The second of the Comparative Literature Days, the first of which was organized by Lîs Publishing and Diyarbakır Arts Center (DSM) in 2013, was held October 11-21, 2018. Supported by the Goethe Institute, the Consulate General of Sweden, the Consulate General of the Netherlands and the Institut français within the scope of the Spaces of Culture project that was realized with the collaboration of Anadolu Kültür and Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), Comparative Literature Days aimed to explore the theme of multilingualism through a rich program of workshops, talks, and readings. With Berken Bereh as the guest of honor, the program brought together esteemed writers, translators and poets from Turkey – predominantly from Diyarbakır and neighboring cities -, Armenia and Europe with readers through events organized in Diyarbakır, Mardin, and Batman.

The opening program held at the Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday, October 12, 2018 began with an introductory presentation by Lîs Publishing and DSM and a speech by Mıgırdiç Margosyan, whose 80th birthday was celebrated with special events. The night continued with a screening of a short documentary on poet Mirazê Cemal, one of the writers of Rya Teze – the longest-running Kurdish-language newspaper published in Armenia – and a speech by Mirazê Cemal, who was attending as the guest of honor for the opening night, having come to Diyarbakır from Armenia for the first time. Over the course of ten days, Comparative Literature Days offered a rich program ranging from children’s and youth literature to discussions on gender, from Armenian literature to discussions on the sphere of existence of the Greek (Rumca) language, from the relationship between literature and cinema to the theme of labor in literature, from comparative readings of classical divans to Kurdish readings and academic studies. The program concluded with Berken Bereh’s closing speech on Sunday evening, October 21.

Diyarbakır Comparative Literature Days 2018 program was organized in collaboration with Aras Publishing, Diyarbakır Reading Club, Ayrıntı Publishing, İstos Publishing, Ewro Magazine, Dilop Magazine, Hîva Publishing, Morî Publishing, KurdîLit, Amed City Theater and with the contributions of Hrant Dink Foundation, Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Diyarbakır Branch of Chamber of Architects, Education and Science Workers’ Union Branch No. 1, Kastal Cafe, Batman Tov Arts House, and Mardin Leylan Cafe.

2nd Diyarbakir Comparative Literature Days Program Booklet