İlhan Berk
İlhan Berk (18 November 1918 – 28 August 2008) was a leading Turkish poet. He was a dominant figure in the postmodern current in Turkish poetry (termed, "İkinci Yeni"; "The second new generation") and was very influential among Turkish literary circles.
Also recorded as Ilhan Berk
İlhan Berk

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- Name
- İlhan Berk
- Born
- 18 November 1918
- Birthplace
- Manisa, Ottoman Empire
- Died
- 28 August 2008
- Place of death
- Muğla, Turkey
- Occupation
- Poet, essayist
- Nationality
- Turkish
- Movement
- Postmodern literature
- Education
- Gazi University
- Honours
- Sedat Simavi Prizes · Necatigil Poetry Award
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Documentary summary
İlhan Berk (18 November 1918 – 28 August 2008) was a leading Turkish poet. He was a dominant figure in the postmodern current in Turkish poetry (termed, "İkinci Yeni"; "The second new generation") and was very influential among Turkish literary circles.
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Note VALÉORINE
İlhan Berk (1918–2008) was a poet, translator and writer, of Ottoman and Turkish nationality. The poet was born in Manisa and died in Bodrum. İlhan Berk was educated at Gazi University.
Languages used include Turkish. Honours include Necatigil Poetry Award and Sedat Simavi Prizes.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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wikidata · Q343590 · wikipedia · İlhan Berk
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — İlhan Berk • Born — 18 November 1918 • Birthplace — Manisa, Ottoman Empire • Died — 28 August 2008 • Place of death — Muğla, Turkey • Occupation — Poet, essayist • Nationality — Turkish • Period — 1935–2008 • Movement — Postmodern literature
Biography
Biography
Berk was born in Manisa, Turkey in 1918, and as a child witnessed the Fire of Manisa. He received a teacher's training in Balıkesir. He graduated from the French Language Department of Gazi University in Ankara. Between 1945 and 1955, Berk served as a teacher. He later began to work for the publishing office of Ziraat Bank as a translator (1956–1969). He became specialized in the translation of poetry, notably by translating into Turkish works by Arthur Rimbaud and Ezra Pound. In his later years, Berk resided in Bodrum, where he died on 28 August 2008.
Poetry
Poetry
Berk's poetry evolved from the approach of an epical socialist to the dreamy vision of a lyrical and erotic individual. He made the "object" visible in its glory and aimed to break down the meaning. Berk's poetry takes its roots from mythology, and a synthesis of Western and Eastern poetry traditions, yet he accomplishes to create a unique and postmodern approach. Peter Riley, in an analysis of Berk's work published in The Fortnightly Review, suggests the poet sometimes "runs poetry itself to an extremity at which it can no longer function as language." History, geography, visual arts, and cities such as Istanbul, Paris and Ankara feed Berk's poetry. His themes are supported by a sizable vocabulary that includes colloquial words as well as very specific ones, such as musical terms and local names of plants. A significant body of Berk's work is now available in English, most notably A Leaf About To Fall: Selected Poems (2006), Madrigals (2008), The Book of Things (2009) and New selected poems 1947-2008 (2016); all translated by George Messo.
Resources
Resources
*

İlhan Berk'in mezarı
Koray

İlhan Berk ve eşinin mezarı
Koray
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1918
İlhan Berk born at Manisa.
2008
İlhan Berk died at Bodrum.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Manisa.
Birth place
Bodrum.
Death place
Awards
• 1979 Turkish Language Association Award • 1980 Behçet Necatigil Poetry Award • 1983 Yeditepe Poetry Prize • 1988 Sedat Simavi Literature Award
Bibliography in English
Bibliography in English
* * * * * * *
Literature
Literature
Literature
SEZAİ KARAKOÇ, CEMAL SÜREYA, EDİP CANSEVER, TURGUT UYAR VE İLHAN BERK’İN ŞİİRLERİNDE FARKINDALIK ARACI OLARAK GÖLGE, International Journal Of Turkish Literature Culture Education, 2023
Bir Şairin Kaleminden ‘Ben’e, Sanata ve Yaşama Dair Notlar: İlhan Berk’in Düz Yazıları, Erdem, 2011
Scholarly footprint
Literature
Scholarly footprint
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Cited by Wikipedia
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Citations
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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