poet and writer (b. 3 May 1953, Göle).
He wrote particularly on the problems of poetry. His poems are translated into several 30 languages and published in foreign magazine such as French, English, German, Indu, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Serbian, Japanese, Vietnamese…. His poetry benefits from tradition by challenging it, reflects the realities of the modern world and tries to elaborate them in dept with the realities of life as reflected from his internal world. Being known with his articles on poetry in his early period, the poet has become one of the pioneers of the period after 1980, with his theoretical articles and discussions on poetry.
Works:
He has published 15 book of poetry, last three books of poetry: (2011) Images are my home, 2011; States of the world, 2013; and Collected poems, second edition 2015. Translated numerous book of poetry. And he wrote numereous books and articles on poetry, exemple: Şiir, Dil, Şiir Dili ve Şiirsel Anlam (Poetry, Language, Language of Poetry and Poetic Meaning, 2006), Küreselleşme, Postmodernizm ve Edebiyat (Globalisation, Postmodernism and Literature, 2007), İmge Nedir? (What is image?), Kültür ve Şiir (Culture and poetry, 2010), Felsefe ve Şiir (Philosophy and poetry, 2010).
Poetry awards:
1-Behçet Necatigil Poetry Award (one of Turkey’s most prestigious award) in 1966 with his book Şarkılar Kitabı (The Book of Songs) ;2-Melih Cevdet Anday Poetry Award (one of Turkey’s most prestigious award) in 2010 with his book Bütün Şiirleri 1 (Collected poems 1), Bütün Şiirleri 2 (collected poems 2); 3-Tudor Arghezi İnternational Poetry Award in 2011 (Romanya).; 4- He is received the Literature Prize of the city of Mersin in 2014, one of Turkey’s most prestigious award.
Books published in foreign countries
– After A Deluge, (translated by Gérard Augustin, “Harmattan” 2006, Paris)
-Poemas Escogidos/Selected poems (translated by Jaime B. Rosa, bilingual/ Liber Flactory, 2013, Madrid)
-Povremeno (translated by Avdija Salkoviç, Narodna Biblioteka “Dostitej Obradovic, 2014)
– Fekete És Fehér (translated by Attila Balaz, Ab-Art, Budapeşte Macaristan)
– Duet of Nights (translated by Mariko Sumikura, with Akira Asuka’s poems, common book, Japon Universal Poets Association- 2015)
DESCRIPTION TO LOVE
How many ships I have seen in these lands sinking
Passengers lost their sea
And fishermen racing with fish
How many anguish and sorrow
The unlucky people grow up
Suckle with their blood hunger and thirst
Tired but happy like a child.
Spells have I seen stops desire
Spell that turns life car without brake
I have listened stories whose wind lean against bells
I never forget it seems a contagious illness anymore
And troublesome like the wars easily told.
But I have not seen something like love in these lands
It throws people into roads barefoot
It cripples
Translated by Müesser Yeniay
AT WAR
At first war entered into our life by words
As if it coming at us from the countryside
Even birds were carrying loaded bullets for soldiers
We didn’t know that it on godly feet
Jumping from city to city
Entering into the games poor children played
Desperate people ate it with their bread
The government spread it like honey on our bread
Soldiers thundered and flashed lightning on streets
Lovers’ cut short their making love
But I took shelter in love-making day by day
Then it entered our songs with hits terror
Strangling us when we breathed
It was far from our homes, but within us
For days we made it a side dish by our arrack
It was like drinking raki without water but it happened
And some of us became heroes when we drank too much
And ceased fire, for a moment, on the battlefront
Bread was twenty times more expensive
Our lovers changed their men madly
Our parents died while waiting for peace
We became parents while waiting for peace
We could not understand why the war did not end
Then we came to know with our tiny war did not end
Then we came to know with our tiny minds
That the tumour grows within us
And dear reader, this tumor is for you.
Translation: Müesser Yeniay
ROSE
This well-shaped garden of you in my image
Like the past into which I couldn’t go and come back
There it is always going to blossom like that
It is going to blossom in eternity
That garden in my image
Translated by Müesser Yeniay
