Book of the Edge

At only 35 years old, Turkish poet and journalist Ece Temelkuran is already considered a pioneering voice of her generation. Book of the Edge is the first US publication of her poetry. Ece Temelkuran is known as a young intellectual who doesn't shy away from controversial subjects. She is a daily columnist at Milliyet, one of the most popular Turkish newspapers, and has won international prizes for her journalism. Her poetry is contemporary and exciting, using various forms of drama and black humor, combined with a postmodern style, to create haunting and fresh takes on life in the Middle East. She is the author of three experimental literary fiction books, and a documentary book on hunger strikes. Most recently, two collections of her articles were published in book form. Book of the Edge uses both verse and prose to describe an allegorical journey. Each poem is a kind of fable where the speaker, or explorer, encounters various creatures as she travels. It gradually becomes clear that the characters in the poems—which include, among others, a butterfly, a bull, a swordfish, a sow bug, and cruel city dwellers—work on a metaphorical level; that the journey is a journey within one’s own soul; and that the explorer is, in fact, the reader him or herself. Award-winning translator Deniz Perin brings this up-and-coming world author to clear, vivid life in a bold, modern style. As a young woman, Perin is a contemporary of Temelkuran and translates her writing with the cultural significance it deserves.