THE BOND ISSUE BETWEEN TURKISH POETRY AND NATIONAL TURKISH EXISTENCE IN TURKISH-ISLAMIC THOUGHT – THE EXAMPLE OF ISMET OZEL

Abstract

Ismet Ozel (1944 - ) is one of the most notable figures of Turkish-Islamic thought of the Republican period. It is necessary to say that he has held a prominent and respected position in the Turkish literary – poetic and thought world for about sixty years. Among the issues on which the poet and thinker Özel decisively focus, there is also the issue of the bond between Turkish poetry and the national Turkish existence. Turkish poetry and the national Turkish existence can also be approached as separate entities that are not related to each other. But in Ozel’s view, the bond between the two is an existential one. The inability to see this bond means that we cannot properly understand both Turkish poetry and the national Turkish existence.

The purpose of this review is not to evaluate Ozel’s thoughts on Turkish poetry and the national Turkish existence in the form of separate areas. The aim is to analyze more specifically and decisively his views on the bond between Turkish poetry and the national Turkish existence. The review is of a documentary research character. It is not quantitative, but qualitative-oriented. As a result, it is expected to reach the findings that will make it possible to see more clearly the thoughts of Ismet Ozel about the content of the bond between Turkish poetry and the national Turkish existence. It is thought that these findings will especially encourage interdisciplinary studies.