The themes of “Ataturk and Independence” that stand out in the works of National Poet Özker Yaşın were reviewed at the conference held at Ege University Turkic World Studies Institute.
Date Added: 21 May 2022, 15:48
Last Updated Date:23 May 2022, 10:18


Near East University Atatürk Education Faculty lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yeniasır made a presentation titled “Atatürk and Independence in the Works of Özker Yaşın” at the Institute of Turkish World Studies at Ege University.

At the conference, the works of Özker Yaşın, who has an important place in Turkish Cypriot Literature and is also known as the “National Poet”, were reviewed. The conference, which was attended online and attracted great interest, was moderated by Ege University Turkic World Studies Institute Head of Turkish World Literatures Prof. Dr. Ali Erol.


Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yeniasır: “Özker Yaşın announced to the world the struggle of Turkish Cypriots with his lyrical and epic poetry style.”
Near East University Atatürk Education Faculty Lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yeniasır reminded that the Great Leader Atatürk took place in many poems as a great hero, while the National Poet of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Özker Yaşın frequently included the theme of independence in his works, and that Atatürk’s historical personality, whom Yaşın most often addressed, was also mentioned.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yeniasır also reminded that Özker Yaşın wrote a book of poems to express the love and devotion of the Turkish Cypriots to Atatürk, and said that this book was later developed and published for the second time under the title “Respect to Atatürk”. At the conference, where he gave examples of Yaşın’s works, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yeniasır said “Atatürk’s love has always been expressed with enthusiasm in the poems written by Özker Yaşın.”

Saying that Özker Yaşın is a poet who lived through the bitter and dark times of the Turkish Cypriots, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yeniasır stated that this period manifests itself in Yaşın’s works. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yeniasır said, “For Özker Yaşın, one of the important names in Cypriot Literature, subjects such as homeland, nation, freedom, independence and flag have always been at the forefront. In his poems, he expressed the periods of the Turkish Cypriots’ struggle for freedom and their liberation. For this reason, he received the title of National Poet of Cyprus”.

National Poet of Cyprus Özker Yaşın takes his place with his bronze bust at the Walled City Museum…
Özker Yaşın, who has produced many works as a novelist and journalist in addition to his identity as a poet, was also one of the members of the TRNC Founding Assembly. A versatile writer and human being, Özker Yasın was born in 1932 in Nicosia. Having spent his early youth in Istanbul, Yaşın returned to Cyprus in 1950 and started to work as a journalist and radio television programmer. Later, he founded a bookstore, then a printing house, and published the newspaper “Savaş”. He participated in the founding of the Republican Turkish Party. He was a member of parliament between 1970-1976. He made a name for himself in almost all newspapers and magazines in Cyprus, and especially in the “Varlık” magazine in Turkey. He became the leading poet of “Free Poetry” and “Nationalist Poetry”. He brought in a real innovation to Turkish Cypriot Poetry with his Turkish, poetic aesthetics, sources, theme and style. The master pen of the Turkish Cypriot Writing died on February 6, 2011 in Istanbul.

The bronze bust of Özker Yaşın, which is included in the “Cypriot Turkish Writers Bust Collection” consisting of the Turkish Cypriot writers who contributed to Turkish Cypriot literature, history and culture, was opened to the public on the 10th anniversary of his death last year.