Nazım Hikmet to be remembered

ISTANBUL

On the occasion of his 113rd birthday, legendary Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet will be commemorated with a series of events in Istanbul.

According to a statement issued by the Sarıyer Municipality, the events will be jointly organized by the municipality and the Nazım Hikmet Culture and Arts Foundation and will begin on Jan. 15 on the coast of Tarabya, from where Hikmet left Turkey in June 1951.

His admirers will gather on a boat on the coast to commemorate the poet, leaving carnations in the sea.

The second event of the day will be organized at the TİM Maslak Show Center, beginning with a documentary on Hikmet produced by journalist Can Dündar. A 15-minute section of the 105-minute documentary, which was filmed in Russia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, France and Turkey and features interviews with more than 50 people, will be screened at the event.

The Çellistanbul Violoncello Quartet will be on stage at the same event, as well as writer Enver Aysever’s solo play “Aykırı Kumpanya.”

Poems by Hikmet will also be performed by actors Altan Erkekli and Işık Yenersu. Other events will include a dance performed by Sibel Sürer and a theater play.

Singer Leman Sam will take the stage as the final part of the commemoration, performing songs based on Hikmet’s poems.