There is a dark story from history in Maymunkeş

Culture and Arts Service

With his new book, Maymunkeş, Mustafa Akıllı examines one of the most extraordinary events in Ottoman history under the lens of literature.

Mustafa Pasha, who had risen to the rank of vizier in 17th-century Istanbul, believed, driven by rumors, that women were having inappropriate relationships with monkeys.

This delusion soon spills out of the palace into the streets, and an unprecedented "monkey massacre" begins in Istanbul.

While author Akıllı blends historical reality with fantastic elements, he invites the reader to rethink the nature of power.