AŞK OLSUN ÇOCUK
(Well done, my boy!)

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In Aşk Olsun Çocuk, Ali Cabbar presents a photo-novella-style biography of Deniz Gezmiş, a prominent figure in Turkey’s recent history, often described as the “Turkish Che Guevara.”
​Developed over 18 months, the project combines research, writing, and visual design. The book was first published in 2022 by Boyut Publishing in Istanbul, followed by a second edition in April 2023. Before appearing in print, it was released online in weekly installments on Ali Cabbar’s website.

​Rather than presenting a conventional biography, the book places Gezmiş’s life alongside the political and cultural climate of his time. It traces both his personal trajectory and the wider atmosphere of the late 1960s, reflecting on a generation shaped by global unrest and the events of 1968.

​​The title is drawn from a poem by Can Yücel, written for Gezmiş, and can be translated loosely as “Well done, my boy!” The publication resists easy categorization, sitting somewhere between an artist’s book and a compact visual reference work.

​​Deniz Gezmiş (1947–1972) was a law student and political activist whose influence extended beyond his lifetime. He, along with Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan, was executed on May 6, 1972, following a military tribunal. More than five decades later, their story continues to be revisited in discussions of political history, memory, and dissent in Turkey.

Aşk Olsun Çocuk / FOTOROMAN /
Deniz Gezmiş'in Hayatı ve Mücadelesi

Author: Ali Cabbar

Editor: Fahire Kurt

Publisher: Boyut Publishing, 2022 and 2024

Full-color print, 208 pages, 21 × 27 cm 

In Turkish​​