For the past 10 years, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality has brought the international literary community together with the people of İzmir. This year, İzmir International Literature Festival will welcome two of the world’s leading literary figures, Alberto Manguel and Zülfü Livaneli. Held from September 24 to 27 under the theme “Literature Heals,” the festival will bring together writers, poets, intellectuals, and artists from Türkiye and around the world.

Organized by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Directorate of Libraries, İzmir International Literature Festival will open its doors for the 10th time from September 24 to 27. The festival will highlight literature’s influence on the human spirit and social life, as well as its power to help communities heal together. Poet Haydar Ergülen will serve as the festival director. Alberto Manguel, one of the most prominent figures in the world literature, and internationally renowned musician, intellectual, and novelist Zülfü Livaneli will be the festival’s Guests of Honor. They will meet with audiences in İzmir for a special conversation on the opening evening. The opening ceremony will be held at Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Center on September 24. Awards will also be presented to the winners of the poetry, short story, and essay competition organized for high school students under the theme “Literature Heals.”

Distinguished guests at the festival
Over four days, the festival will feature talks, poetry readings, storytelling sessions, stage performances, workshops, documentary screenings, a book launch, commemorative events, and musical performances. The festival will host 30 guests from İzmir, various cities across Türkiye, and several countries around the world, including Ahmet İnam, Hadaa Sendoo, Ferit Hüseyin, Tarık Tufan, Dalmira Tilepbergenova, Ayşe Acar, İlhan Sami Çomak, A. Nilgün Canel, Hüseyin Peker, Nihan Kaya, Namık Kuyumcu, Ayşe Bilge Selçuk, Çağla Ayhan, Eşref Yener, Louis Armand, Fabienne Leloup, and many other distinguished figures. The talks, which will take place in İzmir and Bergama throughout the four-day festival, will be open to the public just like the other events.

A series of conversations with writers
The festival program will include “Does Literature Heal?,” a conversation between Alberto Manguel and Zülfü Livaneli; Alberto Manguel’s “Ancient Libraries”; Ahmet İnam’s “İyiliğin Felsefesi” (The Philosophy of Goodness); Nihan Kaya’s “Edebiyat ve İyileşme Üzerine” (On Literature and Healing); Tarık Tufan and Fabienne Leloup’s “Roman İyileştirir mi?” (Can the Novel Heal?); İlhan Sami Çomak’s “Şiirle İyileşmek” (Healing Through Poetry); Ayşe Acar’s “Anadolu Aydınlanması ve İyilik” (The Anatolian Enlightenment and Goodness); Ayşe Bilge Selçuk’s “İyileşmek Üstüne” (On Healing); and Ferit Hüseyin, Hadaa Sendoo, and Dalmira Tilepbergenova’s “Şiir ve Sinema” (Poetry and Cinema).

Dance, music, cinema, theater, and storytelling
Bringing readers, writers, and the city together for the 10th time, the İzmir International Literature Festival will present a rich program centered on literature’s healing and transformative power, featuring diverse stories and storytellers. The program will include a performance by Polish virtuoso Petra Nachtmanova, who performs Turkish folk songs and traditional verses accompanied by bağlama; Jana Orlová’s “Virginia Woolf: Exhibiting the Other”; Yvetta Ellerová and Petr Hruška’s “Healing Through Music and Poetry”; poetry performances and video art presentations by Erkut Tokman, Mete Özel, and Monica Papi; Efruze Esra’s storytelling performance “Fairy Tales Heal”; and A. Nilgün Canel’s workshop “Healing Through Writing.” Theater productions and documentaries will also be presented to audiences.

 “Zülfü Livaneli” documentary
One of the festival’s most notable documentary screenings will be Zülfü Livaneli, directed by Nebil Özgentürk, which explores Livaneli’s life and artistic journey. The documentary examines the multifaceted career of Livaneli, who will be welcomed to İzmir as a Guest of Honor, and his contributions to literature, music, cinema, and intellectual life. It will offer audiences a different perspective on the creative world of the renowned artist. The program will also feature Tolga Oskar’s documentary Nilgün, about celebrated poet Nilgün Marmara, and Murat Çidamlı’s play Piraye.

Commemorations and celebrations
The commemorative and celebratory events will include a presentation by Namık Kuyumcu marking the 100th anniversary of Can Yücel’s birth. As part of the “Tribute to the Masters” series, Altay Ömer Erdoğan will give a presentation on İzmir poet and writer Hüseyin Peker. The “Poetry Heals” readings will also bring poems by numerous poets to literature lovers.

Second-day events in Kültürpark and Bergama
On the festival’s second day, Friday, September 25, archaeologist Dr. Ali Özkan will lead the “Poets’ Walk” at Pergamon Acropolis in Bergama at 11:00 a.m. At 2:00 p.m., Alberto Manguel will give his “Ancient Libraries” talk at Bergama Municipality Culture Center. The second-day events will continue outside İzmir Art Center in Kültürpark with Petr Hruška and Yvetta Ellerová’s “Healing Through Music and Poetry” performance at 5:30 p.m. Nihan Kaya’s “On Literature and Healing” talk will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by a conversation between Zülfü Livaneli and Haydar Ergülen at 7:30 p.m. The documentary Zülfü Livaneli, directed by Nebil Özgentürk, will be screened at İzmir Art Center at 8:30 p.m.

Talks and poetry events on the third day
On the third day of the festival, Saturday, September 26, A. Nilgün Canel’s “Healing Through Writing” workshop will take place at Hasan Ali Yücel Library in Kültürpark at noon. The program outside İzmir Art Center will begin with Ahmet İnam’s “The Philosophy of Goodness” at 2:00 p.m. At 3:00 p.m., Fabienne Leloup and Tarık Tufan will take part in “Can the Novel Heal?” conversation moderated by Sylvain Cavaillès. İlhan Sami Çomak’s “Healing Through Poetry” talk will begin at 4:00 p.m., followed by Ayşe Acar’s “The Anatolian Enlightenment and Goodness” at 5:00 p.m. The “Poetry Heals” poetry reading will take place at 6:00 p.m. The third day will conclude with a performance by Petra Nachtmanova at 7:00 p.m.
 
A literature-filled final day
On Sunday, September 27, the fourth and final day of the festival, a storytelling event will be held outside İzmir Art Center. The program will begin at noon with Efruze Esra’s “Fairy Tales Heal” performance. A launch for Ferit Hüseyin’s book Yunus İyiliği (The Goodness of Yunus) will take place at 1:30 p.m. At 2:00 p.m., the performance art and video art presentation “Healing Through Art” will be held. Moderated by Zeynep Çolakoğlu, the event will feature performances by Mete Özel, Erkut Tokman, and Monica Papi. At 3:00 p.m., Ayşe Bilge Selçuk will present “On Healing.” At 4:00 p.m., Ferit Hüseyin, Dalmira Tilepbergenova, and Hadaa Sendoo will participate in the “Poetry and Cinema” conversation moderated by Erkut Tokman. As part of the commemorative events, “Can Yücel at 100,” featuring a presentation by Namık Kuyumcu, will begin at 5:00 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., Altay Ömer Erdoğan will present “Hüseyin Peker at 80” as part of the “Tribute to the Masters” series. The “Poetry Heals” poetry reading will take place at 6:00 p.m., followed by Murat Çidamlı’s play Piraye at 7:00 p.m. At 8:00 p.m., Tolga Oskar’s documentary Nilgün will be screened at İzmir Art Center in a session moderated by Haydar Ergülen.

Detailed information and the full festival program are available at izmir.art and kultursanat.izmir.bel.tr.

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