“When day turns into evening”: The literature of Selim İleri

Conference
29–30 April 2026
Orient-Institut Istanbul
Language: Turkish

This symposium, held on the occasion of Selim İleri’s birthday, aims both to commemorate the writer, whom we lost last year, and to discuss his extensive body of work spanning short stories, novels, criticism, essays, and screenplays. Reflecting on Selim İleri and his literature allows us to move through a broader literary landscape shaped by his historical perspective—one that embraces the turning points and milestones of Turkish-language literature. The symposium will begin on April 29 with opening remarks by Zeynep Uysal and Christoph K. Neumann, followed by a presentation by Murat Gülsoy, including a listening session of a previously unpublished interview he conducted with Selim İleri many years ago. After a general overview of İleri’s works, the first day will conclude with a session in which his friends share their memories. On April 30, three panels will explore his works—moving across genres—through concepts such as criticism and intertextuality. The program will conclude with a session in which friends once again reflect on Selim İleri.

Organized in collaboration with Boğaziçi University, the Nazım Hikmet Center for Cultural and Artistic Research, and the Orient-Institut Istanbul.

The language of the event is Turkish. Participation is free of charge. Please register via the form below to attend in person. Photography and video recording will take place during the event. By participating, you consent to their use on the OII website, newsletter, and social media channels. The event will be recorded.

VENUE

Orient-Institut Istanbul
Galip Dede Cad. 65, Şahkulu Mah., TR – 34421 Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 293 60 67
oiist@oiist.org | oiist.org

REGISTRATION

To attend the event in person, please register here:

PROGRAM

Wednesday, 29 April

14:30 Opening

14:45–17:00   THE WRITER OF SEPIA TIMES
Moderator: Christoph K. Neumann (Orient-Institut Istanbul)

Murat Gülsoy
“I Love the Naïve Reader”: Murat Gülsoy in Conversation with Selim İleri

Özge Şahin (Mimar Sinan University)
Selim İleri and His Oeuvre from Within Self/Fiction

Zeynep Uysal (Boğaziçi University)
“Had All This Not Happened, Not Been Lived?” Selim İleri’s Lived and Written Worlds

Olcay Akyıldız (Boğaziçi University)
Before “Getting to the Point”: The Possibilities of Deferral in Selim İleri

BREAK (17:00-17:30)

17:30–19:00   FRIENDS REMEMBER SELİM İLERİ
Moderator: Deniz Yüce Başarır

Birhan Keskin
Ömer Erdem
Ayşe Sarısayın

Thursday, 30 April

10:00–12:45   “THE PAST IS THE FUTURE”: CRITICISM AND INTERTEXTUAL RELATIONS
Moderator: Halim Kara

Selim S. Kuru (University of Washington, Seattle)
Anxiety and Sensibility: Novel, Society, and Life in Yaşarken ve Ölürken

Yusuf Çopur
Selim İleri: Yesterday – Today – Tomorrow

Deniz Aktan Küçük (Sabancı University)
From the Dark Days of a Long Winter to Dusty Love Novels:
Selim İleri as Reader of Aşk-ı Memnu and Author of Ölünceye Kadar Seninim

BREAK (11:15–11:30)

Demet Karabulut Dede (Istanbul Bilgi University)
The Rhythms of the Waves: Literary Dialogue with Virginia Woolf in Selim İleri’s Bodrum Tetralogy

Fatih Altuğ (Boğaziçi University)
Criticism and Affect in Selim İleri’s Writings for Politika and Dünya Newspapers

Sibel Yılmaz (Middle East Technical University)
Between Admiration and Distance: Tanpınar in Selim İleri’s Personal Canon

LUNCH BREAK (12:45–14:00)

14:00–16:10   SELİM İLERİ’S SHORT STORIES AND NOVELS AS “A FRACTURE OF THE MIND”
Moderator: Nüket Esen

Oktay Yivli (Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University)
Characteristics of Selim İleri’s Short Fiction

Tamer Kütükçü (Sabancı University)
Transgressions and Boundaries in Male Intimacies in Selim İleri’s Short Stories

BREAK (14:40–14:50)

Hüsna Baka (Boğaziçi University)
The Exiled Creatures of Her Gece Bodrum

Erkan Irmak (Sabancı University)
Why Did I Rewrite My Work? Differences Between Two Versions of Ölünceye Kadar Seninim

Cüneyt Yüce (Medipol University)
The Aesthetics of Hatred and Baseness in Mel’un: Bir Us Yarılması

BREAK (16:10-16:25)

16:25–17:45   “IMAGES SCATTERED THROUGH THE YEARS”: SELİM İLERİ ACROSS GENRES
Moderator: Zeynep Uysal

Sevgin Özer (Sabancı University)
Literature, Identity, and Cultural Change at the Tables in Selim İleri’s Dreams

Esra Dicle (Boğaziçi University)
Selim İleri’s Biographical Dramas

Nurseli Gamze Korkmaz (Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University)
Fluid Pronouns, Fluid Minds: The Unreliable Narrator in Sen Diye Biri

BREAK (17:45-18:00)

18:00  SELİM İLERİ: TESTIMONIES AND COLLABORATIONS
Moderator: Figen Şakacı

Deniz Durukan
Turgay Kantürk
Burcu Aktaş