Nâzim Hikmet: The Life and Times of Turkey's World Poet

by Mutlu Konuk Blasing

Overview

An authoritative biography of Turkey's most important and most popular poet.

Nâzim Hikmet (1902–1963), Turkey’s best-loved poet and a commanding presence in its public life, lived through a turbulent era—the end of the Ottoman Empire, the rise of Communist Russia, and the birth of the Turkish Republic. Born into the Ottoman elite, Hikmet embraced Communist ideals and joined the revolutionary ranks at nineteen. Of passionate temperament, he lived his life full-tilt, deeply romantic in his loves and uncompromising in his politics—for which he spent more than a third of his life in prisons or in exile. His stirring free verse in simple words, praising his country, his women, and the common man, was considered “subversive” and banned for decades. Today it is available in more than fifty languages, and Hikmet is recognized worldwide as a major twentieth-century poet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780892554171
Publisher:	Persea Books
Publication date:	05/17/2013
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Mutlu Konuk Blasing, a native of Istanbul, is Professor of English at Brown University. Her books include Lyric Poetry: The Pain and the Pleasure of Words. She is the co-translator (with Randy Blasing) of the renowned English translations of Nazim Hikmet, and the author of four scholarly books on American poetry.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Pronunciation Guide x

Citations xi

Introduction: "My Nineteenth Year" 3

Part I At Large: The Making of a Poet (1902-1938)

1 Beginnings 25

2 Sailing from Byzantium 34

3 Moscow 50

4 Istanbul 56

5 The Turkish Communist Party 63

6 Scripting a Nation 72

7 The New Poetry and the Thirties Roller Coaster 86

Part II In Deep: Prison (1938-1950)

8 The Military Trials 111

9 Prison Houses 120

10 Human Landscapes from My Country 131

11 Modern Times 143

12 Prison Lyrics 151

13 Days and Days and Years Inside 161

14 Love Behind Bars 171

Part III Out Far: Exile (1950-1963)

15 Horrendous Legal Errors 183

16 A Taste of Freedom 190

17 Back in the USSR 201

18 A Legend of Love 218

19 Love Again 228

20 Forms of Exile 237

21 Life's Good, Brother 243

Endnotes 255

Works Cited 279

Index 283

Editorial Reviews

Brown University literature professor Blasing (author of Lyric Poetry: The Pain and Pleasure of Words and translator of Hikmet's work) examines the life and work of Nâzim Hikmet (1902–1963), the indefatigable Turkish poet and ardently romantic communist who spent more than 20 years in prison and exile. Blasing faithfully recounts Hikmet's joyous study in Moscow in the early 1920s, his run-ins with the law in Turkey, his arrest in 1938, and his subsequent release and escape from his homeland, finally ending with his exile back in Moscow. Blasing effectively illustrates how the course of Hikmet's life reflected his two passions: poetry and politics. The biographer is most effective when interweaving examples of Hikmet's poetry with her knowledge of his work, making for fluid and engaging reading. However, Blasing clearly venerates Hikmet, who emerges as nearly flawless. The book often reads more like a tribute, and passages chronicling Hikmet's personal or professional missteps appear infrequently and awkwardly. Still, the biography, published simultaneously with the first English-language edition of Hikmet's final book, Life's Good, Brother, will help new readers discover the poet's work. 12 b&w photos. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"This biography tells the dynamic story of Turkey’s most acclaimed twentieth-century poet. His artistic growth is outlined along with his patriotism, his leftism, and his long-term rejection by the country he loved. Blasing is a prolific translator of Hikmet’s work, and she incorporates elements of literary scholarship into her investigation of his life."

World Literature Today

"...an enticing exploration . . . a core addition to any international biography collection focusing on thinkers and poets, highly recommended."

The Midwest Book Review

"[Hikmet] was one of the greatest writers of the last century . . . . It is time for the English-speaking world to discover this fantastic writer, and Konuk Blasing’s new biography is a major step in this direction."

Words Without Borders - Zack Rogow

"(Hikmet) looms as a huge presence in Turkish public life. . . . a valuable biography of a vital twentieth-century figure."

The Times Literary Supplement

"[Hikmet] shared with poetic modernists worldwide the determination to be understood by the common person. …In enlightening remarks on his work as much as the limning of his life, Blasing shows a great poet becoming a great hero."

Booklist– Starred review - Ray Olson

"Highly Recommended."

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