La traduzione del testo poetico (nuova edizione), Marcos y Marcos, 2021
This book chapter focuses on the practices, challenges and theoretical foundations of translating... more This book chapter focuses on the practices, challenges and theoretical foundations of translating 20th-century Turkish poetry. It starts from Apel's theory of mobility of the texts and integrates the concepts of canon and palimpsest in a broader discussion on translating non-European languages.
A talk held at the Netherlands Institute in Turkey, 8 November 2019, in the workshop "Water, waqf... more A talk held at the Netherlands Institute in Turkey, 8 November 2019, in the workshop "Water, waqf & philanthropy in Ottoman cities (18th-20th century)"
Paper presented at the 16th International Congress of Turkish Art, Hacettepe University, Ankara,... more Paper presented at the 16th International Congress of Turkish Art, Hacettepe University, Ankara, October 3-5, 2019
Water, waqf, and philanthropy in Ottoman cities (18 th-20 th century) This workshop aims at bring... more Water, waqf, and philanthropy in Ottoman cities (18 th-20 th century) This workshop aims at bringing together scholars who study water supply from the angle of pious foundations as a main financing tool. Water supply, with its ideological scaffolding based in Islamic philanthropy (Singer 2008), has offered to the Ottoman ruling elite the opportunity to showcase their care for the well-being of the subjects, and has crystallized the hierarchies of power within the court (Wielemaker 2016). The workshop will involve art historians, social historians, and urban historians whose expertise spans on different Ottoman local contexts, among them Istanbul, Jerusalem, and Crete. The diversity of local focuses is an important aspect, as it allows to look at center-periphery dynamics that are often overlooked. Furthermore, it helps to "decentralize" our knowledge on pious foundations and water supply, that has for a long time privileged Istanbul. The results of the workshop will help us understand the boundaries between philanthropic aims and institutional setting of pious foundations (Baer 1989). In other words, it will clarify the social impact of water-related pious foundations not only as an economic and institutional tool, but also as a mechanism of display of Islamic piety and generosity (Stepanov 2014). The time frame will include the 18 th century as a period of burgeoning investments in water supply and fountain building, to end with the early 20 th century, when new mechanisms of water supply (Dinçkal 2008) and new financing tools (municipal investments, private companies, etc.) brought about new ways to intend water and philanthropy.
“Kitabes under the pressure of communication: epigraphs in the late Ottoman Empire”, internationa... more “Kitabes under the pressure of communication: epigraphs in the late Ottoman Empire”, international conference "Inscriptions from the Islamic World", 6-8 September 2019, American University of Cairo.
Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, March 14 - 16, 2019
Art in the Periphery - International Conference... more Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, March 14 - 16, 2019
Art in the Periphery - International Conference
Art History Institute, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa Institute for Contemporary History, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
The traumatic experience of the coup d'etat of 1980 was a watershed in the cultural life of Turke... more The traumatic experience of the coup d'etat of 1980 was a watershed in the cultural life of Turkey, and in particular on poetry writing. By redesigning the relation between intellectuals and public, the 1980s were marked by a new understanding of the civic engagement of poets, who abandoned a militant discourse that often turned verses into slogans, and began to express in a lyrical form their interior world and their intellectual dissent, by insisting on their distance from the consumerist society that was emerging thanks to the new economic policies. In this essay I examine the continuities in poetry writing between the 1980s and 2010s, that were marked by the protests of Gezi Park and by a growing authoritarian power. In particular, the article hopes to clarify recurring themes and possible differences in the expressions of dissent between the poetry writing of the two periods. To this aim, this essay examines the work of Tuğrul Tanyol, one of the main poems of the “1980s' Generation”, who started his activity in the aftermath of the 1980 coup and in the 2010s has expressed in verses his dissent towards the current government in the context of the Gezi Park protests. Through the analysis of Tanyol's poems that belong to the two periods, this study aims at clarifying the impact of literary forms which originated in the 1980s on current poetry writing, and on the shaping of its canon.
