About the Author

Mutlu Konuk Blasing, a native of Istanbul, is Professor of English at Brown University. Her books include Lyric Poetry: The Pain and the Pleasure of Words. She is the co-translator (with Randy Blasing) of the renowned English translations of Nazim Hikmet, and the author of four scholarly books on American poetry.

Reviews

"(Hikmet) looms as a huge presence in Turkish public life... a valuable biography of a vital twentieth-century figure." -- The Times Literary Supplement "[Hikmet] shared with poetic modernists worldwide the determination to be understood by the common person. ...In enlightening remarks on his work as much as the limning of his life, Blasing shows a great poet becoming a great hero." -- Ray Olson - Booklist - Starred review "[Hikmet] was one of the greatest writers of the last century ... It is time for the English-speaking world to discover this fantastic writer, and Konuk Blasing's new biography is a major step in this direction." -- Zack Rogow - Words Without Borders "...an enticing exploration ... a core addition to any international biography collection focusing on thinkers and poets, highly recommended." -- The Midwest Book Review "This biography tells the dynamic story of Turkey's most acclaimed twentieth-century poet. His artistic growth is outlined along with his patriotism, his leftism, and his long-term rejection by the country he loved. Blasing is a prolific translator of Hikmet's work, and she incorporates elements of literary scholarship into her investigation of his life." -- World Literature Today "Highly Recommended." -- CHOICE