Turkish Literature abroad

08/08/2021

418

Güney Dal

by Dogan HIZLAN

Sometimes I feel the lack of an anthology of the works of our authors abroad. Turkish writers should be evaluated in Turkish literature, no matter what language they write.
In this period, it is very difficult to get information about the situation of our writers living abroad.

Previously, a committee called TEDA was formed in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism under the chairmanship of Mustafa İsen, and I was a member there for years. An author who made a deal with an outside publishing house received a certain contribution for the book to be published in that language.

The works of many of our writers were just published in that language.
At the Frankfurt Book Fair, I was seeing the translations of Turkish authors in many publishing houses, especially in German publishing houses.
There were also meetings about those writers.

The year we were the Guest of Honor in Frankfurt, the proportion of such events had increased. I had prepared one of the two books on literature, and the other by the late Füsun Akatlı. These should be brought up to date with a new regulation.
I will return to this subject again.

Many anthologies are being published, I feel the lack of an anthology with the works of our authors abroad.

Recently, a poet friend explained the reason why anthologies were not sold. According to him, the publication of poems on the Internet prevented the sale of anthologies.
Turkish literature in Germany was evaluated from two fronts. The situation of Turkish writers living in Germany writing in Turkish and Turkish writers living in Germany writing in German.

Turkish writers should be evaluated in Turkish literature no matter what language they write. Those written in German should also be included in both anthologies.
Going there for political reasons Fakir Baykurt with Dursun Akcam are the benchmarks of this assessment.

Books published in Turkey Yuksel Pazarkaya, also made translations from Turkish literature to German and from German to Turkish and established this connection.

Literature abroad

I recently read the novel ‘A Short Journey to Gallipoli’ by Güney Dal, a writer who has lived in Germany for a long time
.
I have met: Fakir Baykurt, Dursun Akçam, Yüksel Pazarkaya, Aras Ören, Feridun Zaimoğlu, Habib Bektaş, Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Akif Pirinççi…
I am waiting for such an anthology.

Source: https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/kitap-sanat/yurtdisinda-edebiyat-41867266