Sel Yayıncılık

Sel Yayıncılık, also known in English as Sel Publishing, is an independent publishing company based in Istanbul, Turkey. Established in 1990, it operates primarily as a literary and general-interest book publisher, combining original Turkish works with translations from world literature. Its catalogue includes both fiction and nonfiction, placing the company within Turkey’s independent publishing sector rather than the publishing arms of a large diversified media group. The company’s publishing program has included literary works by international authors as well as Turkish writing. Its role is therefore not limited to domestic book production: through translation, Sel has participated in bringing works from other literary traditions to Turkish readers. The available reference material does not provide a complete catalogue, detailed imprint structure, distribution figures, or a current list of authors, so the brand is best characterized by its broad editorial remit rather than by a narrowly defined genre specialization. Sel became especially visible in discussions about freedom to publish and the limits of Turkey’s obscenity laws. In 2009, it received the Turkish Publishers Association’s Freedom of Thought and Speech Prize and was also named Publishing House of the Year in the Memet Fuat Awards. In 2010, the International Publishers Association gave it a Freedom to Publish Special Award. These recognitions reflected the publisher’s willingness to issue challenging or controversial literary material and its importance in debates about literary freedom. That profile was reinforced by legal proceedings connected with its publication of William S. Burroughs’s The Soft Machine. Sel and its publisher, Irfan Sancı, faced obscenity charges in 2011. The company had previously encountered similar proceedings over its publication of Guillaume Apollinaire’s Adventures of the Young Don Juan. Although Sel was acquitted in that earlier case, the acquittal was overturned by Turkey’s Court of Cassation in August 2013. These cases made Sel a notable example in discussions of censorship, obscenity prosecution, and the responsibilities of publishers in Turkey. Sel also participated in civic cultural activity during the 2013 protests in Turkey, helping launch the Gezi Park Library. The initiative connected book publishing with public access to reading material and the wider cultural mobilization surrounding the Gezi Park protests. Beyond the cited legal and civic episodes, the supplied sources do not document ownership changes, financial results, major acquisitions, executive succession, or a detailed recent corporate strategy. Sel is accordingly described here as an independent Istanbul publisher whose identity rests on literary publishing, translation, and a publicly recognized commitment to freedom to publish.

Sel Yayıncılık was established in Istanbul in 1990 as an independent publishing company. Its editorial scope has included original Turkish books and translations of world literature, covering both fiction and nonfiction. This combination places Sel among publishers that serve the domestic literary market while also acting as a channel through which international writing reaches Turkish readers. The publisher’s public profile grew through its participation in literary culture and through recognition for defending the ability to publish challenging material. In 2009, the Turkish Publishers Association awarded Sel its Freedom of Thought and Speech Prize. The same year, Sel was named Publishing House of the Year in the Memet Fuat Awards. In 2010, the International Publishers Association presented the company with a Freedom to Publish Special Award. Together, these honors established an association between Sel and the protection of literary and publishing freedom. Sel’s publishing activity also brought it into conflict with Turkey’s obscenity laws. The company and its publisher, Irfan Sancı, faced charges in 2011 after publishing William S. Burroughs’s The Soft Machine. This was not the publisher’s first obscenity-related legal dispute. An earlier case concerned Guillaume Apollinaire’s Adventures of the Young Don Juan. Sel had been acquitted in that proceeding, but the acquittal was overturned by the Court of Cassation in August 2013. The cases made the publisher a recurring reference point in debates over censorship, obscenity standards, and the legal risks faced by publishers of provocative literature. In 2013, amid the protests in Turkey, Sel helped launch the Gezi Park Library. The project demonstrated a civic and cultural dimension to the company’s activities, linking its identity as a book publisher with public access to reading and community cultural space. The available source material does not provide a full chronology of Sel’s imprints, publishing volumes, distribution partnerships, ownership structure, financial performance, or later management changes. Its documented history nevertheless presents a coherent profile: an Istanbul-based independent publisher founded in 1990, active across Turkish and translated literature, and especially visible in controversies and initiatives involving freedom of expression and public cultural life.

