Description
Neşe Yaşın was born in 1959 in Cyprus. Her early childhood years passed in Peristerona village where Turkish and Greek speaking Cypriots were living together. In 1964 her family had to flee from the village due to Intercommunal troubles. Neşe Yaşın got published in an early age. As a young poet her work which was mainly based on the 1974 war in Cyprus was welcomed by the literary circles in Turkey. Neşe Yaşın is also known for her Peace activism. She took part in Peace groups working for the reunification of Cyprus. In a time of zero communication policy she crossed the dividing line in Cyprus and started living at the Greek Cypriot populated southern part of the island. She declared this as a protest to the unwritten rule that if you are a Turkish Cypriot you are obliged to live in the Northern part of the island and forget the rest of your country. She is currently teaching language and literature at the Turkish Studies department of University of Cyprus and writing weekly columns to Yenidüzen newspaper published in the Northern part of the island.She has published eight volumes of poetry, one novel and a research book on literature. Selections from her poetry has been translated to more than 30 languages, published in literary magazines and anthologies in different counties. Among others she has received the Anthias Pierides Award in 1998.
