Ömer Zülfü Livanelioğlu (born 20 June 1946), better known as Zülfü Livaneli, is a Turkish musician, author, poet, and politician. Livaneli was imprisoned several times during the 1971 Turkish military memorandum for his political views, which led to his exile from

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

in 1972. He lived in

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Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, where he met and collaborated with artists and intellectuals such as

Elia Kazan Elias Kazantzoglou (, ; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003), known as Elia Kazan ( ), was a Greek-American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the most honored and inf ...

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

, James Baldwin, and

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...

. Livaneli returned to Turkey in 1984. In 1995,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

appointed him a Goodwill Ambassador to UNESCO for his cultural works, political activities, and contributions to world peace. He resigned from this position in 2016 to protest the Turkish State's damage to the historic Kurdish Old Town of Diyarbakir. He served in the Grand National Assembly and the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

Personal life

Livaneli's family is of Georgian descent. His father was a judge who later became the president of the Turkish Supreme Court. He has four brothers and a sister. His mother died at the age of 38 when he was 20, after which his father remarried. His wife, Ülker, is a translator. They have a daughter, Aylin, who was born in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

. In March 2020, Livaneli announced that he and his wife had contracted the coronavirus during a visit to

February February is the second month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years and 29 in leap years, with the February 29, 29th day being called the ''leap day''. February is the third a ...

amid the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Following treatment, both recovered and were quarantined in

Musical career

For his debut album, Livaneli used the pseudonym "Ozanohad glu." He later adopted his current name, Zülfü Livaneli, which appeared on his subsequent album, *Chants Révolutionnaires Turcs* (Turkish Revolutionary Songs), released in either 1971 or 1973. While in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, his brother Ferhat informed him that large crowds in Turkey were singing his songs during protests. In response, Livaneli created an album titled *Nazim Türküsü*, setting his music to the poems of

Nâzım Hikmet Mehmed Nâzım Ran (17 January 1902 – 3 June 1963), Note: 403 Forbidden error received 10 October 2022. commonly known as Nâzım Hikmet (), was a Turkish people, Turkish poet, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, director, and memoirist. ...

. The album remained on the music charts for 48 weeks. Livaneli has composed three hundred songs, a rhapsody recorded by the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

, and a ballet. His compositions have been performed by artists such as

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...

, Maria Farantouri,

Maria del Mar Bonet Maria del Mar Bonet i Verdaguer (Balearic Catalan: ; born 1947 in Palma de Mallorca) is a Spanish singer from the island of Majorca. Early life and career Bonet studied ceramics in the school of arts, but eventually decided to dedicate herself ...

, Udo Lindenberg, Haris Alexiou, Jocelyn B. Smith, and Kate Westbrook. He has also written five plays and thirty film soundtracks, including for ''Yol'' (''The Path''), directed by

Yılmaz Güney Yılmaz Güney (' Pütün; 1 April 1937 – 9 September 1984) was a Turkish film director, screenwriter, novelist, actor and communist political activist. He quickly rose to prominence in the Turkish film industry. Many of his works were made f ...

and winner of the Golden Palm at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

; '' The Herd'', directed by

and

Zeki Ökten Zeki Ökten (4 August 1941 – 19 December 2009) was a Turkish film director. Biography He was born on 4 August 1941 in Istanbul. Zeki Ökten was interested in theatre during his education at the Haydarpaşa High School. He entered his filmm ...

; and ' by German director

Helma Sanders-Brahms Helma Sanders-Brahms (20 November 1940 – 27 May 2014) was a German film director, screenwriter and producer. Biography Helma Sanders was born on 20 November 1940 in Emden, Germany. She attended a school for acting in Hannover from 1960 to 1 ...

. He has produced albums, performed with

Mikis Theodorakis Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis ( ; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. He scored for the films '' Zorba the Greek'' (1964), '' Z'' (1969), and '' Serpico'' (1973). He was a three-ti ...

and Maria Farantouri, and collaborated with

Manos Hatzidakis Manos Hatzidakis (also spelled Hadjidakis; ; 23 October 1925 – 15 June 1994) was a Greek composer and theorist of Greek music, widely regarded as one of the greatest Greek composers of all time. He was one of the main proponents of the " Ént ...

, Giora Feidman, Inti-Illimani and Ángel Parra. According to reports, his 1997

concert drew an audience of approximately 500,000 people. In 2010, he sang 'Mothers of The Disappeared' with

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...

at U2's concert in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, U2's first concert in Istanbul. Livaneli has received awards including the Best Album of the Year Award (Greece), the

Edison Award The Edison Award is an annual Dutch music prize awarded for outstanding achievements in the music industry. It is comparable to the American Grammy Award. The Edison award itself is a bronze replica of a statuette of Thomas Edison, designed by ...

