Poetics Between Languages: The Turkish-German Experience

Hosted by The Institute for Human Sciences, Center of International Relations, and AGNI

German-Turkish poet, novelist, and essayist Zafer Senocak has been called “the most important living voice of German multiculturalism.” Born in Turkey, raised in Germany, he bridges ancient, disparate cultures in this talk. Elizabeth Oehlkers Wright, Senocak’s English translator, explores the crucial, complicated role all translators play — a perilous, underappreciated art. The talk is moderated by Askold Melnyczuk, the founder and former editor of AGNI, the literary journal published at Boston University.

Senocak recalls the dichotomy of his youth, which he used and reconciled to become a leading voice in multicultural Germany. In 1970, Senocak arrived from Turkey. At home, with his parents, he remained steeped in Turkish. Once he stepped through their door, he was in a world of German. As both languages filled his mind, so too did the cultures they represent. Comfortable in his new homeland, the mystery of ancient Turkish language and texts still drew him across the continent, and into the past. Now, when Senocak talks about “political Islam” as “a broken face of something forgotten,” few can question his credibility or credentials. And when he conjures the term “technique of modernity” to explore differences between the apparent opportunity in Western societies and what can become deeper inhibitions and loss, few can dismiss his insights.

Wright began translating Senocak before they met, drawn by his poetry. An unsolicited postcard led to their collaboration. Melnyczuk notes that translators are much more like partners than most readers appreciate, bringing us ways of seeing that our native language might not offer.

March 19, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
Photonics Center

Video length is 01:41:41.

About the speakers:
Born in Ankara, Turkey, in 1961, Zafer Senocak has been living in Germany since 1970, where he has become a leading voice in the German discussions on multiculturalism and national and cultural identity, and a mediator between Turkish and German culture. Widely published, the poet, essayist, journalist, and editor has won several prestigious literary awards in Germany.

Senocak is a living bridge, whose insights and connections put him at the cutting edge of some of the most important multinational conversations in the world today. From modern Germany and Westernizing Turkey to the ancient Islamic world that is the Turkish root, Senocak has become a cultural interpreter whose insights help break down barriers, and build understanding.

Elizabeth Oehlkers Wright has been translating contemporary German poets for years. Door Languages, a selection of Senocak’s poems in her translation, was their latest collaboration, published by Zephyr Press in fall 2008.

Askold Melnyczuk is founder and former editor of Agni, the literary journal published at BU, and a professor at the University of Massachusetts–Boston and in Bennington’s M.F.A. program. He is a celebrated novelist and author of the new noirish family mystery, The House of Widows.

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