Recordings of renowned Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet reading 57 of his own works have been released on CD, with the publication accompanied by a book about the writer’s life and work. The recordings were kept secret for many years by a close of Nazim’s, poet and painter Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, because of the persecution the poet suffered while he was in Turkey
 The editors of the book, Ruken Kızıler (L) and Melih Güneş (C), at a press conference. 'The ban in Turkey still continues in real terms,' says Güneş. Nazım Hikmet is pictured on the right. |
A 57-year-old secret about Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet has been revealed with the release of a number of recordings of the poet reading his own work.
Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, a close friend of the writer, made the recordings in Paris in 1961, but kept them secret for many years, only revealing them to his son and daughter-in-law, Hughette Eyüboğlu, when he was on his deathbed. His asked for the recordings to be kept secret and died in 1975.
A CD featuring the great poet reading 57 of his works, as well as an accompanying book titled “Nazım Hikmet Büyük İnsanlık – Kendi Sesinden Şiirler” (Nazım Hikmet: Great Humanity – Poems in His Own Voice,” is set to be released Monday. The book includes two previously unpublished poems and its back cover features a portrait of Nazım produced by his mother.
Symbolic royalty to inheritors
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review spoke to the publishing directors of the Turkish banks Yapı Kredi and İş Bank, cthe opyright owners of the works, as well as to the editors of the book, Ruken Kızıler and M. Melih Güneş.
Güneş is well-known for his research into the life and work of Nazım.
Yapı Kredi Publishing House General Director Raşit Çavaş said the book would be sold at cost (14 Turkish Liras) in order to reach a wider audience – even though it was of a very high quality.
İş Bankası Publishing General Director Ahmet Salcan said he was delighted to be able to enter such an important collaboration. “What we do for Nazım is little. We need to do more,” he said, adding that 5,000 books had already been published and that their ultimate goal was to sell 50,000 copies.
“We hope Nazım will reach wider audiences not only with his poems but also with his own voice,” he said.
“Nazım’s and Eyüboğlu’s heirs were given a symbolic royalty for this book. The only thing they wanted was to bring Nazım to wider audiences. It helped us financially,” Çavaş said.
Recordings discovered
The first outsider to hear the historical recordings was Kızıler. “Hughette called me and said they had an important record, I was very excited,” she said. “They told me the story of recordings and said that they wanted to reveal it. But there was an important problem. They kept the records in such a secret place that could not find them for a week.”
Kızıler said the first time she heard the recordings was an incredible experience. “I was crying, I could not believe that it was Nazım’s own voice.”
In order to camouflage Nazım’s voice, Eyüboğlu recorded his own voice before Nazım’s for a few minutes because he could have been arrested when entering Turkey, given that Nazim had been stripped of his citizenship while his poems had been banned.
The records began with Eyüboğlu’s voice and included conversations between the two friends, Kızıler said. “Their voices are alive – as if they are talking next to you. But Nazım’s voice is more animated.”
Laborers’ protest
When the book was launched at a press conference Friday, workers staged a protest against İş Bank. “Nazım was the friend of workers and disadvantaged groups. This protest was an interesting coincidence – I am for the laborers,” Kızıler said.
When asked if it was difficult for the editors of two rivals to work collaboratively, Kızıler said Nazim’s legacy transcended such problems. “The issue here is Nazım Hikmet,” she said.
Güneş said he was very excited about the project. A close friend of Nazım’s lover, Vera Tulyakova, Güneş brought a number of Nazim’s personal belongings to Turkey a few years ago for an exhibition to be held at the Yapı Kredi Culture Center in Istanbul.
“Turkey has not been able to pay enough attention to Nazım,” he said. “They want to bring his grave to Turkey and have symbolically returned his citizenship, but his poems are still not still included in school books.”
Güneş said he was sorry the younger generation did not generally know enough about Nazım in general.
“I lived in Russia for many years; even Russian children in nursery schools know his poems by heart. But the ban in Turkey still continues in real terms,” Güneş said.
