Description
Hilmi Yavuz is among Turkey’s most celebrated poets. His poetry, at once cerebral and intensely emotional, has been translated into several languages but never, until now, into English. Walter G. Andrews’s translations bring to the English-speaking world a glimpse into the complex and expressive poetry of Yavuz, introducing traditional Ottoman forms and themes into a familiar poetic landscape and opening a door of understanding to Western readers. While each poem included in this volume can be enjoyed as a unique poetic entity, these poems read together reveal the organic and developmental relationship between Yavuz’s figurative language and his self-expression.
Barry Tharaud provides an insightful afterword, discussing Yavuz’s work within the world of Turkish poetry and making a convincing plea for the importance of literature in translation. This volume will be of significant interest to anthologists, cultural and literary historians, and poetry lovers alike.
About the Author
Hilmi Yavuz has taught philosophy and literature at major Turkish universities. He is the author of more than thirty books and has won important literary prizes for his poetry, including a medal of honor awarded by the president of Chile for his translations of Pablo Neruda.
Walter G. Andrews is the author, coauthor, or editor of seven books on Ottoman literature and has published numerous articles on Turkish literature, literary theory, and literary history as well as many translations of modern Turkish or Ottoman poetry.
Related Interest
December 2006