A court in Turkey has convicted famous Turkish writer Elif Şafak and her publisher, Doğan Publishing, of plagiarism, ordering them to pay 252,000 liras (about 7,600 euros) in compensation to fellow Turkish writer Mine Kırıkkınat for copying her work. The lawsuit was filed by Kırıkkınat, alleging that Şafak’s work entitled Bit Palas (The Palace of the Flea) is an imitation of her novel Sinek Sarayı (The Palace of the Fly).
In a sentence published on 23 January, the court confirmed that Şafak committed plagiarism in her novel and ordered both the author and her publisher to compensate Kırıkkınat; in its reasoning, the court asserts that the similarities between Şafak and Kırıkkanat’s works, including the title, narrative structure, characters, locations, timing or theme, “go beyond mere inspiration, reaching the level of plagiarism”.
If Şafak’s defence does not appeal the plagiarism verdict, the printing and sale of the novel “The Flea Palace” will be banned and copies currently on the market will be withdrawn from sale to the public. Elif Şafak, who has been living in the UK for the last years, is a famous Turkish writer who has published nearly twenty books – mostly novels – translated into more than 50 languages; she is considered to be the best-selling author in the history of literature in Turkey thanks to her novel Aşk (Love), published in 2009.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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