İLHAN KEMAL

İlhan Kemal (Kemal Kaplan) was born in Feke, Adana. He has contributed poems, critical analyses, essays, interviews, and theoretical writings on poetry to numerous national and local literary magazines, fanzines, and poetry anthologies. His poems have also been translated into foreign languages ​​and featured in the anthology “Destine Literare” (Canada, 2015); the “World Anthology of Poetry” (Taiwan, 2016); “Salt Boundaries” (Italy, 2017), an anthology of global poets; and the poetry journal “Miletus” (USA, 2019). His work has been the subject of critical studies; comprehensive features dedicated to his poetry appeared in “Şiirden” magazine in 2021 and “Teş” magazine in 2023. Dr. Ömer Uluçay authored a book titled “Şiir ve Yankı” (Poetry and Echo) focusing on his life and poetry. In a significant article by Sinan Bakır, published in the June 2022 issue of “Türkbilig”, an international peer-reviewed journal issued by the Hacettepe University Faculty of Letters, he was identified as one of the twenty poets who shaped the poetry of the 2000s, with the article highlighting him as a pioneer of “new imagistic lyric poetry.”

A panel discussion titled “In Pursuit of New Poetry” (“Yeni Şiirin İzinde”), focusing on İlhan Kemal’s poetry, was held on December 3, 2022, through a collaboration between Çukurova Municipality and Çukurova University. More than fifty critical analyses of İlhan Kemal’s poetry, written by figures from the worlds of literature and academia in our country and published in various journals between the 2000s and the present, were compiled into a book titled “İlhan Kemal Kitabı” (The İlhan Kemal Book) by poets Ayfer Karakaş and Selda Kaya in 2023.

Furthermore, Assoc. Prof. Bilge Göllü İlhan, representing Çukurova University’s Faculty of Science and Letters in the field of literature, presented a comprehensive paper on the poetry of İlhan Kemal at the 6th Ankara International Congress on Multidisciplinary Scientific Studies, held in our country in 2023.

İlhan Kemal played a role in the founding and management of the magazines “Lül Sanat”, “İmgelem Çocukları”, and “Teş Kültür Sanat ve Edebiyat”. He was also among the founding members of the “Ötekileriz” Culture and Art Initiative. He did not limit himself to merely writing poetry in a column; he devised plans, provided leadership, and dedicated his efforts to the realization of numerous artistic events. Immersing himself in every facet of life enriched his spirit. He made it the focal point of his existential journey to distill his readings and daily experiences into a unique synthesis and to transform that synthesis into poetry. In the words of Veysel Çolak, he “kept watch over life.” He continues to dance with words in the carnival of life… He has published fifteen poetry books, a collected works volume, and a book of poetic texts. Poetry Books:

Mağmum (2006), Hiç, Kimsenin Bildiği (2007), Ücra Söz (2009), Değişik (2011), Yağmur Konalgası (2012), Beni Güzlerimden Öp (2014), Ağır Çıvgın (2016), Yalnızlık Karnavalı (2018), Yitik Kitap (2019), Şehrazat’ın Düğünü (2020), Çavlan Sözler (2020, Collected Poems), İnci Buğusu (2021), Issız Yara (2021), Hüsün Kitabı (2022), Aşkla Çattığım Dünyadır (2023), Şarkısı Lirik (2025), and Ahrazın Şarkısı (2026)

Contact: ilhankemal1@gmail.com