Turkish literature to be revealed in a new journal

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The Journal of Turkish Literature, which is edited by Talat Halman, focuses on the current female sexuality in Tazminat era.

The Bilkent University Center for Turkish Literature has just published its ninth issue of its annual Journal of Turkish Literature (JTL). In its ninth year as the world’s first and only English-language scholarly journal devoted entirely to Turkish literature, the JTL features a multi-color 16th century Nigari miniature painting of Sultan Selim II, who was also a poet, as its cover art.

The latest issue, edited by Professor Talat Halman, Associate Editor Dr. Jayne L. Warner and assistants Meriç Kurtuluş and Gizem Sevinç, contains articles by Bill Hickman on the 14th century Divan poet Şeyyad Hamza, Burcu Karahan on female sexuality in Tanzimat-Meşrutiyet fiction, Nazmi Ağıl on ekphrasis in Turkish poetry, Murat Nemet-Nejat on George Messo’s translations of modern Turkish poetry, and a book review by Clifford Endres.

A special feature of the 160-page issue is a reprint of Halide Edib’s translation of Nazım Hikmet‘s celebrated epic poem titled “Letters to Taranta-Babu,” originally published 75 years ago in the Indian newspaper The Bombay Chronicle. JTL’s memorabilia section presents a detailed introduction to the pioneering British scholar E. J. W. Gibb’s 1901 anthology, “Ottoman Literature: The Poets and Poetry of Turkey.”

The JTL’s newest issue is available at Bilkent University’s Center for Turkish Literature in Ankara. For more information, contact the center via phone or e-mail at: (0312) 290 2317 or temerkez@bilkent.edu.tr