In Quest of the Simurgh: A Poetry Collection. Este artículo no está disponible.In Quest of the Simurgh: A Poetry Collection

Ahmet Murat, one of the most important figures in modern Turkish poetry, has proved to be a skilled craftsman in language, continuing a narrative adventure from classical to modern poetry with immaculate Turkish phrasing and robust strings of verses. For these reasons and more, Ahmet Murat is a pioneering Turkish poet. When Ahmet looks at the world, he looks from the top of a poetic mountain, and he sees God in small places everywhere in the everyday world. But his vision does not fill him with pride. Like the lone bird who arrives, he turns to the rest of the birds and says, “Look how close God is to all of us. Here he is, and here and here. We do not need to travel to the end of the world. To see him, we only need to look at one another with kindness and compassion, and look at the world with gratitude and wonder.”

Ahmet Murat’s poetry is like hanging on a meta-historic area transcending everyday life. The protagonist sometimes is a child, but most of the time an old saint who is trying to make sense of what's going on around him. His poetry stems from virgin nature, which he views as an explicit theophany. In this sense, he is in close proximity to American poetry. His astonishment at the universe and wonder at nature forces him to build a vertical relationship with the objects. Therefore, a high degree of symbolism and a refined ritualism are evident in his poems. His poetry is a preparation for a ceremony in frenzy and carries the possibility of touching a saint’s hands. Ahmet Murat explores the possibility of words that will settle for God’s consent.

Harun Tan
Founder and Art Director, Simurg Interdisciplinary Studio