"The real protagonists in politics are the people, and the place where politics is conducted is the street. "Elections by themselves do not decide politics," he comments.
To him, the situation is quite clear-cut: "When you constantly chase a man who earns around 400 euros a month with a broom, you shouldn't be surprised if one day he turns around and comes at you with a shovel."Īccording to Serbes, the events of the summer of 2013 set something in motion that is still far from resolved. "So much has been pent up in this society for years," he says. Serbes was not in the least surprised when discontent with the government exploded in the Gezi movement. "If it's only a question of money for you, then just take all the money out of the state budget, but clear off once and for all!" His comments are directed towards all the AKP politicians – including Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan – who have been accused of privately enriching themselves through bribery and corruption, after a number of recorded telephone conversations found their way into the public domain. "This government has long since lost all legitimacy," he says. "Emrah Serbes is not alone": Graffiti in Istanbul expressing solidarity with the young writer and his criticism of the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan As a result, the Istanbul prosecutor's office demanded he be sentenced to twelve years imprisonment: the charge, however, was soon dropped. At the time, he not only participated in the street demonstrations he also repeatedly appeared as a guest on non-mainstream media talk shows, where he made no secret of his criticism of the violent tactics used by the police and the AKP government. It's only since the Gezi movement in the summer of 2013 that Serbes himself has been regarded as the voice of the people. In "Young Losers", Serbes gives a voice to young people whose problems are often neglected in the adult world. The protagonists are all young men who in one way or another have suffered a loss, and who express their frustration and grief in desperate acts. Or the 14-year-old who's hopelessly in love with his older brother's girlfriend. Or 12-year-old Nurettin, who wants to avenge his soldier brother's death. There's the young boy who, after the death of his parents, is sent to live with his grandmother, who needs her daily dose of medicine to survive. It deals with issues related to growing up.
"Young Losers", which has just been published in German translation, is a collection of short stories written from the point of view of young people. He's sitting there in a hoodie with a black leather jacket on top – the trademark apparel of the rebellious young author. I'm allowed to do this," says the bearded young man with the chin-length hair and impish grin as he lights a cigarette during a reading of his latest book, "Young Losers", in Berlin.
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