Books A Guide to This Year’s Istanbul Tanpınar Literarature Festival Maria Eliades runs through the highlights of one of Istanbul’s beloved international literary festivals.
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he Istanbul Tanpınar Literature Festival (ITEF) has been a fixture of this city for seven years, and with each year, the level of outreach and involvement from other organizations has grown. This year’s edition is no exception. The festival started in 2009 from an idea spawned by Nermin Mollaoğlu and Mehmet Demirtaş of Kalem Ajans, the leading literary agency in Turkey, to establish Istanbul on the contemporary literary map in the lead up to the city’s year as the European Capital of Culture in 2010. At the time, there were festivals dedicated to poetry, such as ŞiirIstanbul (Poetry Istanbul) and the International Poetry Festival. Unfortunately, neither was all that accessible to a non-Turkish speaking audience, nor did they include prose or an international outreach. The ITEF provides a rare chance for expats and a visiting international audience to interact with Turkish and foreign authors in Istanbul. While not all of the events are supported by headsets with simultaneous Turkish to English translations, the majority are, as are any of the events mentioned here based on recommendations by Tütengül Küçüker, the festival’s project coordinator. This year’s festival kicks off with a midnight reading of selections from Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’s infamous ‘The Time Regulation Institute’ at the Atatürk
Library on May 2. Consider the event a chance to get to know the writer in English and Turkish –though of course anyone who wants to get to know the work in advance should pick up the most recent translation by Maureen Freely and Alexander Dawe. Here are the some of the other highlights of ITEF this year: The star attraction of the festival is Australian writer Markus Zusak of ‘The Book Thief’ fame, who will talk about all of his work in “From the Wolfe Brothers Trilogy to the Book Thief: In conversation with Markus Zusak” on May 5 at the Sismanoglio Megaro. Other big names from abroad include Laura Restrepo, one of Colombia’s most important writers who regularly tangles with history and politics in her work, and is perhaps best known for her novel ‘Delirium.’ Restrepo will be on a few panels, including “Frontiers of the Mind: Madness” (Atatürk Library, May 5) along with the Macedonian writer Goce Smilevski, winner of the European Prize for Literature in 2010 for his novel, ‘Freud’s Sister’; and the well-known Turkish writer Mine
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Söğüt. The panel will look into how reality is formed according to limits decided on by a society, and of course through the writers’ fiction. The more economically minded will be interested in looking at how the latest economic crisis has or has not shaped literature in the panel, “Stories of the Impoverished: How Did the Financial Crisis Affect Literature?” on May 7 at the Sismanoglio Megaro. This talk will feature the Turkish writer, Behçet Çelik, winner of the Sait Faik Story Prize in 2008 and the Haldun Taner Dream Award in 2011; the Greek-born Istanbulbased journalist and crime fiction writer, Vassilis Danellis; and the well-reviewed Dutch writer and novelist, Wytske Versteeg. The program would not be complete without mentioning the inclusion of two Armenian writers this year: Armine Anda, a writer, actress, film director, and producer internationally known for her role in the short film, 'Joan and the Voices' (2011), and Hovhannes Tekgyozyan, whose new novel about Istanbul, ‘Fleeting City,’
has been translated into Turkish from Armenian. The translation is notable because Armenian to Turkish translations have rarely happened in the past. We can only hope that an English translation is also forthcoming. Tekgyozyan will be on a few panels, including “On the Line,” which is about existing in between the “other” and a standard identity (Atatürk Library, May 5). The Romanian author, Mircea Cartarescu, whose novel, ‘Blinding,’ was long-listed for the 2014 Best Translated Book Award; and Turkish author, Hatice Meryem, who is also the co-founder of the cultural and art magazines, Öküz (Ox) and Hayvan (Animal), will also be in on the discussion. Stop by one of these events for lively discussions between some of the best writers from all over the world, and don’t forget to bring copies of their books along with you, too. ITEF between May 2-May 8. For more info on the venues and the festival’s timetable, visit itef. kalemkultur.com