On a bitterly cold January evening, I walk with trepidation towards a grand, imposing church. Why trepidation? Because I know the temperature inside this magnificent venue is not going to be that different from the outside; I spent many hours trembling inside Union Chapel attending union meetings. The choice of the venue is perhaps anathema […]
Renowned Turkish actor Genco Erkal shares his love of the works of Turkey’s celebrated poet and playwright Nâzım Hikmet in his production Yaşamaya Dair: Bursa Cezaevi’nden Mektuplar (‘On Living: Letters from Bursa Prison’). Erkal’s two-person show, set to music by Fazıl Say and Zülfü Livaneli, will visit London’s Union Chapel for one night only in January […]
Few artists have achieved as much in their life as David Bowie. His talents were endless: singer, songwriter, musician, producer, actor, painter, fashion icon… Since first coming into the public consciousness in 1969 with the release of his second album David Bowie/Space Oddity, Bowie has proved to be the master of transformation and innovation, his […]
Happy 8th March International Working Women’s Day! Here are some apt words for this day from renowned writer and poet Nazım Hikmet. The faces of our women are the book of our pains. Our pains, our faults and the blood we shed carve scars on the faces of our women like plows. And our joys are […]
Described as a “romantic revolutionary”, Nâzım Hikmet was repeatedly arrested for his political beliefs and spent much of his life in prison or in exile. His poetry has been translated into more than fifty languages and his innovative writing style broke literary boundaries in Turkey. His imprisonment in the 1940s became a cause célèbre among […]
