Zülfü Livaneli: Cruelty Never Ends
23. March 2011 15:22
in conversation with Michael March
Michael March: It feels as though we are going backwards. Zülfü Livaneli: Not in the long run—but in the shortness of our lives. MM: What have you seen? ZL: Turkish society—my society—went backwards. I grew up in a secular Turkey, with secular traditions—a more or less free country—without the dominance of Islam. In my youth, I was faced with military takeovers—I was in a military prison. Now we face the backward pull of Islam. So, I'm not optimistic about the present situation in Turkey. MM: What brought you to the free space of literature? ZL: Love and ambition. I was like a small Don Quixote in Ankara—ten years old, mad about books. Now, I am known as a composer—having initially earned my living in exile as a composer—but my first love and last love is literature. MM: What brought you to prison? ZL: False accusations. As you know, the military is allergic to thinking. Turkish prisons specialize in Turkish literature. MM: Music is much more popular than literature. ZL: Songs are much more popular—they go beneath the skin—describe our feelings. But to analyze—to create a character—capture a time or to relive your thoughts—you need novels. MM: The courage to write? ZL: Concentration and enjoyment. MM: Cruelty never ends. ZL: But the end remains mysterious. Istanbul | February 2011