AHMET EMİN ATASOY
He was born in the village of Krepça, of the district of Tırgovişte (Eskicuma) of Bulgaria in May 16, 1944. He graduated from the University of Sofya, Turkish Philology and from his second major field Bulgarian Language and Literature (1968). He worked as a program producer for Radio Sofya for a definite period (1966 – 1968). Later on, he worked as a literature teacher in the area where he was born in and carried and also as provincial correspondent for the magazine Yeni Hayat / Nov Jivot (New Life). He chaired the Krepça Culture House and managed the amateur theatre troop from 1981to 1986. Throughout his life, he wrote and published his poems and articles in two languages (Turkish and Bulgarian). He maintained his literary works uninterruptedly also in Turkey where he had to take refuge in 1989. In the meantime, he translated works of abut 400 Bulgarian, Russian etc. poets to Turkish and introduced them in exclusive literature magazines. Some of his poems have been translated into Arabic, Azerbaijani, English, Spanish, Italian, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian etc. His books are still published uninterruptedly in Turkey and Bulgaria. Being an “honorary citizen” of the Municipality of Opaka, Ahmet Emin Atasoy is member of the Turkish Authors Union, Bulgarian Authors Union and Bulgarian PEN Club and is awarded with “Balkans Grand Poem Award” (Romania), “Orpheus’s Lyre” European Culture Academy Award (Bulgaria) and badge of honor of “Friendship and Cooperation” (Russian Federation).
Poetry books adversaria:
In Bulgaria: Being Without You (1968), Poems of 1967 (with Naci Ferhadof, 1969), Moleben za dıjd (Rain Prayer, 2004), Nursery Rhymes (2005), Predi da trıgneş (Before Setting Off, 2010), Ognena kniga (Book of Fire, 2012), Antologiya na bılgarskata poeziya ot 60-te godini na XIX vek do dnes (19th Century’s Bulgarian Poetry Anthology from the 60s to Today, 2014), Bulgarian Poetry Anthology from the 1860’s to Today (Turkish, 2014), Tova astavyam (Remaining, 2014), Peperudi i leşoyadi (Butterflies and Hooded Crows 2016), Sıvremenna turska poeziya ot kraya na 60-te godini na XX vek do dnes (Conemporary Turkish Poetry Anthology from the late 1960’s to Today, 2019); In Macedonia: Eho na ehoto (The Echo of Echo, 2008); In Romania: Jar şi spuzâ (Glow and Ash, 2010); In Turkey – poetry books: While Pretty Danube Flows in my Heart (1994), The Vortex of Feelings (1994), Leaves offended by the Winds (1998), I Shielded my Window to the Night (1998), Love is in Every Age (1999), Drop by Drop (1999), Sea of Love (Poems for Children, 2001, 2014), As Glow flows in Ash (2004), The World Devoured me Frenzy (2004), In the Crowded Place of Loneliness (2008), Sunsets when Homesick (2010), Book of Fire (2012), My Life was a Scream (Collective Poems, 2015), Butterflies and Hooded Crows (2016), Premılçanoto na dva ezika / My Silence in Two Languages (Bulgarian and Turkish, 2018), Spring Cleaning (2019); Poems and Proses Compilation: Anthology of Turkish Poetry with Balkan Motives from the XV. Century to Today (2001, 2013), Polıh ot Bursa
(Breezes from Bursa, Bulgarian, 2008), Anthology of Turkish Tales with Balkan Motives from the Tanzimat Era to Today (2013), Russian Poetry Anthology from early XIX. Century to Today (Russian and Turkish, 2013), Sıvremenna bılgarska poeziya (Bulgarian Poetry of Today, Bulgarian, 2018), Bulgarian Poetry of Today (Turkish, 2018); Essays/Researches: Showcase of Accumulated Reflections (2004, 2015), The Poems of Ziya Osman Saba (2013). Lexicology: New Bulgarian-Turkish Dictionary (2019).
OOZİNGS OUT OF THE DREAM
Right after going to bed
A deluge of memories surges,
The dreams are not dreams all – the documentary of the years:
The same old village, the same street, the same house and the
some chamber,
At the window left ajar – your forgotten looks,
The sweat of your hands – on the book- smelling table,
There sits iced up gloominess on the face of quiescence.
A cradle swings in the vacuum, monful
Is that your mom, having her grandchild memorize songs?
Is this a game like this, or is it an inappropriate joke,
Where ages ago your mom had turned into an angel?
Emin and Esin are still indulging in riding a bike,
Nesrin talks with cats for sure.
Fellow canary is always there – ar the tip of the grapevine,
The old laundry string is at odds with the wardrobe.
The old crony of many years is everywhere in the garden
Barren traces yearn for your feet
There appears to be a complaint in the offended sprouts
of the roses –
Your eyes seem just filled as they are looked at…
After getting up in morning
You can see in astonishment
Drop by drop dreams ooze out of the cushion.
Ahmet Emin Atasoy
SARAJEVO
Bullet sound is the most frequently heared prayer
And death is worship.
The Angel of Death is running breathlessiy
As if it is doomsday.
There is an awful question left unanswered
In martyrs’ blood.
This time people had a failing grade
On the humanity test.
In their faces the rancor
Turning red due to giris’ maidenhood.
An infinite beginning
Which demands revenge with hysterical screams.
Those half-open lips and bosoms exposed to love
Were covered by earth.
Dead children and mournful bosoms
Lamented.
Every new day means collective detah and collective grave
For Bosnians.
The last suicide on the Drina Bridge
By Ivo Andich.
Ahmet Emin Atasoy