"Romantic Communist portrays a writer who combined political courage with artistic creativity, even under prison conditions. Using both personal testimonies and newly-discovered archival sources, it presents Nazim's career as a microcosm of modern politics."--BOOK JACKET.

"After initially supporting Kemal Ataturk's campaign to liberate Turkey from the control of the Western powers, Nazim went to Moscow as a student in the early 1920s. Here he was decisively influenced by the artistic experiments of Mayakovsky and Meyerhold, as well as the political vision of Lenin. On his return to Istanbul he became the charismatic leader of the Turkish avantgarde, producing a stream of innovative poems and polemics, plays and film scripts.

Repeatedly arrested for his political beliefs, he was sentenced in 1938 to twenty-eight years' imprisonment on trumped-up charges of organising a revolt in the Turkish armed forces. His epic poem Human Landscapes, written in Bursa prison, expresses an enduring commitment to his country and his people, while his series of passionate emotional relationships are reflected in poignant lyrics and love letters."--BOOK JACKET.