Nasreddin Hoja Stories

Nasreddin Hoja, the great Turkish mystic, is the contemporary of Rumi. They even lived in the same region in Turkey. He sometimes lived his life as a scholar, judge, and imam. He is known with his several funny story/jokes which teaches sincerity, patience, tolerance, and persistence. His wife, son, neighbors' kids, artisans, mullahs, villagers, thieves, and his donkey are the main characters of his jokes. His jokes are never rude or ugly and hurt no one. He tries to light the world with his advice and teachings. He is sharp and repartee but naïve as well. He is never a pessimist but an optimist. He has a cheerful nature, and he is the typical affectionate father figure of Anatolia. With his wisdom, he shows the path to overcome the challenges and helps the ones in trouble. He makes them think as well as he enlightens them. In this selection, famous jokes of Nasreddin Hoja, which are told from generation to generation, are translated from Turkish to English. The published Nasreddin Hoja storybooks, the used resource for this translation, are a mere collection of these anonymous stories, so there is no written manuscript by Nasreddin Hoja or anyone else. During his lifetime, people around him recorded his stories and kept them until the present time and made him live for centuries. He is still known, respected, and loved in Turkey as if he is still alive.