This article explores the use of fictional authorship (heteronymy) in a book by Hayda... more This article explores the use of fictional authorship (heteronymy) in a book by Haydar Ergülen (b. 1956), a prominent poet of the so-called “1980s Generation” of Turkish poetry. The book, titled "Kabareden Emekli bir Kızkardeş: Lina Salamandre" (A Sister Retired From the Cabaret: Lina Salamandre), includes poems, songs and letters written by a fictional female author who lived in early 20th century France. Ergülen’s use of a heteronym is a unique case in Turkish poetry, and reveals a precise conceptualisation of the role of poets in society. Through a mechanism of concealment into a non-hegemonic figure, Ergülen takes a stance in the debate about pluralism, diversity and political engagement that invested Turkish poetry, and culture at large, from the 1980s until today.
Testo a Fronte: Semestrale di ricerca transdisciplinare , 2019
This paper examines the possibilities offered by the 19th-century Ottoman novel Araba Sevdasi (Th... more This paper examines the possibilities offered by the 19th-century Ottoman novel Araba Sevdasi (The passion for carriages) in the perspective of a translation into Italian. After delineating the plot and the linguistic features of the work, this contribution discusses the various option of translation of the abundant French expressions transcribed into the Arabic-Ottoman alphabet, and how to make them available to and enjoyable for the Italian readership.
"From Istanbul to Japan while Listening to Bach - Translating Tugrul Tanyol From Turkish", Testo ... more "From Istanbul to Japan while Listening to Bach - Translating Tugrul Tanyol From Turkish", Testo a Fronte 55 (2016), 157-168.
This short article outlines the life and work of Tuğrul Tanyol, a prominent living Turkish poet a... more This short article outlines the life and work of Tuğrul Tanyol, a prominent living Turkish poet and one of the protagonists of the generation of poets who started their activity in the 1980s. In presenting the main biographical, stylistic, and thematic aspects of Tanyol’s decades-long career, this article aims at making the Italian reader familiar with Tanyol’s poetic world. A selection of his poems is presented in Italian translation.
Forthcoming in L. Nocera (ed.), Atti del primo convegno di Turcologia, Napoli 2015 [Proceedings o... more Forthcoming in L. Nocera (ed.), Atti del primo convegno di Turcologia, Napoli 2015 [Proceedings of the first Turkish Studies symposium, Naples 2015], Naples: Il Torcoliere (2019).
A workshop held at the Netherlands Institute in Turkey, 8 November 2019 - Convened by Nicola Verd... more A workshop held at the Netherlands Institute in Turkey, 8 November 2019 - Convened by Nicola Verderame, University of Naples "L'Orientale"
La traduzione del testo poetico (nuova edizione), Marcos y Marcos, 2021
This book chapter focuses on the practices, challenges and theoretical foundations of translating... more This book chapter focuses on the practices, challenges and theoretical foundations of translating 20th-century Turkish poetry. It starts from Apel's theory of mobility of the texts and integrates the concepts of canon and palimpsest in a broader discussion on translating non-European languages.
A talk held at the Netherlands Institute in Turkey, 8 November 2019, in the workshop "Water, waqf... more A talk held at the Netherlands Institute in Turkey, 8 November 2019, in the workshop "Water, waqf & philanthropy in Ottoman cities (18th-20th century)"
Paper presented at the 16th International Congress of Turkish Art, Hacettepe University, Ankara,... more Paper presented at the 16th International Congress of Turkish Art, Hacettepe University, Ankara, October 3-5, 2019
Water, waqf, and philanthropy in Ottoman cities (18 th-20 th century) This workshop aims at bring... more Water, waqf, and philanthropy in Ottoman cities (18 th-20 th century) This workshop aims at bringing together scholars who study water supply from the angle of pious foundations as a main financing tool. Water supply, with its ideological scaffolding based in Islamic philanthropy (Singer 2008), has offered to the Ottoman ruling elite the opportunity to showcase their care for the well-being of the subjects, and has crystallized the hierarchies of power within the court (Wielemaker 2016). The workshop will involve art historians, social historians, and urban historians whose expertise spans on different Ottoman local contexts, among them Istanbul, Jerusalem, and Crete. The diversity of local focuses is an important aspect, as it allows to look at center-periphery dynamics that are often overlooked. Furthermore, it helps to "decentralize" our knowledge on pious foundations and water supply, that has for a long time privileged Istanbul. The results of the workshop will help us understand the boundaries between philanthropic aims and institutional setting of pious foundations (Baer 1989). In other words, it will clarify the social impact of water-related pious foundations not only as an economic and institutional tool, but also as a mechanism of display of Islamic piety and generosity (Stepanov 2014). The time frame will include the 18 th century as a period of burgeoning investments in water supply and fountain building, to end with the early 20 th century, when new mechanisms of water supply (Dinçkal 2008) and new financing tools (municipal investments, private companies, etc.) brought about new ways to intend water and philanthropy.
