Bilge Karasu, one of the notable writers of the 1950 Generation storytellers, is known for his novels and stories. In addition to this, Bilge Karasu also produced works in the form of essays and letters. Hundreds of letters written by Karasu are works of literary value, reflecting the social and cultural atmosphere of the period, rather than a popular means of communication. However, most of these letters are lost and only the ones reached were converted into a book. The first part of these letters which have been compiled into a book comprises the letters he sent to his writer friend Halûk Aker between 1964-1995, while the second contains those he sent to his French friends Jean Nicolas and Gino Harsh also just around that period. It is not a coincidence that Bilge Karasu, who published his first book in 1963 despite stepping into literature in his 20s, started sending letters to his friends in 1964, as this shows that he was interested in letters right from the beginning of her writing adventure and that he wrote fictional works and letters simultaneously at the period. It is possible to find information about the production style of this writer, the sources he relied on and his approaches in the writing process, as well as details about his daily life in the extendedly-written and fine-tuned letters he sent to his friends. Accordingly, these letters are keys to analyzing Bilge Karasu, a writer who is difficult to understand and interpret. In this article, Bilge Karasu’s literary views hidden between the lines in these letters will be revealed, his views on Turkish literature will be examined, and his understanding of art will be evaluated by studying these texts that reveal many details from his daily habits to his comments on the social and political events of the period.

Bilge Karasu, letter, literature, text.