Mevlüt CEYLAN was born in Ankara and has lived in self-imposed exile in London since 1979.
A poet, translator and teacher, he has three published collections of his poetry in Turkish. He combines mystical themes with revolutionary fervour.
Along with the poet Feyyaz Fergar, he founded Core, an international poetry magazine published in London.
Ceylan has translated many Turkish poets into English and, through Core Publications, published a series of chapbooks of work by poets such as Cahit Zarifoglu, Arif Ay, Nuri Pakdil, Erdem Bayazıt, Cumali Ünaldı and Asaf Halet Çelebi.
He has edited two anthologies of Turkish poetry in translation and translated into Turkish selections from James Joyce’s Chamber Music, R D Laing’s Conversations with Children; and poems by Mahmoud Darwish, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Marvin X, Imamu Amiri Baraka, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Debjani Chatterjee, among many others.
He regularly contributes to Turkish literary journals.
Selected publications by Mevlut Ceylan Poetry:
Kayitlarda Zulum Vardi (Aylik Dergi, 1983);
Barikatlar (Mesaj Yayinlari, 1986);
Bir Garibin Siir Defteri (Yazi Yayincilik, 1989)
As Editor/Translator:
White Words: Poems, Cumali Unaldi, Chapbook (Core Publications, 2007);
Angels at Sunrise: Child Songs, Cahit zarifoglu, Chapbook (Core Publications, 1999);
In the Form of Silence: Poems, Nuri Pakdil, Chapbook (Core Publications, 1999);
The Book of Poems, Erdem Bayazit, Chapbook (Core Publications, 1996);
Flowering Sky: Poems, Arif Ay, Chapbook (Core Publications, 1994);
Nurusiyaaahhh-Poems, Asaf Halet Celebi, Chapbook (Core Publications, 1994);
101 Poems by 101 Poets: an Anthology (Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul, 1996);
Istanbul Poems: an Anthology (Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul, 1996);
Voices from Western Thrace: an Anthology (SAWTK, 2009)
Traditional Turkish Lullabies (Core Publications, 2010)
Translations into Turkish:
Cocuklarla Sohbetler, R. D. Laing (Vadi, 1993)
Evet Adim Isyan, Nazrul Islam (Fide, 2005)