On 2 May 2025, the Teaching and Research Group of the Department of Slavic and Balkan Languages, Turkish Language Section, organized a literary panel in Turkish entitled “Turkish Literature in the Balkans: Poetic Voices from Prizren.”
The panel brought together a number of distinguished poets and literary figures from Prizren, including Dr. Taner Güçlütürk, poet and Turkish language lecturer at the Yunus Emre Institute in Prizren and winner of the “Zana” Poetry Festival; Mr. Aziz Serbest, poet; Mr. Zeynel Beksaç, President of the Association of Turkish Writers in Kosovo; and Mr. İskender Muzbeg, one of the founders of the Tan newspaper in Pristina, Kosovo.
The guests spoke about the historical and cultural heritage of Turkish literature in the Balkans, highlighting its continuous development to the present day. They discussed poets, short-story writers, playwrights, and novelists who have contributed to this longstanding literary tradition. The panel was conducted in Turkish, and the guests expressed their appreciation for the organization of the event and for the active participation of the Turkish language students.
Turkish language lecturers Dr. Alban Foçi, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adriatik Derjaj, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Xhemile Abdiu also contributed to the discussion. They addressed Turkish literature in a broader context, its reception among Albanian readers, the translation of Turkish literary works into Albanian, and the development of Turkish literature in the Balkans, with particular attention to the literary contributions of authors of Turkish origin in Prizren and Pristina.
Students of the Turkish Language Section — Bega Dançevska, Sonila Troci, Sara Kaolup, and Fjorela Keçi — each recited a poem by one of the four guest speakers.
The panel then continued with questions from the students addressed to all the guests, creating an engaging exchange between the students, lecturers, and invited writers. At the conclusion of the event, Dr. Taner Güçlütürk recited one of his own poems and thanked the students for their participation and for the warm atmosphere they created through their poetry readings and questions.
In closing, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Xhemile Abdiu thanked the invited guests, colleagues, and students for their participation and expressed the wish to continue organizing similar literary meetings in Prizren in the future.
The literary panel received coverage in Kosovo’s media, including radio and television programmes, as well as literary magazines, through reports and contributions by the participating guests.
