Poetic words become peace doves, go beyond limits

Poetic words become peace doves, go beyond limits

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkish Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay pushes the button for Armenian expert Arthur Antranikyan’s translation project. Contemporary 20th century Turkish poetry will be published in Armenian for the first time thanks to Günay's support

Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay pushes the button for the project.

Efforts to translate more than 20 Turkish poets, including pieces by the world-renowned Nazım Hikmet, into Armenian for the first time in history have received a pledge of support from the Turkish Minstry of Culture.

Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay confirmed his support shortly after the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review first reported on the project a few weeks ago. “It is very important to realize such a project,” Günay said. “It is a great pleasure to see famous authors of Turkish literature translated into the various languages of the world. The ministry is ready to assist all kinds of projects relating to this issue.”

Dr. Arthur Antranikyan, who is a member of the Yerevan State University and the Armenian Writers’ Union Works, has initiated the project. A commission of specialists from the Turkology department at the Yerevan State University will work on the project, which will also include translations of Armenian literature into Turkish.

Antranikyan is planning to publish the poems and works for Armenian readers in the form of a 300-page special selection. The selection includes Orhan Veli Kanık, who played a leading role on modernizing Turkish poetry but died in a tragic accident in 1949 at the age 36.

Antranikyan, a poet and a fan of world literature, experienced Turkish writers for the first time during the Soviet Union. He has examined the interaction of contemporary Turkish and Armenian literature from Istanbul throughout the years and has carried out translations from Russian into Armenian through his own efforts.

“My prior goal was to present Turkish literature to Armenian readers by translating them from their original language,” Antranikyan said. “I was not pleased with a lot of translations because works were losing their originality. Turkish used to be translated into Russian and then from Russian into Armenian. I have shaped this project over the years and think now is the right time to get started.”

He said both peoples needed to get to know each other in order to eradicate their prejudices and rid themselves of historical traumas. Antranikyan said he is very happy with Günay’s interest in the project. “I want to thank him for replying to my call. It is a great pleasure for me to introduce the leading names of Turkish literature to Armenian readers.”
… … …

Due to increasing interest in Turkish literature among Armenians in recent years many books are being translated. Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk’s novel “Kar” (Snow) counts among the most recent ones. The effort to translate it was initiated by the Hamazgayin Education and Culture Institute in Yerevan. The majority of works translated up to this point have been penned by writers who are sympathetic to the Armenian issue.