“Kitabes under the pressure of communication: epigraphs in the late Ottoman Empire”, internationa... more “Kitabes under the pressure of communication: epigraphs in the late Ottoman Empire”, international conference "Inscriptions from the Islamic World", 6-8 September 2019, American University of Cairo.
Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, March 14 - 16, 2019
Art in the Periphery - International Conference... more Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, March 14 - 16, 2019
Art in the Periphery - International Conference
Art History Institute, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa Institute for Contemporary History, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
The traumatic experience of the coup d'etat of 1980 was a watershed in the cultural life of Turke... more The traumatic experience of the coup d'etat of 1980 was a watershed in the cultural life of Turkey, and in particular on poetry writing. By redesigning the relation between intellectuals and public, the 1980s were marked by a new understanding of the civic engagement of poets, who abandoned a militant discourse that often turned verses into slogans, and began to express in a lyrical form their interior world and their intellectual dissent, by insisting on their distance from the consumerist society that was emerging thanks to the new economic policies. In this essay I examine the continuities in poetry writing between the 1980s and 2010s, that were marked by the protests of Gezi Park and by a growing authoritarian power. In particular, the article hopes to clarify recurring themes and possible differences in the expressions of dissent between the poetry writing of the two periods. To this aim, this essay examines the work of Tuğrul Tanyol, one of the main poems of the “1980s' Generation”, who started his activity in the aftermath of the 1980 coup and in the 2010s has expressed in verses his dissent towards the current government in the context of the Gezi Park protests. Through the analysis of Tanyol's poems that belong to the two periods, this study aims at clarifying the impact of literary forms which originated in the 1980s on current poetry writing, and on the shaping of its canon.
This article explores the use of fictional authorship (heteronymy) in a book by Hayda... more This article explores the use of fictional authorship (heteronymy) in a book by Haydar Ergülen (b. 1956), a prominent poet of the so-called “1980s Generation” of Turkish poetry. The book, titled "Kabareden Emekli bir Kızkardeş: Lina Salamandre" (A Sister Retired From the Cabaret: Lina Salamandre), includes poems, songs and letters written by a fictional female author who lived in early 20th century France. Ergülen’s use of a heteronym is a unique case in Turkish poetry, and reveals a precise conceptualisation of the role of poets in society. Through a mechanism of concealment into a non-hegemonic figure, Ergülen takes a stance in the debate about pluralism, diversity and political engagement that invested Turkish poetry, and culture at large, from the 1980s until today.
Testo a Fronte: Semestrale di ricerca transdisciplinare , 2019
This paper examines the possibilities offered by the 19th-century Ottoman novel Araba Sevdasi (Th... more This paper examines the possibilities offered by the 19th-century Ottoman novel Araba Sevdasi (The passion for carriages) in the perspective of a translation into Italian. After delineating the plot and the linguistic features of the work, this contribution discusses the various option of translation of the abundant French expressions transcribed into the Arabic-Ottoman alphabet, and how to make them available to and enjoyable for the Italian readership.
