Ever since UNESCO initiated World Poetry Day in the year 2000, Bilkent’s Center for Turkish Literature has celebrated the event with a special program every year. This year’s program will feature the poetry of three major Turkish poets of international renown: Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca, Orhan Veli and Oktay Rıfat (all three were born in 1914). Bilkent’s 2014 World Poetry Day event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 21 in C-Block Auditorium.
The program will feature short presentations by the prominent poet Hilmi Yavuz (Adjunct Senior Lecturer) and Prof. Talat Halman evaluating the work and international stature of the three poets. Mr. Yavuz will read the Turkish originals of selected poems by Dağlarca, Orhan Veli, and Oktay Rıfat, and Prof. Halman will recite his published English-language translations of the same works. A special feature of the event will be the presentation of short visuals of the three poets reading some of their poems. This fascinating program is open to everyone, and refreshments will be served.