7th Homeros Book Days Welcomed Thousands of Book Lovers

The 7th Homeros Book Days, organized by Bornova Municipality in memory of master poet Attila İlhan, came to a spectacular close after welcoming thousands of literature enthusiasts from İzmir over 10 days. The grand literary celebration at Büyükpark brought together 65 publishing houses and hundreds of authors with readers, offering a rich program ranging from literary talks to research on “Noah’s Ark.” Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki, expressing his great pleasure at the intense interest, emphasized that they would continue to support art and literature with a non-partisan approach.

The 7th Homeros Book Days, organized by Bornova Municipality in memory of master poet Attila İlhan, successfully closed its doors following a magnificent 10-day celebration of literature. Held from September 25 to October 4, 2026, the major event turned into a cultural festival thanks to the strong interest of book lovers from İzmir. Bringing together 65 publishing houses, 440 authors and more than 790,000 books with readers at Büyükpark, the event welcomed thousands of literature and book enthusiasts over 10 days, leaving an unforgettable mark on the city’s cultural memory.

Masters of Literature and Art Were in Bornova for 10 Days

Talks, book signings and poetry performances held on the stages at Büyükpark received great acclaim from İzmir residents. In the first major talk of the event, “Academic Mom” Saniye Bencik Kangal met with parents, while the event’s Guest of Honor, acclaimed author Hidayet Karakuş, met with readers for a talk titled “The Language of Enlightenment.” Popular literary figures Sinan Akyüz and Şehval Görmez held engaging talks on “The Art of Writing a Novel” and “The Courage to Be Yourself,” respectively.

Sedef Kabaş and Ferihan Karasu took the stage with their session “Inspiring Women,” while acclaimed actor Altan Gördüm and Haluk Çetin gave Bornovans an emotional evening featuring poetry, music and storytelling. Prominent Turkish poet Şükrü Erbaş met with book lovers for his talk and poetry reading titled “We Are the Broken, Fragmented Sentences of This World,” while Adil Yıldırım met with readers for his session “Love Yourself First” and signed his books.

One of the event’s notable academic sessions was “The Noah’s Ark Debate and New Research,” organized by Myrina Publishing and featuring Prof. Dr. Cenker Atila as a speaker. Held at the Odysseia Stage, the special event brought together history and literature enthusiasts and added significant depth to the program.

Mayor Eşki: “This Great Interest Strengthens Our Faith in the Future”

Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki toured the event area from beginning to end, meeting with citizens and authors and drawing attention to the strong interest shown by the people of İzmir.

Emphasizing that the Book Days had become a very special event through the dedicated efforts of municipal staff, Mayor Eşki said:

“At a time when publishing and reading are becoming increasingly difficult, we regard supporting literature and art in every possible way as a non-partisan responsibility of local governments. The intense interest of the thousands of residents who filled Büyükpark for 10 days and flocked to the books and authors once again demonstrated how meaningful and valuable this work is. This tremendous participation and unwavering love for literature strengthen our hopes and faith in the future. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all book lovers whose enthusiasm has reinforced our ambition to make Bornova a capital of culture and art. I hope that together we will organize the 17th and even the 27th editions of this wonderful event.”