Between East and West

Turkish written literature dates as far back as the 7th century but its oral tradition is older still. Turkish literature started its journey with the nomads on horseback and continued both East and West through religious and cultural relations after the Turks settled in Anatolia. The Turkish shaman poet,...

Written on the Forehead

Writing and letters have deep meaning in Turkey. As the cradle of different religions and nations, Turkish, Armenian, Greek and Ottoman letters can be seen everywhere in Turkey. Some old alphabets previously used still have a place in our lives today, trails of old Turkish runic letters can be seen in the...

A Brief Note on Alphabet Reform in Turkey

In Turkey, you can see examples of writing from the past everywhere. However, most people cannot read them because these writings on fountains, mosques and doors are written using a different alphabet than the one used today in Turkey. This old alphabet consists of Arabic letters with some additional...

In the Corridors of Language and Literature with Tahsin Yücel

From the interview…. You have written some of your books in French. One of those books, Coordonnées Narratives was later published in Turkish as well with your own translation. In the foreword of the Turkish translation, you say, ‘I could never answer the question that, If I had written this book in...

Reviewing Turkish Literature over the Decades

RAPTURE AND REVOLUTION: ESSAYS ON TURKISH LITERATURE by Talat S. Halman Syracuse University Press & Crescent Hill Publications, 390 pp., 2007, ISBN: 978-0-8156-3146-0 THE TURKISH MUSE by Talat S. Halman Syracuse University Press & Crescent Hill Publications, 369 pp., 2006, ISBN: 978-0-8156-3068-9 100...