The inaugural Talât Sait Halman Translation Award was presented in 2015 to Siren İdemen for her masterful adaptation of Georges Perec’s distinctive language and style into Turkish in her translation of The Darkness Boutique: 124 Dreams.
Born in 1961 in İstanbul, Siren İdemen studied French in Galatasaray High School. In addition to co-founding magazines such as Express, Roll and Bir+Bir, she served as news reporter, author and editor. Some of her literary translations are; Ricardo Guiraldes, Don Segundo Sombra (Bozkırdaki Gölgeler, 1983); Jean Leca, Nations et Nationalismes (Uluslar ve Milliyetçilikler, 1998); Annie Ernaux, L’evenement (Kürtaj, 2000); Annie Ernaux, La place (Babam, 2001); Habib Suadiya, La sale guerre (Kirli Savaş, 2001), Enki Bilal, Quatre? (Dört?, 2010); Enki Bilal, Animal’z (Mahlukk, 2011); Hubert Reeves, L’univers expliqué à mes petits-enfants (Meraklısına Evren, 2012); Bertrand Santini, Le Yark (Yark, 2014); M. Cieutat, P. Rouyer, Haneke par Haneke (Haneke Haneke’yi Anlatıyor, 2014); and George Perec, La boutique obscure: 124 rêves (Karanlık Dükkân: 124 Rüya, 2015).
Selection Committee
Doğan Hızlan, author (Chair)
Sevin Okyay, author, translator, and critic
Ahmet Cemal, author and translator
Yiğit Bener, author and translator
Kaya Genç, author and translator
Karanlık Dükkân: 124 Rüya (La Boutique Obscure: 124 Dreams)
Author: Georges Perec
Translator: Siren İdemen
Publisher: Metis Yayınları
Original title: La Boutique Obscure: 124 Rêves
First edition in Turkish: 2015