Read By: Tina Chang

<p><em>Tina Chang on her selection:</em></p> <p>I chose to read "Things I Didn't Know I Loved," by Nâzım Hikmet and translated from the Turkish by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk, from the collection, <em>Poems of Nâzım Hikmet</em>. Hikmet is one of Turkey's most foremost poets and recognized as one of the world's most influential poets of the twentieth century. Born in 1902, he was a prolific writer and wrote plays, poems, novels, and collaborated on librettos. He spent thirteen years in jail as a political prisoner for his "radical acts." "Things I Didn't Know I Loved" was written by Hikmet after being released from prison and, in it, I recognize the almost childlike appreciation for sky, earth, and the cosmos, after spending a long time in solitude. During the pandemic, I am deeply comforted by the appreciation of simple things. When I walk outside, I breathe in and am grateful that all I remembered is still intact. During this most complex year, this poem has been my constant companion.</p> <p><a href= "https://www.perseabooks.com/poems-of-nazim-hikmet"><em>Poems of Nâzım Hikmet</em></a> at Persea Books</p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Music: "Shift of Currents" by Blue Dot Sessions // CC BY-NC 2.0</span></p>