Nazim Hikmet's poetry combines passion and simplicity with sophistication, producing work of enduring significance. He was both a superb narrative and lyric poet; his immense and continuing popularity in Turkey testifies to his common touch. This extensive selection ranges from his epic poem 'Sheikh Bedreddin' to the moving prison poems addressed to his wife. The book is introduced by the leading expert on Turkish literature, Talat Sait Halman, former Professor of Turkish Literature at Princeton and New York Universities and currently at Bilkent University, Ankara.

About the Author
Nazim Hikmet (1902-63), Turkey's greatest modern poet, was a political prisoner in Turkey for more than fourteen years and spent the last thirteen years of his life in exile, mainly in Russia, travelling widely through Europe and further afield. Ruth Christie was born and educated in Scotland. She studied Turkish at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. She has taught English literature and has been translating novels, short stories and poetry from the Turkish for many years. Richard McKane is a poet and the translator of 'Selected Poems of Anna Akhmatova' and, with Elizabeth McKane, of Mandelstam's 'The Moscow Notebooks' and 'The Voronezh Notebooks'. Anvil has published 'The Pillar of Fire', his selection from the poetry of Nikolay Gumilyov, and the anthology 'Ten Russian Poets' (2003). Ruth Christie and Richard McKane have jointly translated two selections from the Turkish poet Oktay Rifat, 'Voices of Memory' (1990) and 'Poems of Oktay Rifat' (Anvil, 2007).

Reviews
'one of the few important political poets of the century'Paul Zweig



Book Information
ISBN 9780856463297
Author Nazim Hikmet
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Anvil Press Poetry
Publisher Carcanet Press Ltd