Hulki Aktunç Collection Meets Literature Lovers and Researchers at Özyeğin University

The opening ceremony for the Özyeğin University Library Hulki Aktunç Collection will take place in our University’s library on Monday, April 17, at 14:00. The collection was donated to our University in memory of Mr. Hulki Aktunç, one of the esteemed authors of our literature, by his family. Comprised of more than 3,000 distinguished titles, the Hulki Aktunç Collection also includes some of the works authored by Mr. Hulki Aktunç.

Hulki Aktunç
(January 27, 1949 - June 29, 2011)

Hulki Aktunç started his literary career at Yeni Ufuklar (1968), one of the popular literary journals at that time. He was presented with the Short Story Award (1977) by the Turkish Language Institution in recognition of his first book “Gidenler Dönmeyenler” (Those Who Go, Those Who Never Return). Later, he was honored with the Abdi İpekçi Award (1981), and the Yunus Nadi Short Story Award (1990) in recognition of his novel “Bir Çağ Yangını” (A Fire of Age) and his book “Bir Yer Göstericinin Hayatı” (The Life of an Usher). After 1976, he began focusing on poetry. He received the Halil Kocagöz Poetry Award (1994), and the Cemal Süreya Poetry Award (1995) in recognition of his poetry books “İnsan Aşklarının Külüdür” (The Man is the Ashes of His Loves), and “Istıraplar Ansiklopedisi” (The Encyclopedia of Sorrows), respectively. He garnered a great deal of attention both in Turkey and in the Turkology circles across the globe with his “Grand Slang Dictionary” (1990), which was the result of 10 years’ of hard work. In 1998, he went back to writing short stories with his book “Güz Her Şeyi Bilir” (The Fall Knows It All). In 2009, his poetry book “Sönmemiş Dizeler” (Smouldered Lines) brought him two prestigious poetry awards, the Behçet Necatigil and the Metin Altıok Awards.

He developed a unique style in his short stories and novels in which he pioneered new ways of expression, while exploring the Turkish prose and narrative traditions from past to present. Aktunç’s poetry strived to seek and find the “instinctively poetic approach”, which he was constantly looking for in modern-day people. His poetry was continuously evolving, testing the borders of the not-yet-consumed springs of Turkish poetry, and seeking to create a new school of poetry. His collection of essays (Erotologya, 2000) is considered the first book that analyzes the unique eroticism of the land we live on. Two of his short stories “Aşka Kimse Yok” (No One for Love) and “Bir Yer Göstericinin Hayatı” (The Life of an Usher) were filmed (directed by Osman Sınav, and Tülay Eratalay, respectively). Some of his poems were translated into English and published in the “Twelfth Song” (1998), following a seminar series on poetry translation in Ireland.

From the age of five until his final days, Hulki Aktunç built a rich collection of books in different, yet closely interconnected fields and topics. A significant part of this collection has been donated to Özyeğin University in his memory by his family to be shared with readers and researchers.