Unguided Blog

A typical mind educated in the West is linear, it has been structured that way in the name of deeper analysis, ceteris paribus. It is aware that by keeping all variables but two constant, it creates an artificial world, and thinks that it is necessary, often desirable, and most of the time the only way. This strategy works surprisingly well, in the West that is.

I often come across an article, a comment, or a news story etc, trying to analyze Turkey. Rarely I agree with them. In approximately half of the cases, if I jump to the conclusion I would agree to it, but when I start from the beginning, with the author’s premises, my conclusion will not be the same or be a completely different one. This naturally follows to a scenario in which even if the wording of the conclusion is the same, its meaning is not, or different premises are required for me to reach the author’s conclusion. It is I call a natural difference of perception.

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The Istanbul International Poetry Festival starts today. Among the guests we can count Saadi Yousef, Claudio Pozzani, Jean Pierre Balpe, Pedro Shimose, Pio Serrano, Sergey Gandlevski and Joan Margarit. It may sound awkward to promote such an event to travelers, but it is really difficult to find those names (read: poets) together anywhere. So, if you’re around Istanbul, do not miss it. I will not say the same thing for the festival’s crappy, flashy, ugly site Istanbul Siir Festivali, which is a pain in the neck (apparently they did not think linux users and/or they have other technical problems).

The main theme of the event will be Catalan poems and two of the poets mentioned, Iraqi Saadi Yousef and Cuban Pio Serrano both live in exile.

There is an opening concert of Cihat Askin at the Archaeology Museum, the closing concert will be given by Ayse Tutuncu Percussion Group.