Tarık Günersel studied English Literature at Istanbul University and went on to have a rich and diverse career in the arts. From 1991 to 2014, he worked as a dramaturg, actor, and director at the Istanbul Metropolitan Theatre. In 1996, he co-founded the Poetic Space Lab, an initiative dedicated to exploring new dimensions in poetry and literature.
He is one of the co-founders of World Poetry Day, established through the collaboration of PEN and UNESCO, and served as the Founding Artistic Director of Theatre H2O. Günersel is President Emeritus of the PEN Türkiye Centre, and was an International Board Member of PEN International from 2010 to 2012. He currently serves on the International Advisory Board of the PEN Writers for Peace Committee.
In recognition of his contributions to literature, Günersel received the Seneca International Poetry Prize in Italy in 2023.
His published works include the poetry collection Breaths of Infinity, and several plays such as Nero and Agrippina, Ex-Emperor in Prison, Threat (on Tolstoy and Tolstaya), and Love and Politics. He has also written libretti for Blue Dot (composed by Selman Ada) and Dancing Anna Frank (composed by Daniel Galay), and translated Shakespeare’s Hamlet into Turkish.
In addition to his written works, Günersel conducts interviews under the title Interviews with Earthmates, available on YouTube (@tgunersel), and manages his personal website at www.tarikgunersel.com/en.
He is also the initiator and co-founder of the Earth Civilization Network: www.earthcivilization.net.
Contact: tgunersel@gmail.com
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