Apr 13, 2018
Orhan Veli Kanık’s 104th Birthday
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Orhan Veli Kanık cast off the conventions of traditional Turkish poetry in favor of a simpler, plainly human verse that was accessible to all.
Born in Istanbul on April 13th, 1914, Kanık grew up with a love for literature and the arts, but dropped out of university after a year to work as a civil servant and translator. Poetry remained his passion, and in 1936, four of his early works were published in Varlık magazine, including Oaristys and Düşüncelerimin Başucunda. From 1936-1942, he avidly penned poems for six literary magazines, many written under the nom de plume Mehmet Ali Sel.
The period of Kanık’s greatest contribution began in 1941, when he and two friends published a daring poetry manifesto called Garip, meaning “strange.” In the introduction, Kanık dismissed the rigidity of traditional poetic styles, breaking form with meter, word choice, and theme. He even considered rhyming and the use of metaphor to be amateur and unnecessary.
Kanık believed poetry belonged to, and could be appreciated by, all people. Garip advocated for the use of everyday language and unclouded emotion, rather than a separate “poetic language.” The position was considered avant-garde and was initially met with scorn; however, the eponymous Garip movement gained immense popularity and altered the future of Turkish poetry.
Garip was his most famous work, but Kanık created poetry, essays, and translations in a variety of styles until his death in 1950.
Today’s Doodle celebrates the transformative poet, who would have turned 104 today.
Doodle by Cynthia Yuan Cheng
Early concepts and drafts below
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