The Setting Sun (Book)

The Eternal Sun is a novel by Samiha Ayverdi, published in 1939, and is one of its author’s most significant works, blending her Sufi thoughts with literary expression. The novel is set in Istanbul during the final years of the Ottoman Empire and the early years of the Republic, narrating the story of an inner quest, spirituality, and return to the essence of human existence.

The protagonist, Aliye, is a young woman of twenty-four, well-educated and residing in a seaside villa with a view of the Bosphorus. Aliye seeks deeper meaning in life. Her father, Sezai Nur Bey, works as a diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while her mother, Fikriye Hanım, has embraced a Western lifestyle. Aliye’s greatest interest lies in the writings and paintings left by her late grandfather, Irfan Pasha.

Distancing herself from worldly pleasures and material values, Aliye begins a spiritual journey through reading her grandfather’s diaries. During this process, she meets Kerim Bey, her grandfather’s spiritual companion, who becomes her guide on a Sufi path. Kerim Bey teaches Aliye that true knowledge can only be attained through inner exploration. The novel meticulously details Aliye’s spiritual journey and her process of self-discovery. Inspired by letters exchanged with a person referred to by the pseudonym “K” in her grandfather’s notes and in his painting titled Love and Gaze, Aliye continues her spiritual development. Struggling with a sense of life’s meaninglessness, Aliye seeks to overcome this hardship through the traces she finds in her grandfather’s writings.

Unlike traditional romantic notions of love, the novel primarily explores themes of spiritual quest and sacred love. To support her quest, Aliye spends a year abroad in Berlin. However, the illness she contracts upon returning from Berlin becomes a pivotal turning point in her spiritual healing. The novel examines the difficulties caused by materialistic lifestyles in human life and the inner turmoil they generate in an individual’s spiritual world. Samiha Ayverdi focuses particularly on the spiritual development and existential search of a young woman in this work.

Aliye: The novel’s protagonist, a character immersed in a spiritual quest beyond material existence.

Sezai Nur Bey: Aliye’s father. He serves as a diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and represents a figure striving to balance traditional values with modern life.

Fikriye Hanım: Aliye’s mother. A modern woman who has adopted a Western lifestyle and continuously renews herself culturally.

Irfan Pasha: Aliye’s grandfather. His writings, paintings, and notes after his death play a crucial role in Aliye’s spiritual development.

Kerim Bey: The spiritual companion of her grandfather. He serves as a guide in Aliye’s Sufi journey, illuminating her inner quest and embodying the belief that truth can only be reached through inner exploration.

Spirituality and Sufism: Ayverdi emphasizes in the novel that Sufism is a light that illuminates the inner world of the human being. Aliye’s quest is a search for spiritual fulfillment beyond worldly pleasures.

Female Identity: The novel focuses on a woman’s spiritual growth and inner strength. Aliye emerges not merely as a character defined by external beauty but as one defined by inner depth.

Inner Quest and Self-Discovery: Aliye’s story reflects the human struggle to find one’s true self and attain truth. The novel explores the significance of inner journey and its inherent challenges.