@article{2019,title={Gypsies in Turkish Literature},abstractNode={Gypsies' homeland is India. They are given names like Roma, Çigan, Çingen, Kıpti, Karaçı, Poşa in Turkey. When Gypsies first come to Europe, they arouse curiosity and do not face any discrimination. However, they are soon accused of being cheating, bad and useless. one of the three routes they spread to the world is the route they crossed to Europe via Anatolia. According to the official records of the 16th century, they have settled in many regions of Anatolia. One of the first works to mention them is Evliya Çelebi's Seyahatname (Travel Book). In this work, Evliya Çelebi describes Balat Gypsies as thieves and famous waylayers. It is seen that prejudices about Gypsies have not changed in Turkish literature since Çelebi. Gypsies are not accepted as they are in many works, such as Ahmet Midhat Efendi's Gypsy, one of the first works dealing with Gypsies. The most important condition for them to get rid of being the other is to comply with the society in which they live. For example, in some works, being a Muslim is emphasized as a basic condition. In some works, it is stated that they should work in regular jobs or they should dress like everyone else as well. In this context, writers who deal with Gypsies and seem to approach them from a positive perspective use them to impose their view of life. The aim is not to defend the way Gypsies live. As a result, in Turkish literature, some writers try to understand them and try to look at the Gypsies from the inside, as well as those who evaluate them with hundreds of years of myths and what they see from the outside. However, it is understood that the Gypsies cannot be fully understood due to the thick defense walls they build around them.},author={Alparslan OYMAK},year={2019},journal={Turkish Studies - Language and Literature}}