At the ‘Bilge Karasu Günleri’ (Bilge Karasu Days), organised by Metis Yayınları and Sanat Kritik in November, the writer’s work will be discussed from a range of perspectives.
One of the most important short-story writers in Turkish literature, Bilge Karasu is renowned for books that put the problems of the individual first and probe deeply into the dilemmas of everyday life. Karasu, whose first piece of writing was published in 1950 and first story in 1952 in the magazine Seçilmiş Hikâyeler Dergisi, won the Turkish Language Association Translation Prize in 1963 for his translation of D. H. Lawrence’s ‘The Man Who Died’ (Ölen Adam), the Sait Faik Short Story Award in 1971 for ‘Uzun Sürmüş Bir Günün Akşamı’ (The Evening of a Long Day), the Pegasus Prize in 1991 for ‘Gece’ (Night) and the Sedat Simavi Foundation Literature Award in 1994 for ‘Ne Kitapsız Ne Kedisiz’ (Neither Without Books Nor Without Cats).
Alongside the research books written to help readers understand Karasu and his work, here is another opportunity for those who wish to get to know the writer more closely. Joining forces, Metis Yayınları and Sanat Kritik are dedicating the month of November to Bilge Karasu. At the “Bilge Karasu Günleri”, to be held on 17–18 November and 24 November 2023, the writer’s work will be discussed from a range of perspectives. The talks and the exhibition are free to attend.
The speakers include literary theorist and critic Jale Parla and writer Murathan Mungan, and the programme for the Bilge Karasu Days, taking place at Aynalıgeçit in Beyoğlu, İstanbul, is as follows:
Friday 17 November 2023, 11:00–17:00
Opening:
Murathan Mungan
The Literature of Bilge Karasu I:
Jale Parla (moderator), Enis Batur, Erol Köroğlu, Murat Cankara, Tevfika İkiz
The Literature of Bilge Karasu II:
Necmiye Alpay (moderator), Kerem Eksen, Murat Özyaşar, Pelin Buzluk
Closing:
Sema Kaygusuz
Saturday 18 November 2023, 11:00–17:00
Opening:
Müge Gürsoy Sökmen
Bilge Karasu’s Language:
Ayşe Ece (moderator), Berna Yıldırım, Fatih Bakırcı, Levent Kavas, Savaş Kılıç
Bilge Karasu’s Philosophy:
Fatmagül Berktay (moderator), Hakan Atay, Hakan Yücefer, Özge Ejder
Bilge Karasu as Translator and Translated:
Tuncay Birkan (moderator), Deniz Göktürk, Sylvain Cavaillès, Tunç Tayanç
Closing:
Tansu Açık
Friday 24 November 2023, 12:00–18:00
Perception, Visuality and Imagery in Bilge Karasu:
Ayşegül Devecioğlu (moderator), Cemile Odunkıran, Çağatay Yılmaz, Hasan Turgut
Looking at Göçmüş Kediler Bahçesi (The Garden of Departed Cats):
Seval Şahin (moderator), İpek Sarı, Seray Çalışkan, Şirvan Kurban
Looking at Kılavuz (The Guide) and Poetry:
Savaş Kılıç (moderator), Abdullah Ezik, İmren Gece Özbey, İsa İlkay Karabaşoğlu
Mythology and Memory in Bilge Karasu:
Müge Gürsoy Sökmen (moderator), Arif Tapan, Işılay Kara Tekgül
Closing:
Seval Şahin
