Literary in Istanbul is one of the inspirational literacies such as Paris, Cairo, Saint Petersburg, and others… because they embraced great writers and novelists who formed qualitative shifts in the history of world literature.
Istanbul is also a literary city, and it’s a wonderful haven for lovers of literature and novel lovers; the soul of its great writers and novelists remained present in the streets, cafes and gardens of these cities…
Istanbul and literary tourism
Istanbul is an ideal city for historical tourism. Its mosques, churches, museums and buildings carry to the visitor the breezes of a past rich in historical events, human coexistence and cultural and civilizational cross-fertilization.
However, what many overlook is that this beautiful city is an ideal space for those who have a fondness for literature, whose heart is eager to read poetry and story, and is fascinated by the narrative worlds.
Istanbul has a group of important literary museums.
Museums convey to the visitor the enchanting atmosphere of creativity that was close to Turkish writers who left a huge impact on world literature. As if they were time machines that trace the one back to past ages, with their furniture, books, candles and more….
Istanbul’s Writers
It’s hard to write about things that don’t inspire you. Therefore, writing about Istanbul, and creating complete fictional and poetic worlds from its spaces, can be considered a product of inspiration that this city produces in abundance.
Turkish novelists like “Elif afak”; “Nazem Hekmat” and “Orhan Kemal” showed to the world the social conditions that Turkish society, especially Istanbul, was experiencing in that period, in a realistic way…
They have always moved from one place to another; but as Turkish in origin. However, linked to a unique love relationship with Istanbul, whenever they leave it, they feel like returning to it with longing.
Istanbul‘s Inspiration
Love, beauty, giving and expressing feelings … all are sources of inspiration, and raw materials for literary creativity. In Istanbul, roses are scattered on all streets and alleys, and Istanbulites are keen to have them, with or without occasion.
This beautiful culture makes every lover of literature think about those scenes he read about in romantic novels, where love flutters in the streets decorated with flowers, and in the gardens overflowing with flowers of different colors. These scenes are literary and aesthetically pleasing.
In addition, any human legacy that is rich, huge, and diverse is a source of inspiration as well. Just seeing a lofty dome such as the “Hagia Sophia” or “Topkapi Palace” and thinking about all that historical momentum and cultural diversity that imprinted it, and how one building moved from a cathedral to a mosque and then to a museum, makes the lovers of literature, especially the human and historical, find a rich substance of knowledge and pleasure that creates the desire for creativity.