Ümit Yalçın Doğan, in his work which is also his first novel, touches upon almost a century-long period by looking at all periods of the life of an eighty-three-year-old woman and telling her gradual process of loneliness day by day. The text presented by the author in a modern storyteller style, with its multi-layered structure, the number of characters it embodies, and its fairy tale language, is a tribute to the great master Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s work “One Hundred Years of Solitude”.

The title of the novel, “Elibittibile”, also has a palindrome feature that does not change when read from both ends. The phrase “eli bitti bile” that sometimes appears in the text at a gambling table and sometimes at a funeral ceremony, actually aims to tell how short and valuable life is and unfortunately it has an end, as a metaphor.

The opening of the novel consists of a tragic event that presents a small fragment from the life of our main character, Gülten Bursalıgil. Then, the author takes us on a journey to the past by presenting snippets from the Turkish-Greek population exchange that occurred in 1923, and invites us to Gülten Hanım’s family from there, and through sometimes cheerful and sometimes sad events that took place until her birth.

With the birth of Gülten Hanım, we are gradually introduced to the novel through ordinary events such as birth, death, marriage, divorce, love, and hate, accompanied by interesting stories and characters that will not make the reader lose interest, sometimes running and sometimes stopping, but gradually warming up to the story. Some encyclopedic information that fits the texture of the novel and characters known to the public who appear as fictional characters within the stories are placed in a way that will not disturb the fabric of the novel, and they appear as sweet surprises.

Life is both long and very short. Perhaps the greatest advantage of a person is not knowing when their death will come, which they are curious about. Gülten Hanım embraces her loved ones in her life, which is like a vicious circle, without knowing when she will lose them. Ümit Yalçın Doğan accompanies Gülten Hanım on this roller coaster ride in his novel. He talks about journeys because life is also a journey. He talks about waiting because life begins with waiting. The beginning and end of this text are also about life. Gülten Hanım’s story of gradual loneliness is all about this.

ÜMİT YALÇIN DOĞAN

Umit Yalçin Doğan was born in 1985 as the second child of Ayşen and Yılmaz. He lived in Mardin, Hatay, Van, Uşak, İzmir, Ankara, and Istanbul. He traveled a lot and read a lot. Now it’s time to write.

After graduating from Hacettepe University, he said “goodbye” to Ankara and moved to Istanbul, which he described as a city with literature in its soul. Istanbul with its Bosphorus, judas trees, and seagulls gave him a sense of freedom that he loved, and he developed a passion for motorcycles, sailing, and songs that evoke the wind. When he first said “tell me how to blow,” he had a guitar, and then he learned to play many other instruments. Now his favorite is the clarinet.

He believes that running after experiences is better than being idle. He started writing, and now he can’t put down his pen. This is his first novel, and more will come.

He believes that happiness is a choice, but it’s also influenced by those around us. He finds happiness in his wife, Nilay, and their son, Atlas. They live in Istanbul, Suadiye, with their precious ones.