Press Release:
The German Cultural Centre, Goethe-Zentrum Nicosia, has organized a poetry event in cooperation with the Turkish-Cypriot Artists and Writers Union on May 22, 2009 at 19:30 hrs in the Lecture Hall of the Centre.
The aim is to present two new poetry books in English and German which were published on the occasion of the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2008. The title of these two separate anthologies is “Contemporary Turkish Cypriot Poetry”.
Fikret Demirağ, one of the finest local poets and, at the time of publication chairman of the union, says in both introductions:
“…..Turkish Cypriot poetry has been enriched in degrees by the traditional and modern Turkish poetry, ancient and modern Greek poetry, the poetry of the Middle East and the ancient Egypt and finally by the poetry of the Mediterranean region and the world poetry. However, Turkish Cypriot poetry has produced its own island with its unique language and sensitivity. Our poetry has also continued to exist, nourishing itself with the metaphors and the discourse in myths and the ancient religions of the Eastern Mediterranean hinterland.
This collection can be considered as the first attempt of forming an anthology in English and in German and I hope this work will arouse curiosity and further encourage substantial translations of poems. The poems are from poets who contributed to the modernization of Turkish Cypriot poetry, especially from 1960 to 2007…”
The newly elected chairman, Zeki Ali, intends to remain on this road – and even go further by taking the poets and their poetry for events abroad - to attract the world’s attention to this island’s unique poetry.
For this occasion, he will, together with ten poets, be present at this poetry event to have the selected poems read in German (Heidi Trautmann), English (Léonie Brittain) and finally in Turkish by the poets themselves.
Feriha Altiok
Zeki Ali
Neriman Cahit
Fikret Demirağ
Gür Genç
Ümit Inatçı
Mehmet Kansu
Tamer Öncül
Raşit Pertev
Jenan Selçuk
A cocktail will follow the recital when the audience can approach the poets to discuss their poetry. The press is cordially invited to be present at the event.