims and Jews who were expelled from Spain by the Spaniards in the 15th century. In the novel, while the Spaniards’ persecutions against the Muslims and Jews is told on one hand, the story of Kemal Reis is narrated on the other hand. While the "Reconquista" politics of the Spaniards against the Muslims in Andalusia and all these experiences were ransferred to the novel through literary work, folkloric elements were also exploited quite a lot. Folk culture fueled by traditions continues its existence in oral tradition, but it is also transferred to the future with the power of writing through literary works. Folk culture, which has many national and spiritual values in its essence, has been a source of inspiration for literary works in almost every period of the history. In a literary work, which sources are used is very important as well as which subjects are taken into consideration. While Muhsin Kadıoğlu approaches to the national and spiritual values as prominent topics in his literary works, he also succeeds in presenting the historical and geographical sciences to the reader by synthesizing the elements of folk culture in a harmony. The novel, “The Land of Pomegranate The Last Years of Andalusia", is important not only in terms of the period in which it is lived but also in terms of its addressing a very important issue that maintains its update in regard to Turkish-Islamic history as well as world history. In this article, the folkloric elements such as folk songs, folk stories, legends, memorat, formative numbers, transitional periods, naming, totemism, nicknames, clothing and folk beliefs were determined from the roots of the novel named “The Land of Pomegranate The Last Years of Andalusia” and were analyzed.