Varlik
Eurozine
Varlik
2010-09-06
Summary for Varlik 9/2010
Tahir Abaci
Following the Tracks
Abaci gives an account of trains appearing in literature parallel with the development of railroads in Turkey, mentioning anthologies that collect texts and poems featuring trains. Also discussed are train scenes in literary works adapted to the screen.
Altay Ömer Erdogan
Trains Rolling Along the Tracks of our Dreams
Erdogan argues that "As a project in modernity, trains arrive at various cities in Anatolia together with restaurants and sports clubs," and views trains as bridges between city and country. Erdogan analyzes literary works featuring trains from this perspective.
Özgün E. Bulut
Trains of the East or Trains of Horror
Bulut discusses the adventure of the railroad in eastern Turkey, and analyzes trains and violence in the works of poets from the Eastern provinces.
Figen Abaci
Image to Train; Train to Reality
Abaci approaches trains from a psychoanalytical perspective, and gives examples from the ideas of Freud and Lacan, investigating the psychodynamic implications of trains.
Haydar Ergülen
Cemal Süreya's Train
Ergülen questions the approach of Cemal Süreya, an Alevi and a Kurd who never emphasized those aspects of his identity, to the current politics of his time, and comments on how Süreya would approach the Alevi and Kurdish issue of today if he were alive.
Hasan Bülent Kahraman
Jesus and Moses; the Father and the Body
In this issue, Kahraman makes comments on Michelangelo's Moses and how the father figure was dealt with by Freud.
Ibrahim Yildirim
A comparative study of the ideas of the late poet and novelist Attila Ilhan, and the writer, critic and political scientist Hasan Bülent Kahraman
Cultural Agenda
The new constitution -- yes or no?
The referendum on 12th September will draw a long-term roadmap for Turkey. We asked our writers whether they would accept or reject the constitutional amendments, and why.
Our questionnaire includes writers who say they will accept this proposition because they rejected the original constitution drafted under military influence following the coup of September 12th, 1980 (Adalet Agaoglu, Izzet Yasar) as well as writers who will reject the proposition because they believe that while the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government claims to be calling to account the leaders of the military coup, in truth it is only removing the obstacles in the way of its own government and avoiding structures that oppress democratic institutions (Adnan Özyalçiner, Tahir Abaci, Feridun Andaç).
Writers who take into account the fact that the The Higher Education Council is not abolished and universities are not made autonomous, that the law governing political parties and election laws are not changed, and that the most pressing needs of the society are not dealt with say that they will reject the proposal (Egemen Berköz, Ataol Behramoglu, Inci Aral, Hüseyin Yurttas, Feyza Hepçilingirler, Ahmet Önel, Metin Cengiz, Abdülkadir Budak, Hulki Aktunç). Other writers (Habib Bektas, Roni Margulies, Iskender Pala, Enis Akin) claim that people and parties who would reject this proposal do not work for the improvement of the society as much as the affirmers do. While some writers (Tarik Günersel, Eren Aysan) argue that rejecting this proposal does not mean condoning the military constitution, others (Müge Iplikçi, Süreyya Evren) argue that polarizing the society on an axis of yea-sayer and nay-sayers will not result in sound politics.
Tozan Alkan
Unexpected Translators II
In the last issue, we had mentioned that Mustafa Kemal had translated a poem by the Belgian poet Leon Montenaeken. In this issue, we feature a book titled Military Books Translated by Atatürk, edited by Nurer Ugurlu and given as a gift to readers by the Cumhuriyet daily in 1998.