"From Istanbul to Japan while Listening to Bach - Translating Tugrul Tanyol From Turkish", Testo ... more "From Istanbul to Japan while Listening to Bach - Translating Tugrul Tanyol From Turkish", Testo a Fronte 55 (2016), 157-168.
This short article outlines the life and work of Tuğrul Tanyol, a prominent living Turkish poet a... more This short article outlines the life and work of Tuğrul Tanyol, a prominent living Turkish poet and one of the protagonists of the generation of poets who started their activity in the 1980s. In presenting the main biographical, stylistic, and thematic aspects of Tanyol’s decades-long career, this article aims at making the Italian reader familiar with Tanyol’s poetic world. A selection of his poems is presented in Italian translation.
Forthcoming in L. Nocera (ed.), Atti del primo convegno di Turcologia, Napoli 2015 [Proceedings o... more Forthcoming in L. Nocera (ed.), Atti del primo convegno di Turcologia, Napoli 2015 [Proceedings of the first Turkish Studies symposium, Naples 2015], Naples: Il Torcoliere (2019).
A workshop held at the Netherlands Institute in Turkey, 8 November 2019 - Convened by Nicola Verd... more A workshop held at the Netherlands Institute in Turkey, 8 November 2019 - Convened by Nicola Verderame, University of Naples "L'Orientale"
Masters and Apprentices in Turkish Poetry from the 1980s to Date - A talk held in Naples, "L'Orie... more Masters and Apprentices in Turkish Poetry from the 1980s to Date - A talk held in Naples, "L'Orientale" University, 7 March 2017
Generations and Revolutions in Contemporary Turkish Poetry - A talk held in Lecce, Turkish Langua... more Generations and Revolutions in Contemporary Turkish Poetry - A talk held in Lecce, Turkish Language and Culture Seminar, Università del Salento, 19 April 2017
Questo volume si propone di indagare le ragioni per cui in Turchia la memoria individuale e la co... more Questo volume si propone di indagare le ragioni per cui in Turchia la memoria individuale e la costruzione della soggettività, intese in senso lato, debordino così spesso dai confini dell'individuo per inglobare le problematiche dell'identità nazionale. Le "scritture del sé", che siano confessioni, memorie, romanzi autobiografici e biografici, sono state scelte quali strumenti per giungere a comprendere i meccanismi di costruzione della memoria individuale e collettiva. Le problematiche relative alla costruzione della moderna nazione turca con i suoi eventi storici traumatici, gli approcci al tema della memoria da parte dei segmenti esclusi dal discorso dominante ed egemone, costituiscono i nuclei tematici centrali attorno a cui si sviluppa la riflessione degli autori.
This dissertation documents and analyses the architectural booming of the sultanate of Abdülhamid... more This dissertation documents and analyses the architectural booming of the sultanate of Abdülhamid II (1876-1909) from the perspective of building and restoration of water fountains and water systems. While previous studies have not adopted this lens to read the architectural development of the Hamidian sultanate, this study's focus on water supply reveals how the regime of Abdülhamid II established a discourse of religious charity that consciously capitalised upon traditional Ottoman practices, with a strong focus on sultanic generosity and the philanthropic activity of the dynasty. In turn, the emphasis on charity served to make a statement of legitimacy for the sultanate, even providing the discursive scaffolding to the modernisation of urban and health infrastructures.
The analysis of a wide range of epigraphic, journalistic, architectural, and archival evidence concerning Istanbul and several other urban centres reveals the variety of actors involved in the booming of water infrastructures. This dissertation shows that the monumentalisation of sultanic charity was for the Hamidian regime an instrument to contrast the encroachment of foreign concession-holding water companies. At the same time, the process of dedicating monumental water fountains to the sultan served local governors and communities to display their loyalty to the patrimonial regime of Abdülhamid II. Moreover, local notables from the old regime retained their power well after the Tanzimat reforms (1839-1876) and displayed it by participating in the process of monumentalisation of charity.