“Nazım’s body should be set free in his eternal sleep – it is not necessary to move his grave,” he said. “We did not protect Nazım while he was alive, but let us protect what he left behind and establish a museum institute for him. His belongings are being sold one by one. He left behind many unpublished poems but nobody cares. This is tragic.”
Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, a close friend of the writer, made the recordings in Paris in 1961, but kept them secret for many years, only revealing them to his son and daughter-in-law, Hughette Eyüboğlu, when he was on his deathbed. His asked for the recordings to be kept secret and died in 1975.
A CD featuring the great poet reading 57 of his works, as well as an accompanying book titled “Nazım Hikmet Büyük İnsanlık – Kendi Sesinden Şiirler” (Nazım Hikmet: Great Humanity – Poems in His Own Voice,” is set to be released Monday. The book includes two previously unpublished poems and its back cover features a portrait of Nazım produced by his mother.
Symbolic royalty to inheritors
The Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review spoke to the publishing directors of the Turkish banks Yapı Kredi and İş Bank, cthe opyright owners of the works, as well as to the editors of the book, Ruken Kızıler and M. Melih Güneş.
Güneş is well-known for his research into the life and work of Nazım.
Yapı Kredi Publishing House General Director Raşit Çavaş said the book would be sold at cost (14 Turkish Liras) in order to reach a wider audience – even though it was of a very high quality.
İş Bankası Publishing General Director Ahmet Salcan said he was delighted to be able to enter such an important collaboration. “What we do for Nazım is little. We need to do more,” he said, adding that 5,000 books had already been published and that their ultimate goal was to sell 50,000 copies.
“We hope Nazım will reach wider audiences not only with his poems but also with his own voice,” he said.
“Nazım’s and Eyüboğlu’s heirs were given a symbolic royalty for this book. The only thing they wanted was to bring Nazım to wider audiences. It helped us financially,” Çavaş said.
Recordings discovered
The first outsider to hear the historical recordings was Kızıler. “Hughette called me and said they had an important record, I was very excited,” she said. “They told me the story of recordings and said that they wanted to reveal it. But there was an important problem. They kept the records in such a secret place that could not find them for a week.”
Kızıler said the first time she heard the recordings was an incredible experience. “I was crying, I could not believe that it was Nazım’s own voice.”
In order to camouflage Nazım’s voice, Eyüboğlu recorded his own voice before Nazım’s for a few minutes because he could have been arrested when entering Turkey, given that Nazim had been stripped of his citizenship while his poems had been banned.
The records began with Eyüboğlu’s voice and included conversations between the two friends, Kızıler said. “Their voices are alive – as if they are talking next to you. But Nazım’s voice is more animated.”
Laborers’ protest
When the book was launched at a press conference Friday, workers staged a protest against İş Bank. “Nazım was the friend of workers and disadvantaged groups. This protest was an interesting coincidence – I am for the laborers,” Kızıler said.
When asked if it was difficult for the editors of two rivals to work collaboratively, Kızıler said Nazim’s legacy transcended such problems. “The issue here is Nazım Hikmet,” she said.
Güneş said he was very excited about the project. A close friend of Nazım’s lover, Vera Tulyakova, Güneş brought a number of Nazim’s personal belongings to Turkey a few years ago for an exhibition to be held at the Yapı Kredi Culture Center in Istanbul.
“Turkey has not been able to pay enough attention to Nazım,” he said. “They want to bring his grave to Turkey and have symbolically returned his citizenship, but his poems are still not still included in school books.”
Güneş said he was sorry the younger generation did not generally know enough about Nazım in general.
“I lived in Russia for many years; even Russian children in nursery schools know his poems by heart. But the ban in Turkey still continues in real terms,” Güneş said.
“Nazım’s body should be set free in his eternal sleep – it is not necessary to move his grave,” he said. “We did not protect Nazım while he was alive, but let us protect what he left behind and establish a museum institute for him. His belongings are being sold one by one. He left behind many unpublished poems but nobody cares. This is tragic.”
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