An interview with prolific Turkish author Toprak Işık
The first English edition of Toprak Işık's work is now out, with The Ant Rebellion published by Five Oceans, the international imprint of Oratia Books.
We asked Toprak to share with readers in Oceania a little about his career, the writing of this ingenious book, and what it means to reach readers internationally.
Toprak, thanks for joining us. Can you tell us first, what inspired you to write this fabulous book set in the world of ants?
TI: In the world of my book, everything, except the way the insects talk, exists in nature. Really, some ant species practice slavery. They don’t know how to work, but they’re masters of war. There are also farmer ants. They don’t eat the leaves they carry into their nests; instead, they chew them up and spread them in underground chambers. When I look at this, I see a reflection of the human world. For centuries, some societies have exploited others. People, too, have fought wars, enslaved one another, and created hierarchies that mirror those of the ants. So my inspiration came from observing nature and realising how much of it already exists within us. The ants in the story may seem small, but the questions they raise about freedom, justice, and cooperation are as big as humanity itself.
Did you know much about ant life before you wrote The Ant Rebellion?
TI: I’ve been reading about the lives of animals for years. The natural world has always fascinated me, especially creatures that live in social systems like ants do. Their organisation, discipline, and ability to work as one body are truly astonishing. What we humans call “civilisation” sometimes seems like a late imitation of what ants have already mastered. When I first learned that some ants enslave others, or that certain species farm fungi and even keep aphids as livestock, I was amazed. These behaviours were so rich with meaning that they almost felt like ready-made metaphors for human society. I thought, if anyone with an imagination and a pen knew these facts, they’d feel exactly as I do: there’s a novel hidden here.
My aim was to blend what is scientifically true with what is emotionally and morally human. The result became The Ant Rebellion, a story that starts in the soil but reaches all the way to the human heart.
How long did it take you to write The Ant Rebellion, and what did that involve?
TI: As I mentioned, I’d been reading for years about ants, a special species of beetle that lives with them, and also about spiders. So when I finally started writing the book, the process didn’t take too long. I strongly believe in the principle that “writing is rewriting.” I completed the first version in about three months. By then, my characters had become vivid and alive in my imagination. After that, I remember writing three more versions. When I finished the second draft, I was completely inside the world of the story. I could feel, get excited, worry, and even be moved right alongside my characters. The later versions were more technical, refining the language, improving consistency, and tightening the structure.
In your own words, what is the main storyline and main theme of this junior novel?
TI: For me, this book is above all a story of a just resistance. I believe that the struggle people give to defend their homeland and their right to live is a rightful one. Yet life itself, with all its diversity, is beautiful. Life isn’t only about working or fighting. In fact, fighting should never be the main axis of life. I see life as a continuous flow. War is a part of that flow, an unwanted but sometimes inevitable one. What truly matters is not to lose sight of the main axis: that the ultimate purpose of life is life itself.
A structure based on blind obedience may look perfect from the outside, but from within, it can become a prison where there’s no air to breathe. Some of the characters in The Ant Rebellion are precisely those who recognise that prison and begin to free themselves from it. We cannot expect everyone to live in the same way. An ideal system is one that allows differences to coexist in harmony.
Another important theme is solidarity. A single ant is weak on its own, but when they act together, they can achieve miracles. The same is true for human society. We need to learn how to think together, to resist together, and to live together despite our differences.
The book has been brilliantly illustrated by Sedat Girgin. How do you work with an illustrator to represent in images what you have expressed in words?
TI: When I write, I try to let my imagination move freely, without limitations. I think illustrators work best when they are given that same freedom. So I never try to control their process. As a writer, I translate my imagination into words; they translate theirs into lines, colours, and forms. And I’m sure they know the language of drawing much better than I ever could.
In most cases, I find that illustrators bring new dimensions to the story, things I didn’t even consciously imagine while writing. Sometimes a single drawing can express a character’s emotion more deeply than a whole paragraph of text.
Working with Sedat Girgin was no different. His imagination, his sense of atmosphere, and his ability to capture movement and mood gave The Ant Rebellion an extraordinary visual identity. His illustrations didn’t just accompany the story; they expanded it. Seeing his drawings for the first time felt like meeting my own characters in person.
Readers in Oceania won’t know of your work. Could you share your background in writing and where your desire to write junior fiction came from?
TI: Writing has been my true passion for as long as I can remember. I chose engineering as a profession so that I could make a living while continuing to write. Right after graduating from university, I began working as an engineer and writing at the same time. My first works were novels, short stories, and essays written for adults. I also wrote plays that were accepted into the repertoire of the Turkish State Theatres. In those early years, my writing focused on social observation, often expressed through irony and humour. Because of that humorous tone, many people suggested that I should also write for children and young readers and I’m glad I listened.
From my very first books for young audiences, I was captivated by the magic of children’s and young adult literature. Writing for children requires an active imagination, one that not only invites young readers into new worlds but also frees the author from the limits of the everyday world. That sense of creative freedom was probably what attracted me most. Since then, I've written nearly thirty books for children and young adults. Some of them aim to share scientific knowledge in accessible and enjoyable ways.
For me, literature and science are not opposites but two expressions of the same curiosity about humanity. Both search for meaning, both explore truth, and both remind us that imagination and knowledge can and should walk hand in hand.
Are you working on any books at the moment – if you are ready to talk about them?
TI: Yes, I’m currently working on the second book in my Timeless series. The first book, Timeless, The Chipworld, is a science fiction novel that explores two contrasting realms of humanity: Chipworld, where technology and wealth dominate, and Deepworld, where people struggle in poverty. The story questions the rise of artificial intelligence and examines the moral responsibilities required to sustain a healthy society.
What does it mean to see your work translated into English for readers on the other side of the globe from Türkiye?
TI: It fills me with deep joy to know that my books can reach readers in different countries and cultures, because I write my stories to touch people’s hearts. For me, writing has always been an act of emotional sharing, a way of building invisible bridges between souls who may live far apart but feel the same longing, the same laughter, the same questions about life. When a story travels beyond its own language and land, it reminds us that emotions have no borders. Seeing my words come alive in English, and knowing that readers on the other side of the globe can meet my characters and ideas, feels almost magical, as if the story itself has found new wings and learned to speak in another voice without losing its heart.
Thank you.
THE ANT REBELLION: Toprak Işık
Illustrated by Sedat Girgin Translated by Alvin Parmar
15 October 2025 | ISBN: 978-1-99-004293-5 | RRP $25.99
Paperback, 210 x 148 mm portrait, 98 pages, b&w
