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Poetry with Ecevit Conquers All
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 Wednesday, December 2, 1998, will be remembered as a significant page not only in the history of Bilkent, but in the history of the Turkish Republic as well. As had been scheduled weeks before, Bülent Ecevit, the Deputy Prime Minister, would take part in a special evening of poetry to celebrate the establishment of Bilkent's Department  of Turkish Literature and the forthcoming Center for Turkish Literature. Just before coming to Bilkent, Bülent Ecevit was asked by the President of the Republic to form a new Cabinet. The very same night the delayed soccer game between last year's champion Turkish and Italian soccer teams, Galatasaray and Juventus, would be played.  Neither of the happenings (the new Cabinet formation or the soccer game) could steal the show from the special Bilkent event. Ecevit was there as was a huge audience to listen to him and his poetry.
The night opened with a reading of Bülent Ecevit's poems by prominent thespians Ayten Gökçer and Cüneyt Gökçer. Then Prof. Talat Halman, Chair of the Department of Turkish Literature and Director of the Center, welcomed the Ecevits and talked about the contributions  the Department will make to literary life in Turkey in the very near future.
Prof. Ali Doğramacı remarked on the significance of a modern approach to contemporary Turkish literature education and said he is pleased Bilkent is a  pioneer in this field as well as in others.
Later, Ecevit came on stage to express his appreciation for the event. He also discussed his poetry and read from his most recent book of poems, Elele Büyüttük Sevgiyi (Love We Grew Hand-in-Hand). The poem from which the book takes its title is dedicated to his wife, Rahşan Ecevit.
Among the audience were several ministers from the Cabinet and high officials. As the night came to a close, the audience had the unique experience of being in the company of a great poet and statesman as well as poetry lovers.
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