FOR THE 25TH TIME, WITH FEELING!
One of the world’s most fascinating literary events will take place on Bozcaada at the beginning of August. On the morning of August 2, hundreds of poetry lovers will gather on the beach facing Troy, waiting for dawn to break. As soon as the sun appears over the Anatolian hills, they will begin reciting the immortal verses of Homer.
And they will be doing so for the 25th time!
Until now, the readings have focused mainly on the Iliad, the epic that tells the story of the Trojan War. This year, however, the emphasis will be on the Odyssey. The epic recounts the return of Odysseus, one of the Achaean commanders who sacked Troy, to his homeland of Ithaca after an epic ten-year journey.
Haluk Şahin, who has organized this poetry festival in Bozcaada for the past 25 years, explains:
“In the Odyssey, Homer tells us that the adventurous homeward journey of ‘crafty Odysseus’ actually began from Bozcaada, then known as Tenedos. Setting sail for home, Odysseus spends his first night on Tenedos. However, after a quarrel breaks out among his crew, he returns to Troy. From that point on, his renewed voyage lasts a full ten years. In other words, the shore where we will hold our reading is the very shore where Odysseus spent that night.”
Known as “The Poet’s Day and Homer Reading,” the event features not only poetry readings by Turkish and international poets but also discussions of new insights and discoveries concerning Troy and Homer led by the Trojan excavation director Rüstem Aslan.
Journalist Şahin, who is also known as a poet and novelist, explains their special interest in Homer:
“Homer is believed to have been from İzmir. Troy lies directly across from our island—we can see it from our homes. The story he tells is the story of Anatolia and of the people who lived here. If we Anatolians do not read Homer, then who will?”