A grand old sycamore tree of poetry: Cevat Çapan

Which is why when we hear the name Cevat Çapan, the writer of honor at this year's TÜYAP İstanbul Book Fair, we think not only of all of his own original masterpieces written over the course of his thus-far 75-year life, but also his translations of so many wonderful world writers and poets, from Sappho to Seferis, from Kavafis to Mandelshtam and from Eliot to Pessoa.

The labor of love that goes into creating poetry is so often rooted in a general love for literature, and in Çapan's case, we must not forget his enduring love for language in general, which is what lies beneath his lifelong work to bring previously untranslated works from around the world into the Turkish language. Honored this year at the 28th TÜYAP İstanbul Book Fair as a poet, a theater critic and an academic, Çapan will have his poetry and his various translations recognized through a series of activities over the course of the event. Çapan was born in 1933 in the small northwestern town of Darıca. The son of an adventure-loving father and a mother who had come to Turkey from the island of Crete, Çapan went first to America and later to Cuba as a youth. Many years later, he returned to Turkey. The early years of his life though were spent in Darıca, and in fact, his poetry includes many references to family memories from these years.

Çapan moved along with his parents to İstanbul in 1945, and his education at İstanbul’s Robert College in those years introduced him to a rich experience of poetry, theater and translations in general. He also had the opportunity in these school years to get to know British, American and European literature, as well as to take on roles in many theater productions. His very first attempts at poetry and translations of others’ works from foreign languages into Turkish were published in the Robert College school magazine called İzlerimiz (Our Traces).

Çapan ultimately wound up going to Cambridge University in England, where he graduated with a degree in English literature. At the same time, he continued writing, with his poetry being published in some very respected Turkish literary magazines of the time, such as Varlık, Yeditepe, Seçilmiş Hikayeler and Yücel. Upon returning to Turkey, Çapan became an assistant professor in the late 1960s, and then by 1975, a full professor at İstanbul University’s faculty of English language and literature.

Abandoning poetry

“The art of poetry lies at the base and essence of all arts. Which is why understanding poetry really means understanding the essence of all arts which rely on language, images and rhythm,” says Çapan. The prolific author began at a very young age to appreciate world poetry, so much so in fact that he even took a break from writing his own poetry works for some time at one period in his life: “After going to England, I stopped writing poetry for a while. A sort of incredible fear descended upon me suddenly. Perhaps we could call it some sort of delusion of perfectionism. At that time, I began to do translations. After returning from England, I continued to translate plays and poetry. From time to time, I would write single poems, but I wouldn’t have them published. The translations I did, though, attracted great interest. In particular, the translations I did of Greek poets from Seferis to Kavafis were perceived as very successful, and as signs that I myself was a great poet. People said that the translator of these poems must himself be a poet. Anyway, in the wake of this success, I began writing my own poetry again toward the end of the 1970s.”

Right after his first book of poems, “Dön Güvercin Dön” (Return of the Pigeon), was published in 1985, Çapan was awarded the Behçet Necatigil Poetry Prize. Since then, Çapan went back and forth between creating his own work and translating the works of others, publishing his poems in a number of books, including “Doğal Tarih” (Natural History, 1989) and “Sevda Yaratan” (Creator of Love, 1994). In the meantime, he also compiled several poetry anthologies and authored numerous articles on drama.

New book: ‘Ara Sıcak’

Çapan’s newest book has just been released, a collection of 36 poems, called “Ara Sıcak” (Warm Entrée). The new poems bring together sensitivities similar to his past poetry works, as well as memories about the past, childhood, friendships and close ties to the future as well.

“The interest I have felt in the values that come out of different locations and cultures have been nourishing resources for me over the years. … I am grateful to these different values,” says Çapan. And we, in turn, are grateful to this man of letters who has tried to spread his vast knowledge to humanity over the years, much the same way a grand old sycamore tree spreads its shade, providing the perfect spot for the whispers of the breeze and the sounds of the birds to flourish.