Finally, by analysing a variety of hitherto understudied sources, this dissertation has reassessed the religious dimension of the building activity of the late Ottoman Empire, too often considered only in its modernising impact. This study argues that by building or restoring water infrastructures, the Hamidian regime turned infrastructures into monuments to the philanthropy of the sultan, and as a result it constructed an Ottoman modernity in which religious values became the kernel of architectural activity.
Ersoy, Ahmet, Architecture and the Late Ottoman Historical Imaginary: Reconfiguring the Architect... more Ersoy, Ahmet, Architecture and the Late Ottoman Historical Imaginary: Reconfiguring the Architectural Past in a Modernizing Empire, (Burlington: Ashgate 2015), pp. 313. Review by Nicola Verderame, forthcoming in Eurasian Studies (2018)
Review of: Italian Architects and Builders in the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey: Design Across... more Review of: Italian Architects and Builders in the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey: Design Across Borders, Paolo Girardelli and Ezio Godoli (eds.), (2017), Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, forthcoming in International Journal of Islamic Architecture 8:2 (July 2019).
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Art in the Periphery - International Conference
Art History Institute, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
Institute for Contemporary History, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
In this essay I examine the continuities in poetry writing between the 1980s and 2010s, that were marked by the protests of Gezi Park and by a growing authoritarian power. In particular, the article hopes to clarify recurring themes and possible differences in the expressions of dissent between the poetry writing of the two periods.
To this aim, this essay examines the work of Tuğrul Tanyol, one of the main poems of the “1980s' Generation”, who started his activity in the aftermath of the 1980 coup and in the 2010s has expressed in verses his dissent towards the current government in the context of the Gezi Park protests. Through the analysis of Tanyol's poems that belong to the two periods, this study aims at clarifying the impact of literary forms which originated in the 1980s on current poetry writing, and on the shaping of its canon.
Keywords: 1980s, Gezi Park, Tuğrul Tanyol
Art in the Periphery - International Conference
Art History Institute, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
Institute for Contemporary History, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
In this essay I examine the continuities in poetry writing between the 1980s and 2010s, that were marked by the protests of Gezi Park and by a growing authoritarian power. In particular, the article hopes to clarify recurring themes and possible differences in the expressions of dissent between the poetry writing of the two periods.
To this aim, this essay examines the work of Tuğrul Tanyol, one of the main poems of the “1980s' Generation”, who started his activity in the aftermath of the 1980 coup and in the 2010s has expressed in verses his dissent towards the current government in the context of the Gezi Park protests. Through the analysis of Tanyol's poems that belong to the two periods, this study aims at clarifying the impact of literary forms which originated in the 1980s on current poetry writing, and on the shaping of its canon.
Keywords: 1980s, Gezi Park, Tuğrul Tanyol
the architectural development of the Hamidian sultanate, this study's focus on water supply reveals how the regime of Abdülhamid II established a discourse of religious charity that consciously capitalised upon traditional Ottoman practices, with a strong focus on sultanic generosity and the philanthropic activity of the dynasty. In turn, the emphasis on charity served to make a statement of legitimacy for the sultanate, even providing the discursive scaffolding to the modernisation of urban and health infrastructures.
The analysis of a wide range of epigraphic, journalistic, architectural, and archival evidence concerning Istanbul and several other urban centres reveals the variety of
actors involved in the booming of water infrastructures. This dissertation shows that the monumentalisation of sultanic charity was for the Hamidian regime an instrument to contrast the encroachment of foreign concession-holding water companies. At the same
time, the process of dedicating monumental water fountains to the sultan served local governors and communities to display their loyalty to the patrimonial regime of Abdülhamid II. Moreover, local notables from the old regime retained their power well after the Tanzimat reforms (1839-1876) and displayed it by participating in the process of monumentalisation of charity.
Finally, by analysing a variety of hitherto understudied sources, this dissertation has reassessed the religious dimension of the building activity of the late Ottoman
Empire, too often considered only in its modernising impact. This study argues that by building or restoring water infrastructures, the Hamidian regime turned infrastructures into monuments to the philanthropy of the sultan, and as a result it constructed an Ottoman modernity in which religious values became the kernel of architectural activity.