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Erdem Bayazit -- Poet (b. 1939,
Kahramanmaraş). He attended the İstiklal
Secondary School (1953), High School of
Kahramanmaraş (1959) and graduated from
Ankara University, Faculty of Language,
History and Geography, Department of Turkish
Language and Literature (1971). He worked as
a civil officer at the Press Office of the
Ministry of National Education, assistant
branch director of Periodicals at the
National Library, as a teacher and the
chairman of City Library in Kahramanmaraş,
as the general secretary of İstanbul Turkish
Classical Music State Conservatory, as the
head of the Training Department of Human
Resources at the Ministry of Industry. |
He
worked as contracted employee at the State Planning
Organization. He was elected a deputy from the
Motherland Party in Kahramanmaraş and entered the
parliament. After the termination of his duty at the
parliament (1991), he moved to İstanbul and continued
his studies here.
His first work was published in the art supplement of
the local newspaper Gençlik in Kahramanmaraş in 1956.
His poems and essays were published in the reviews Hamle,
Yeni İstiklal (1966), Diriliş, Çıkış, Büyük Doğu,
Edebiyat, Mavera and Yedi İklim. Beyazıt was among the
founders of the reviews Edebiyat, Mavera and Yedi İklim.
When he was at high school, he published a review named
Hamle for a few issues together with his friends, which
was previously published by Nuri Pakdil. He edited the
art page of the newspaper Engizek. He was the owner and
editor-in-chief of Akabe Publishing and the review
Mavera. He wrote columns in some newspapers.
His first poetry book titled Sebep Ey (Reason Oh!) that
included his poems on the revolts of Muslims against
imperialists drew great attention. According to the
poet, poetry should always involve an historical
dimension and it should open a door to metaphysics and
the reflections of daily life. He highlights the message
in his poems. His poetic understanding has been formed
especially by the Great East and Sezai Karakoç.
Bayazıt collected the Writers Union of Turkey Press
Award with his book titled İpek Yolundan Afganistana
(From the Silk Road to Afghanistan), where he collected
his impressions during a trip to Afghanistan (1981). He
was selected as the Poet of Year by the Writers Union of
Turkey in 1987 with his second poetry book titled
Risaleler (Letters). He is a member of the Writers Union
of Turkey and the Association of Turkish
Parliamentarians.
WORKS:
POETRY: Sebep Ey (Reason Oh!, 1972), Risaleler
(Letters, 1987), Şiirler (Poems, all peoms, 1992),
Gelecek Zaman Risalesi (The Letter of Future Time,
2000).
TRAVEL LITERATURE: İpek Yolundan Afganistan'a
(From the Silk Road to Afghanistan, 1985).
| To the Darling of the
Universe
If we add the moon, the sun and stars to the
weight of the world
You, light of my heart, would outweigh
them all.
The Pigeons
The tree was
swallowing a tombstone in Çarsikapi
"Istanbul is
moving within us".
A child was
selling the waterless state of temples
In a water
jar whose voice we could not remember,
the sun
stood over us
like our
sins.
Why do these
pigeons exist?
To bring a
memory to life?
Or to carry
an immortal voice beyond,
In the palms of the mosques?
Pledge
They have
gone
Only our
word remains
Now here I
am
Like a
bullet straight, steady
Ready to go
Here I stand
firmly
Between life
and death
On this
minute stretch of time
Taut and
punctual as tomorrow
Now here I
am
Waiting to
be
Confirmed by
our pledge
They have
gone
They were like good news
Erdem Bayazit1939 |
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posted 9 March 2006 |
