Flowers Grow (Book)

Flowers Grow is a novel by Emine Işınsu that addresses the repression and assimilation experienced by the Turkish minority in Bulgaria during the second half of the 20th century. The work was written in 1978 and subsequent editions have been published by Elips Kitap (Istanbul, 2008, 4th edition) and Bilge Kültür Sanat (Ankara, 2015). The edition published by Bilge Kültür Sanat contains 479 pages and is divided into four parts. At the beginning of the book, the author dedicates it to her father with the words "To the soul of my father Aziz Zorlutuna, with endless love."

The novel is set during a period of intensified "Bulgarization" policies targeting the Turkish minority in the Razgrad–Shumen region and its surroundings. The narrative centers on the coming-of-age journey of the main character, Ilay Eminova, and explores the individual and collective responses of Bulgarian Turks to state interventions in education, daily life, language, religion, and family.

Ilay’s development is traced from ages 12 to 25; her ideological and moral choices, her love, and her struggle for survival form the core of the story.

The text focuses on the Turkish presence in Bulgaria during the 1960s. Key locations include Razgrad and its surrounding areas. This setting was chosen to illustrate the ground-level impact of planned state policies against Bulgarian Turks.

Ilay Eminova: The novel’s protagonist and the central figure toward whom the reader’s sympathies are directed, grounded in nationalism and idealism. She is noted for her determination and resilience. She takes pride in her Turkish identity and resists the pressures of the Bulgarian government. Through her personal struggle, she embodies the collective resistance of Bulgarian Turks and serves as the novel’s primary focal point.

Mehmet Ali: The son of Con Ahmet. He turns away from his identity in pursuit of social advancement and personal gain, actively striving to become Bulgarian. He feels shame about his Turkish heritage and views himself as a relic of the Ottoman past. He is a pragmatic and opportunistic character.

Con Ahmet: Mehmet Ali’s father. He is a figure who erodes family privacy and values, pushing his son toward moral decay. He offers unethical advice and undermines the family’s worth. He represents moral collapse and serves as the domestic source of Mehmet Ali’s identity denial.

Stefan Karov: The local administrator of the Bulgarian authorities and the direct enforcer of assimilation policies. He is the character who announces measures such as the uselessness of the Turkish language, pressure to convert religion, forced name changes, and the imposition of pork consumption. Political violence in the novel is made visible through him.

Süleyman Gavazov: A character who legitimizes distancing oneself from Turkish identity. He is involved in the debate over normalizing marriage with Bulgarians.