Friday marked the celebration of Turkish literature at the seventh edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) in Kozhikode, with three sessions dedicated to Turkish writers and books.
The session titled ‘Stories from the Walled City’ was an eye-opener for listeners as Turkish poet Alii Ayci explained the relationship between India and Turkey through literature and the changes that Turkish literature underwent as a result of westernisation.
Turkish writer Alii Ayci at the Kerala Literature festival in Kozhikode on Friday. | Photo Credit: K. Ragesh
“Several Turkish poets share an affinity with India. We are very much interested in India and Indian thoughts. Many literary persons in Turkey have a knowledge of India. We often draw parallels between Gandhi and Mustafa Kemal, the founding father of the Republic of Turkey,” Mr. Ayci said.
Poetry was the heart of Turkish literature until modernisation in the 19th century. “There has been a dramatic shift in literature during that time. The poetry style became influenced by the west. The tradition of modern storytelling started and novels were published and theatre was introduced for the first time,” Mr. Ayci added.
The clash between the east and west were themes for Turkish literature for a long time. However, poetry, which once was the soul of Turkish Literature, lost its significance due to capitalism and consumerism while more novels were published, Mr. Ayci said.
In an earlier session, Welsh scholar and writer Roger Connah, in a conversation with Sonia Rafeeq, introduced the novel The Architect’s Apprentice by Turkish-British novelist Elif Shafak. The novel published in 2013, is a historical fiction set in the 16th century Ottoman Empire.
Later, Turkish scholar Fatìh Usluer introduced the works and life of the 13th century Turkish folk poet Yunus Emre and his ‘Sufi Quest’.
