Description
Nazim Hikmet was a giant in his love, his beliefs, his struggles, and indeed, in his entire life. He was “a master of building myths and demolishing myths… and of singing of freedom, joy, and the hopes and stories of ordinary people.” Even in the throes of torture and the depths of prison, he cried out to the people: “Life is not a beast; let us live it with earnestness!” He saw life as beautiful, worthy of love, even while enduring its ugliest and most detestable forms. He sang of his country until “love of country” became his defining characteristic, prompting the Turkish weekly magazine “Magazin” to ask in astonishment: “Have you ever read poetry that expresses such profound love for one’s homeland?!” He believed in humanity, its role, its individuality, its collectivism, and its potential to be shaped for the greater good. He dedicated his pen and his life to it, glorifying, at every moment, its vibrant, radiant side, shining like the sun, while cursing its dead, dormant side, like a volcano, extinguished like the moon—and the moon was rarely mentioned in his poems—calling upon it to persevere in the battle of the future, to resist and pounce upon the impossible, upon the sun, to seize the sun.
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