1. ISC Literature and Cinema Selections

The Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the Booker Prize, the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award... Each is a prestigious award given in a different field. The process by which most of them are awarded remains shrouded in mystery. Yet these tangible symbols of success undoubtedly give their recipients a significant advantage. In literature, for example... They make authors more recognisable, sought-after and famous. Interview requests come one after another, and dates are set for book signings and interviews. This has a huge impact on the author's body of work, dramatically increasing sales. The authors become the subject of conversation, leaving a deeper mark on history and becoming the people from whom everyone anticipates new works. However, I believe that such awards are becoming increasingly artificial and merely fuel the capitalist system I mentioned. At least, my constant monitoring of them has convinced me of this. That's why I gave up and focused on the works I consume. I made my own selection. I can accept these personal choices with peace of mind, even if they don't have the same value or contribute to their creators in the same way. I am now launching the “1st ISC Literature and Cinema Selections”, which I will continue to do every year.

I had planned to write more about this topic, discussing the criteria and evaluations used to distribute the awards. However, having read the comments on the recently announced Goodreads selections, which were chosen by user votes, I have changed my mind. Many people said that they had not voted for the most popular choice in any category, questioning why those books had been selected. I found this both frustrating and strange. This led me to ask, "Why not create my own list?" That's why I've decided to share the file I've been working on for about two months.

Throughout this year, I have regularly made a note of the books I have read and the films I have watched. I have a strong urge to archive things and enjoy doing so. You may have seen my Turkish film reviews on the website. I have been writing them since September 2024. I started writing my book reviews in Turkish in October 2024. I post these on my Goodreads account. This process has enabled me to revisit my thoughts and comments on literature and cinema. Based on these, I made my final selections and determined the winners.

I compiled all the books I read and films I watched in 2025 into a single file and categorised them accordingly. I created my lists based on the logic that best suited these categories. Having decided where each work would be placed, I made selections based on my personal preferences. I created a shortlist of at least five items in each category. From this shortlist, I selected one winner per category based on certain established criteria.

I will share my online file with you, which you can access in read-only mode to review my selections.

When setting up my categories, I took into account the quantity and format of the works I had read and watched. Accordingly, I made my selections in the fields listed below. You can see the winners opposite.

Literature

• Short Story/Novella of the Year = “Of Ants and Dinosaurs” - Cixin Liu

  
  

• Non-Fiction Book of the Year = “Tuesdays with Morrie” - Mitch Albom

  
  

• Poetry and Theatre Play of the Year = “Hiçliğin Bilgisi” (a compilation book of his poems published in Turkey) - Fernando Pessoa

  
  

• Novel(s) of the Year = “Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop” - Hwang Bo-reum

(You can view my second selection by reviewing the file)

• Grey Ink Award of the Year = “The Great God Pan” - Arthur Machen

  
  

• Book Covers of the Year = (Please see the file for my four selections)

  
  

Cinema

• Film(s) Adapted from Books of the Year = “Arrival” - Denis Villeneuve

(You can review the file to see my second choice)

• Animation/Documentary of the Year = “Loving Vincent” - DK & Hugh Welchman

  
  

• Film(s) of the Year = “Split” - M. Shyamalan

(You can view my second choice by reviewing the file)

• Unpopped Corn Award of the Year = “THX 1138” - George Lucas

  
  

• Film Posters of the Year = (Please refer to the file to view my four selections)

You can find the winner of each category and the reasons for my selection in the final tabs of the file.

To keep my explanations brief, I have included all the relevant information in the 'Rules' section. Similarly, you will find some information about the entries in each category's tab. If you have any feedback or suggestions regarding the file, please share your comments with me.

To view my full selection, which will neither contribute to the worlds of literature or cinema nor increase sales figures, but which I hope will be of interest to curious readers, please use the link below.

“1. ISC Literature and Cinema Selections”

Which literary or cinematic work have you enjoyed the most this year?