Turkey’s national poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy was commemorated in a special program held at Wien Yunus Emre Enstitüsü on Saturday, November 21. In the event, the German translation of Prof. Dr. Fazıl Gökçek’s book “Poet of a Civilization: Mehmet Akif Ersoy”, published through the efforts of European Muslim Academicians Union (EMUS), was presented.

In his opening speech, Mevlüt Bulut, director of Wien Yunus Emre Enstitüsü, thanked everyone involved in the commemoration of the Turkish national anthem’s writer Mehmet Akif Ersoy. “Mehmet Akif Ersoy is one of the representatives of the Turkish war of independence and is a cherished value of our culture. Ersoy, beyond his excellent poetry, is an upstanding human being with decent morals and lifestyle, and an inspiration to future generations” said Bulut. Ambassador Hasan Göğüş took the stage for his welcome speech in which he reminded the audience that Mehmet Akif penned the national anthem for the new Turkish Republic formed during the War of Independence in 1919-1922. Göğüş emphasized that Akif’s poem was selected from 724 candidates, and ended his speech with a reading of Akif’s poem “To Çanakkale Martyrs”.

During the following talks, the translators of “Poet of a Civilization: Mehmet Akif Ersoy” explored topics like Akif’s life, his views on poetry, his works, and his influence on 20^th century thought. The speakers suggested that it is necessary to look beyond the well-known image of Akif as a national poet, and explore how his ideas and life stance has especially influenced 20^th century movements of thought. The program continued with a presentation of Akif’s hitherto unpublished photographs and a listening of his scored poems.

The program was attended by Turkish Ambassador to Austria Mehmet Hasan Göğüş, Wien Consul General Tayyar Kağan Atay, Counselor of Religious Services Fatih Mehmet Karadaş, and other notable guests.