History, Culture, and Literature at the 6th Book Days

At the 6th Book Days organized by Bornova Municipality this year, Guest of Honor Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı held a talk that ranged from Homer to the history of İzmir and advice for young people. The event, which drew great interest over the weekend, also hosted Buket Uzuner—celebrating her 50th year in literature—who emphasized the importance of fairy tales and respect for nature, while actor İlyas Salman met with his readers. The festival will continue until October 5, bringing together 63 publishing houses and 463 authors with Bornova residents.

Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, the Guest of Honor of the Book Days, met with the people of İzmir at the Homeros Stage in Büyükpark. In his talk, which spanned from Homer and the Trojan War to İzmir’s historical identity and advice for young people, Ortaylı attracted great attention.

“We Izmirlis are Anatolians”
Touching upon İzmir and Bornova’s history, Prof. Dr. Ortaylı spoke about debates surrounding Homer’s life:
“Seven cities claim Homer as their own. One of them is İzmir. But his biography is very obscure—was he blind, were the works compiled from different poets? These have always been points of debate. One should not dwell too much on them.”

Addressing the youth, Ortaylı said:
“Let us not forget—we are not Ionians. We are from İzmir, we are from the Aegean, we are Anatolians. Our language is Turkish, and we must speak it correctly. Please take old broadcasters as examples, not today’s, because that will also make it easier for you to learn foreign languages.”

“We advanced Atatürk’s legacy, but fell behind in music”
Ortaylı emphasized Turkey’s progress in many areas, saying:
“We advanced Atatürk’s legacy in fields such as medicine and industry, but unfortunately we fell behind in music. Most of our conservatory graduates now live abroad,” drawing attention to shortcomings in the field of culture and arts.

A Homer Statue from Mayor Eşki
Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki thanked Ortaylı, calling him “undoubtedly Turkey’s greatest authority,” and presented him with a statue of Homer. İlber Ortaylı expressed his pleasure at meeting the people of İzmir in Bornova.

Buket Uzuner: “Life begins with fairy tales”
Another important guest of the Book Days was author Buket Uzuner, who has completed 50 years in literature. Emphasizing humanity’s way of learning through stories, Uzuner said:
“Literature is storytelling, and humans are the only beings that learn from stories. Even holy books contain stories. If we are lucky, we grow up listening to fairy tales from our mothers, grandmothers, or teachers. Women’s verbal brains are very developed, which is why they raise generations with stories and tales.”

Uzuner also gave a message of responsibility toward nature:
“The problems we face today stem from seeing nature as if it were infinite—extracting all the minerals, cutting down all the trees, believing that power lies in possession. That mindset has brought the world to this state. Yet mythological stories teach us not to go against nature.”

She concluded her talk by signing books for her readers.

İlyas Salman also meets Bornova residents
Another guest of the festival was theater artist, actor, director, and writer İlyas Salman. Throughout the event, Salman has been at Büyükpark, signing books and chatting with fans.

Continuing until October 5
With 63 publishing houses, 463 authors, and many events, the Book Days will continue at Büyükpark until October 5.