ÇEVRE HIGHLIGHTS - 22.SAYI

41 OCAK 2023 First of all, we would like to thank you for accepting our interview and giving us the opportunity to get to know Orhan Veli better. We would like to start by getting to know you a little bit. When and how did your writing journey begin? My writing journey actually started with journalism. I started journalism in 2009 as a newsroom reporter. Before that, I had small ventures. The writing process of ‘AğabeyimOrhan Veli’ book, which crossed our paths with you, started in 2012, and was shaped within the framework of an interview we conducted with her sister, Ms. Füruzan. This is how the writing of the book began, the place of the book in the writing story is here. In the book “AğabeyimOrhan Veli”, we find answers to frequently asked questions such as Orhan Veli’s school years, his love for theater, the process of writing his first poems, and the times of the Translation Office. Well, what impressed you the most in Orhan Veli’s life story? Actually, this is asked a lot, but I am very impressed by all of them. In other words, all the titles you mentioned are very impressive in themselves. Because all these titles also tell you a lot about the social and cultural life after the Republic. Orhan Veli’s place in cultural life impressed me a lot, but apart from that, I was very impressed as a son. From his experiences with his family, his relationship with his mother, his future journey to his sister Füruzan Hanım... How long did it take for your meetings with Orhan Veli’s sister, the research you did before these meetings, and for this comprehensive study to become a book? What path did you follow? The first interview was made in 2012, but there was no idea for a book. Then, as conversations broke out, when Füruzan Hanım took out the things in her drawers, showed a pencil of Orhan Veli, and showed her family photos, those materials also caught my attention as a journalist. But these memories did not make a book on their own; because when Füruzan Hanım was 26, Orhan Veli spent his last years away from his family and died. I could not describe Orhan Veli with only his memories; I had to tell about the period, with his poems and with his loves. These also required a very long research process. I can say that it is the product of a total of 10 years of work. It is a fact that the pandemic has deeply affected every aspect of life. What are the differences when you compare our culture and art life before and after the pandemic? Can you share your observations with us? The number of printing books in publishing decreased in the first period. But writers who were confined to their homes at that time wrote more and translators translated more. Therefore, when we look at quantity, there was an increase in literary production. But as of today, the pandemic is over and as it was in the past, the fairs have started again. In the meantime, the artists have produced a lot in the last 2 years. We will now see the value of these 2 years. In this respect, the pandemic has increased the abundance of art production. I think and observe that the two years in between made a great contribution to the production and the motivation of the artists. What do you think caused Orhan Veli to relapse from his poetry writing disease and to resign from his duty as a civil servant? How would you describe the atmosphere that made Orhan Veli have these feelings? Benimşiirlerinden okuduğumve FüruzanHanım’ın anlattıklarıyla tanıdığım Orhan Veli, her zaman kafasına göre, anı yaşayan ve yaptıklarından pişmanlık duymayan, etrafında bunu salık veren birisi. Dolayısıyla o hava biraz karamsar bir atmosfer verse de Orhan Veli’nin özgün ruhunu anlatan bir hava bence. Orhan Veli, whom I read from his poems and learned from what FüruzanHanım told, was someone who always lived in themoment according to his own mind, did not regretwhat he had done, and recommended this to people around him. Therefore, although this creates a somewhat pessimistic atmosphere, I think it is an atmosphere that expresses Orhan Veli’s unique spirit. We are curious about your next book plans. Is there any other poet/author like Orhan Veli whose life you are researching or planning to write about? It was a bit of a journalism. It is very difficult and risky to tell people’s life stories. You can make any changes you want in the novel, but since the names mentioned in this book are real in Turkey’s art history, representatives of certain movements and pioneers in certain fields, it was very risky to tell them. I have always experienced their sensitivity. A life story is expected from me, although I have no such intention at the moment, I would like to take a journey into Bedri Rahmi’s life. 20th Book Festival “Çevre’m Kitap” InterviewWith Seray Şahinler, Author of The Book “AğabeyimOrhan Veli” Interviewed By: Ekin Genç, Begüm REN