Descrizione

Paperback. Pbo. Mint. Cr. 8vo. (20 x 14 cm). In English. [xxii], 142 p. Just for the hell of it. 111 poems by Orhan Veli Kanik. Prep. by Talat Sait Halman. The selections in I am Listening to Istanbul represent about two-thirds of Kan¿k's lifetime output of poems in free verse. The translations are, on the whole, entirely faithful, although never slavish. No poem here appears as a free adaptation or as an "imitation". Most of Orhan Veli's work lends itself very well to colloquial English. In many ways the poems are akin in spirit and style to those of the newer generation of poets in America today. Since Turkish expressions usually find their exact counterparts in today's American and British vernacular, the poems can be translated without too great a loss of poetic values. Very few of Kan¿k's important poems have been omitted because of untranslatable featurs. Orhan Veli's poetry can probably be translated into many languages without too much difficulty. For as much as his work reflects Turkey and Turkish life, his substance and manner have universal validity and value.