- İlhan Berk
Infobox Writer
name = İlhan Berk
birthdate =November 18 ,1918
birthplace =Manisa ,Turkey
deathdate =August 28 ,2008 (aged 89)
deathplace =
occupation =Poet ,Essayist
nationality = Turkish
period = 1969 – 2008
movement =Postmodern literature
notableworks =
awards =
influences = Arthur Rimbaud, Ezra Pound
website =İlhan Berk (
18 November 1918 –28 August 2008 ) was a leading contemporary Turkishpoet . He was a dominant figure in thepostmodern current inTurkish poetry (termed, "İkinci Yeni"; "The second new generation") and was very influential among Turkish literary circles.Biography
Berk was born in
Manisa ,Turkey in 1918 and received a teacher's training inBalıkesir . He graduated from theFrench Language Department ofGazi University inAnkara . Between 1945-1955, Berk served as a teacher. He later began to work for the publishing office ofZiraat Bank as a translator (1956-1969). He became specialized in translation of poetry notably by translating into Turkish works byArthur Rimbaud andEzra Pound . In his later years, Berk resided inBodrum where he died on28 August 2008 .Poetry
Berk's poetry evolved from the approach of an epical
socialist to the dreamy vision of a lyrical and erotic individual. He made the "object" visible in its glory and aimed to break down the meaning. Berk's poetry takes its roots from themythology , and a synthesis of Western and Eastern poetry traditions, yet he accomplishes to create a unique and postmodern approach.History, geography, visual arts, cities such as
Istanbul ,Paris and Ankara, feed Berk's poetry and, his themes are supported by a sizable vocabulary that includes colloquial words as well as very specific ones, such as musical terms and local names of plants.Only a small selection of Berk's poems has so far appeared in English, most notably "A Leaf About To Fall: Selected Poems" (2006) translated by George Messo.
Bibliography in English
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*Awards
*1979 Turkish Language Association Award
*1980 Behçet Necatigil Poetry Award
*1983 Yeditepe Poetry Prize
*1988 Sedat Simavi Literature Prizeee also
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List of contemporary Turkish poets References
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