An unforgettable talk by Yusuf Alper

The March guest of the Bornova City Talks was Yusuf Alper; the event began with a musical performance and poetry readings. In his talk, Alper emphasized that poetry cannot be confined to rigid forms and shared his understanding of poetry—ranging from the Second New movement to psychoanalysis—as well as his views on the literary world.

Hosted monthly by Bornova Municipality at the Uğur Mumcu Cultural and Arts Center Multi-Purpose Hall, the Bornova City Talks featured poet and professor of psychiatry Yusuf Alper as its March guest. The program, organized by Atila Er and İbrahim Aktaş, brought together the worlds of literature and thought.

An event that began with music and poetry

The event opened with a musical performance by Ece Şerbetman and Sinan Kurşun. Afterwards, poets Zerrin Keskin and Hatice Eğilmez Kaya enriched the evening by reading their poems. At the opening of the program, İbrahim Aktaş read Hidayet Karakuş’s “2026 World Poetry Day Manifesto,” highlighting the universal power of poetry.

“Poetry cannot be confined to patterns”

During the talk moderated by Atila Er, Yusuf Alper stated that his poetic journey began with the Second New movement and that he felt a kinship in poetic language with Behçet Necatigil. Emphasizing that poetry cannot be restricted to fixed forms, Alper defined poetry as “imagistic, fluid, lyrical, and evocative texts.”

Alper also noted that the poems of eight poets—including Nâzım Hikmet, Ataol Behramoğlu, Cemal Süreya, and Enver Ercan—played a role in shaping his psychoanalysis books.

He read his poems and shared his memories

Describing himself as a “poet engaged to hope and married to sorrow,” Yusuf Alper read the poems “Ot” and “Üşüyorum” from his latest book “Between Two Yous,” as well as “Yolda” and “Beyaza” from his earlier works. He also shared his memories of meeting Cemal Süreya, creating emotional moments for the audience.

During the talk, Yusuf Alper also offered evaluations on poetry awards and festivals, making significant observations about the literary world.