Newspaper photo leads British author, editor and lecturer to Eskişehir

In order to meet Roger Norman I had set out to Eskişehir, an up-and-coming city that thanks to its very own high-speed rail link is now a mere 90 minutes -- and a very comfortable 90 minutes -- away from Turkey’s capital of Ankara.

Off to Turkey!

Roger Norman (born 1948) originally hails from southwest London but since 2004 has resided in this bustling regional center together with his wife and young daughter. Before we spoke about his manifold literary achievements, I asked Roger what had initially brought him to Turkey.

Roger explained that years ago he had lived in neighboring Greece and one day saw a newspaper picture of a Turkish man fishing in the Aegean. At that time many Greeks regarded Turkey as a certain type of “alien” place in the sense that according to them Turks were different, representing “the other”; not so for Roger, who upon seeing this photograph thought that the Aegean should be a connecting point and not a division. In 1992 and after having returned to the United Kingdom he decided to pay a first visit to Ankara. What had been intended as a short stay turned out to become a very busy 60 months.

An English language newspaper published in the capital had advertised for a proofreader, and Roger was hired straight away. Happy with the level of professionalism and teamwork, he decided to stay on and began writing in the features section of what was then the Turkish Daily News -- ultimately to become the features editor himself. Roger said: “We took great pride in our work, and each single edition had to be as near-perfect as possible. During the early 1990s we were able to be more of a generalist knowledge-type of journalist and not as yet the expert kind of contributing writer or editor who has to stick to a more narrow area of topical interest, which has become standard today.”

A voyage for peace and charity

Whilst living and working in Turkey and from April to June of 1995 Roger embarked on a 10 week-long tour from İstanbul to Athens -- on foot, that is. “I always enjoyed walking,” he said. Roger told me that this exceptional march for peace and charity “was one of the best times of my life.” Besides intending to be seen as a person who in a modest manner helps others to better understand and erase mental barriers separating peoples of different nationalities and backgrounds, Roger turned his voyage into a charity fundraiser for the benefit of Greek and Turkish children suffering from kidney deficiencies.

In 1997 Roger decided to temporarily return to his native country where he subsequently worked in the field of higher education as well as having been chosen as a consultant for a variety of United Nations roles, notably for UNICEF and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). By 2004 Roger came back to Turkey permanently, settling in Eskişehir, the city his Turkish-born wife Sibel had always called home.

Writing poetry, writing novels

If three successful careers are not enough (editor, consultant, teacher) during all those years Roger had worked in what is best described as his true calling, his one major profession: writing books.

“When I was 11 years old I began to enjoy writing. I loved to create people and places by the means of words,” he said. After graduating from school he started to write poetry, saying, “I cherish the sound of words when they are read aloud, too.” Gradually turning a hobby into a more serious venture Roger said that the difficulty with novel writing is that “you have to finish the book.” By saying this he referred to the fact that what he writes on page number one may not necessarily be conclusive for what he writes 20 or even 200 pages later -- content may change as you go along and so may the entire plot.

Being a successful yet very modest person Roger then told me that “while writing you make mistakes, encounter failure, but you have to plough on.”

His first book was aptly titled “Albion’s Dream” and was published in the year 1990, to be followed by “Treetime” and in 2008 by his third full-length book to date, “Red Die.”

Whereas “Albion’s Dream,” referred to by Kay Webb from The Observer as being “a wonderful book,” is written for older children but makes for a fascinating read for adults as well, “Treetime” is aimed at younger children, and “Red Die” is a true grownups-oriented mystery novel in which Roger completes the cycle of ideally trying to write for all ages. “Red Die” is set in England’s Dorset in the autumn of 1916 amidst the background of World War I.

War and no peace – not in 1916

We spoke in great detail about “Red Die.” Roger elaborated on the process of writing the book that took him over 18 years to complete. “I had various versions in my mind,” Roger told me. Without giving away too much for curious readers I can disclose that the book’s main character, Jack Yeoman, decides to return to his native England after having fought on the continent only to ultimately depart as he once more goes back to the front. During his stay in Dorset a delicate cobweb of intrigue and mystery revolves around him and friends and foes alike. It is a brilliantly written book. Roger said about the fate of his character, “Jack could not escape war; war was still with him albeit having returned from France to England; Jack becomes a victim of the circumstances regardless of however hard he tries to break free.”

Masterpiece in the making, yet one more profession

Upon concluding our pleasant conversation, Roger expressed his desire to one day write a true masterpiece. I enquired about whether he would not consider his first three books as being exactly that, but in his unique style of assertiveness and humility he told me: “Writing is a craft. You keep on getting better. You learn while being on the road. I still might be able to write a better book. So, yes, one day there should be the one masterpiece leaving my desk.”

Before we met he had just finished teaching for the day as a short while ago he took onboard just one more occupation: lecturer. Roger now works full-time in the faculty of communication at Eskişehir’s Anadolu University -- what better place for a leading man of words to pass on his craft.