Murat Menteş – Ruhi Mücerret
“At my age, love decides in whose arms you’re going to die. Actually that’s true at every age.” *** Murat Menteş, who has brought a powerful breath of fresh air to Turkish literature and been described as the “Tarantino of literature” and “a Palahniuk full of laughter,” brings us yet another extraordinary adventure with his third novel, Ruhi, a Century-old Veteran Fighting to the Death— again and again—vs. The Brain Puppeteer. This book is a veritable literary arsenal. Every page will surprise you and make you laugh, while also nudging you towards philosophical ruminations. Ruhi Mücerret, the main character of the book, is the last living veteran of the Turkish War of Independence which took place in the first quarter of the twentieth century. This “soldier,” whose days, not to mention minutes and seconds, are numbered, has been asked to carry out one last task in his life: Kill a man by the name of Innocent Cutie, a man he’s never met before. Taking up a rifle he stole from a French officer 85 years earlier, he sets out to find his target. Civan Kazanova, who has one blue eye and one brown eye, is the undefeated champion of the Istanbul bumfights. Civan may appear to be a mere simpleton but in fact he is the devil’s favorite puppet. He enters into the service of Ruhi Mücerret, burdened by his own issues and bearing a hidden agenda. The psychopath Innocent Cutie, who is bent on attacking consumer culture with his warped yet powerful anarchist ideas, is the architect of a global conspiracy. But will our venerable veteran and his unlikely sidekick Civan be able to defeat Innocent Cutie before he drags the world in chaos? Ruhi, a Century-old Veteran Fighting to the Death—again and again—vs. The Brain Puppeteer promises unending laughter as well as a limited quota of tears. In this roller-coaster adventure trains crash into ships. The War of Independence flares up anew after 85 years. Drills pierce human heads. Planes crash into people. Losers become champions. The dead come to life. And advertisements seize the minds of consumers.
The readers of Ruhi Mücerret are separated into two: – The ones who say “I have highlightend many sentences in order not to forget.” – And those who say “In the middle of the book I have decided that I will read it again once I finish it.”
“If you’re not yet 100 years old, you must read this book!” EMRAH SERBES [Author]
“Menteş’s novels are like a bombardment taking place during a carnival.” MURAT UYURKULAK [Author]
“The novels of Menteş are the product of a hyperactive mind, and that’s why reading Murat Menteş is such a dizzying pleasure.” ALPER CANIGÜZ [Author