• 2013

  Court of Cassation overturns an earlier acquittal

  [1]Sel Yayıncılıken.wikipedia.org

  The Court of Cassation overturns Sel's earlier acquittal in the case involving Adventures of the Young Don Juan.

• 2013

  Gezi Park Library

  [1]Sel Yayıncılıken.wikipedia.org

  Sel helps launch the Gezi Park Library during the protests in Turkey.

• 2011

  Obscenity prosecution over The Soft Machine

  [1]Sel Yayıncılıken.wikipedia.org

  Sel and publisher Irfan Sancı face obscenity charges related to the publication of William S. Burroughs's The Soft Machine.

• 2010

  Freedom to Publish Special Award

  [1]Sel Yayıncılıken.wikipedia.org

  The International Publishers Association presents Sel with a Freedom to Publish Special Award.

• 2009

  Freedom of Thought and Speech Prize

  [1]Sel Yayıncılıken.wikipedia.org

  The Turkish Publishers Association gives Sel its Freedom of Thought and Speech Prize.

• 2009

  Publishing House of the Year

  [1]Sel Yayıncılıken.wikipedia.org

  Sel receives the Publishing House of the Year award in the Memet Fuat Awards.

• 1990

  Sel Yayıncılık is established

  [1]Sel Yayıncılıken.wikipedia.org

  An independent publishing company is established in Istanbul, Turkey.

Independent Turkish literary publisher with a broad fiction and nonfiction catalogue, a significant translation program, and a public association with freedom to publish and literary expression.

• Fiction

  Original Turkish fiction

  Sel publishes fiction originally written in Turkish as part of its domestic literary program. The supplied sources do not identify a complete author list or separate imprint structure, but original Turkish fiction is explicitly part of the company’s publishing scope.

• Translated literature

  Translations of world literature

  Translation is a central part of Sel’s catalogue. The publisher issues Turkish editions of works from international literary traditions, including the cited works by William S. Burroughs and Guillaume Apollinaire.

• Nonfiction

  Nonfiction books

  Sel’s stated publishing program includes nonfiction alongside fiction and translated literature. The available reference does not provide enough detail to identify specific nonfiction series or subject categories.

• Literary translation

  The Soft Machine

  Sel's publication of William S. Burroughs's The Soft Machine became one of its most publicly consequential titles because it resulted in obscenity charges against the publisher and Irfan Sancı in 2011.

• Literary translation

  Adventures of the Young Don Juan

  Sel's edition of Guillaume Apollinaire's Adventures of the Young Don Juan was the subject of an obscenity case. Although the publisher was initially acquitted, that acquittal was overturned by the Court of Cassation in August 2013.

• 2013

  Apollinaire obscenity case reaches the Court of Cassation

  An earlier acquittal concerning Sel's publication of Guillaume Apollinaire's Adventures of the Young Don Juan was overturned by Turkey's Court of Cassation in August 2013.

  Source

• 2011

  Obscenity charges over The Soft Machine

  Sel Yayıncılık and publisher Irfan Sancı faced obscenity charges after the company published William S. Burroughs's The Soft Machine.

  Source

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• 2013Gezi Park Library

  Turkey

  During the 2013 protests in Turkey, Sel helped launch a library at Gezi Park, connecting publishing activity with public access to books and community cultural participation.

  Source

• 2011

  Publish The Soft Machine despite obscenity-law exposureOther

  Background

  Sel's publication of William S. Burroughs's The Soft Machine led to obscenity charges against the company and publisher Irfan Sancı.

  Action taken

  The publisher issued the work in Turkish translation.

  Aftermath

  The publication became part of a prominent legal and freedom-to-publish controversy involving Sel.

  Source

1. 1Sel Yayıncılıken.wikipedia.org
2. 2Sel Yayıncılık official websiteselyayincilik.com