Çalıkuşu in the making: genre manipulation, business considerations, and agents as revealed through archival research

This article examines the translation and publishing process of Çalıkuşu (The Autobiography of a Turkish Girl) by Reşat Nuri Güntekin, translated into English by Sir Wyndham Deedes, and published in the UK by Allen & Unwin in 1949. Adopting a microhistorical approach, the article builds upon archival research at the Allen & Unwin archive and actor-network theory (ANT) and investigates the role agents played both within the publishing house and in the wider literary field in shaping the translation and publication of the novel from pitch to marketing. The article highlights the significance of archival research in bringing forward gate-keeping and business considerations to show how these impact publishers, translators, and other actors involved in the decision-making process. The article also emphasizes the vital contribution of archival findings in filling the gaps in translation history and evaluating translations.