Whose war narrative? Paratextual reframing and counter-narratives in the turkish translation of a german war narrative

This study examines the role of paratextual reframing in constructing counter-narratives. The corpus consists of the Turkish translation Türk Sularında Deniz Harekâtları I [Naval Operations in Turkish Waters, Volume I], based on German author Hermann Lorey’s account of naval operations in Turkish waters, alongside the extensive paratextual interventions of its Turkish translator, H. Sami. Drawing on Mona Baker’s narrative theory and the concept of reframing, and engaging with Gérard Genette’s notion of paratextuality, the study explores how these interventions contribute to reframing the German-centered naval war narrative by constructing Turkish-centered counter-narratives. The study adopts a qualitative approach centered on paratextual analysis. The findings indicate that the translator employs several interrelated paratextual reframing strategies: (1) delegitimizing the source text and its author; (2) reconstructing historical agency and military competence; and (3) reshaping national identity through imagological reversals. These interventions challenge the German-centered narration of the war while foregrounding Turkish resilience, competence, sacrifice, and moral legitimacy. In doing so, the target text becomes a contested space where competing historical perspectives intersect, raising the question of whose war narrative is being told. The study ultimately demonstrates that paratextual reframing functions as a powerful interpretive mechanism through which dominant war narratives are contested and counter-narratives are constructed.