Özker Yaşın, one of the standing out poets of the Turkish world, was commemorated with a panel held at the Near East University. Near East University Atatürk Education Faculty Lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Burak Gökbulut chaired the panel, whereas Prof. Dr. Şevket Öznur made a presentation titled “Özker Yaşın and War Newspaper”, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yeniasır made a presentation titled “Homeland Theme in the Works of Özker Yaşın and Hüseyin Cavid”, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Mihrican Aylanç contributed with her presentation titled “Özker Yaşın’s Novelism” and Metin Turan with his speeches titled “The Originality and Memory of Cyprus Özker Yaşın”.

A great artist who contributed to national literature
In the panel where it was stated that Özker Yaşın, who played an important role in the development of free verse in Turkish Cypriot poetry, was also one of the important poets who dealt with the theme of nationalism in Turkish Cypriot poetry. Özker Yaşın gave importance to the expression rather than an artistic concern in the poems he wrote and valiantly resisted the enemy with his poems. Yaşın was identified as a great artist who contributed to the national literature of the Turkish Cypriots. It was stated that the publication of Yaşar Nabi Nayır’s book “A Ship in the Port” as the 25th book in the “New Turkish Poetry” series, which was chosen for Varlık Publications in 1956, was a turning point in terms of Turkish Cypriot poetry.

He made the struggle of the Turkish Cypriots epic
Özker Yaşın, who made the struggle of the Turkish Cypriots epic with his lyric and epic poems, was recognized as the National Poet of Cyprus. Özker Yaşın’ns poetry books; “Old World”, “Bayraktar Epic”, “From Cyprus to Atatürk”, “A Ship in the Harbor”, “Namık Kemal in Cyprus”, “Cyprus Letter”, “Mehmetçik in Cyprus”, “Babylon is Farther away” , “A Moment of Homage to Atatürk”, “Bloody Cyprus”, “Letters to My Son Savaş”, “Höyükname”, “Flag in Cyprus”, “Cyprus is My Homeland (All Poems-1)”, “Birds Wake First (All Poems) -2)”, “Half of My Heart is in You (Last Poems-I)”, “An Island in the Mediterranean (Last Poems-II).” In addition to his poetry books, there are also published novels and plays. Özker Yaşın is a great poet who has an important place in Turkish Cypriot poetry, both with his poems about Cyprus and with his poems with other themes.