Cin Ali

Cin Ali

In Turkish, the letter C is pronounced like a J, so the title above is really "Jin Ali".

Cin Ali was the star of a well-loved series of early readers for many Turks. I guess you could even say Cin Ali was the equivalent of Dick and Jane. And like Dick and Jane, Cin Ali has gone the way of the dodo, as far as teaching literacy is concerned.

Judging by the attention he's getting lately though (Newsday, Christian Science Monitor, his own Facebook page, art gallery exhibits, a museum in the works, etc.), I think I can say - like the case of Dick and Jane - nostalgia will help him stick around in Turkish pop culture. (Pun intended.)

Cin Ali doesn't look like much - so when someone says "you can't even draw Cin Ali", it's not a compliment. Yet, his basic form evokes the simplicity of times past. No magic bottle, carpet, no local lore, etc. (That's because "cin" translates to clever, in this case.)

I think he looks like a first draft of one of my characters. Really. He does. (My crit partner is laughing.) *headdesk*

Maybe it was prophetic when Eniste laughed and dubbed me "Cin gibi!" Afterall, I ended up writing a novel about the Jinn, and another about the boy shepherd, Jin Ali.

CIN ALI Author: Rasim Kaygusuz

Illustrated by	Mustafa Delioglu