analyses the representation of rural migration to Istanbul in literature, placing Henri Lefebvre’s concept of the right to the city at the centre of the argument. Using a framework of critical urban theory, the book examines Orhan Kemal’s [ ] (1962); Muzaffer İzgü’s ] (1973); Latife Tekin’s ] (1984); Metin Kaçan’s ] (1990); Ayhan Geçgin’s ] (2003); Hatice Meryem’s ] (2008); and Orhan Pamuk’s ] (2014) in the historical context as regards rural migration to Istanbul, urbanization of migrants, and anti-migrant nostalgia. Situating these works as a counterpoint to nostalgic novels and categorising them as right to the city novels, the book aims to offer a conceptual framework that can be implemented on internal as well as international migration in other global(ising) cities; and on cultural products other than literature, such as film.