(Holland), Best Album of the Year (Music Critics Guild of Germany), and the "Premio Luigi Tenco" Best Songwriter Award at the San Remo in

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

. In 1986, he met the Greek composer

and together they produced the album ''Güneş Topla Benim İçin'' (Gather The Sun For Me). After its release in Turkey, the album peaked in the Turkish music market. At that time, Livaneli met Ahmet Kaya, another folk singer. Livaneli's music achieved significant popularity in the 1980s. The London Orchestra performed with Livaneli in 1998, and in 1999,

assisted Livaneli in releasing that album.

Political life

In addition to his career as an author and poet, Livaneli was active in

Turkish politics Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

. In the 1994 Turkish local elections, he was a candidate for mayor of

for the Social Democratic Populist Party, but was not elected. In the 2002 Turkish general election, Livaneli was elected to the Grand National Assembly as a Deputy for Istanbul for the

Republican People's Party The Republican People's Party (RPP; , CHP ) is a Kemalism, Kemalist and Social democracy, social democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest List of political parties in Turkey, political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal ...

(CHP). He resigned from the CHP in early 2005, protesting "the CHP's non-democratic and authoritarian system of politics". Livaneli served one term in the Turkish

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. During his political career, Livaneli presented a legislative proposal to amend Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, proposing that the concept of "Turkishness" be replaced with that of the "Turkish nation," suggesting language that aimed to reflect a more inclusive definition of national identity—this amendment aimed to reduce tension associated with the notion of Turkish race. In 2006, he presented a proposal to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

to establish a commission to investigate the reasons for increasing

violence Violence is characterized as the use of physical force by humans to cause harm to other living beings, or property, such as pain, injury, disablement, death, damage and destruction. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence a ...

and

fanaticism Fanaticism is a belief or behavior involving uncritical zeal or an obsessive enthusiasm. The political theorist Zachary R. Goldsmith provides a "cluster account" of the concept of fanaticism, identifying ten main attributes that, in various com ...

among youth, which was accepted. Following his 2005 resignation from the party, Livaneli continued his position in the Grand National Assembly as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

until the end of that term. He did not participate in the 2007 Turkish elections and has since concentrated on his art and books. Livaneli was a daily columnist for the newspapers ''

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

'', '' Vatan'', ''

Milliyet ''Milliyet'' ( Turkish for "''nationality''") is a daily newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey. History and profile ''Milliyet'' came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 May 1950 ...

'' , and ''

Cumhuriyet ''Cumhuriyet'' (; English: "Republic") is the oldest up-market Turkish daily newspaper. It has been described as "the most important independent public interest newspaper in contemporary Turkey". The newspaper was awarded the ''Freedom of Press ...

''.

Films

Livaneli directed four feature films: '' Iron Earth, Copper Sky'', Mist, Shahmaran, and

Veda FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

. His film '' Iron Earth, Copper Sky'' was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...

section at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. Veda, based on the life of

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

, is the last film written and directed by Zülfü Livaneli. ''

Bliss BLISS is a system programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) by W. A. Wulf, D. B. Russell, and A. N. Habermann around 1970. It was perhaps the best known system language until C debuted a few years later. Since then, C ...

'', adapted from Livaneli's novel of the same name, received critical praise and was considered one of the most notable Turkish films of the decade and one of the first narrative films to address honour killings.

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

reviewed the film as "consistently gripping and visually intoxicating," calling it a landmark of contemporary Turkish cinema.

Literature

Livaneli focused on writing after establishing his music career. Published in 1978, his first collection of short stories, ''A Child in Purgatory'', was adapted into a movie by Swedish and German TV. Livaneli's novels, such as ''Bliss'', which won

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

's Discovery of Great New Writers Award in 2006, and his works ''Serenade for Nadia'', ''Leyla's House'', and ''My Brother's Story'', have been translated into multiple languages and received both Turkish and international literary recognition. His novels have been adapted into films, stage plays, and operas.

Publications

* ''Arafat'ta Bir Çocuk'' (''A Child in Purgatory'') (1978) * ''Orta Zekalılar Cenneti'' (''The Heaven of the Mediocre'') (1991) * ''Diktatör ve Palyaço'' (''The Dictator and the Clown'') (1992) * ''Sosyalizm Öldü mü?'' (''Is Socialism Dead?'') (1994) * ''Engereğin Gözündeki Kamaşma'' (''The Eunuch Of Constantinople'') (1996) * ''Bir Kedi, Bir Adam, Bir Ölüm'' (''Memory Of Snow'') (2001) * ''Mutluluk'' (''Bliss'') (2002) * ''Gorbaçov'la Devrim Üstüne Konuşmalar'' (''Conversations With Gorbachov On Revolution'') (2003) * ''Leyla'nın Evi'' (''Leyla's House'') (2006) * ''Son Ada'' (''The Last Island'') (2008) * ''Sevdalim Hayat'' (2009) * ''Sanat Uzun, Hayat Kısa'' (''Art is Long, Life is Short'') (2010) * ''Serenad'' (''Serenade'') (2011) * ''Edebiyat Mutluluktur'' (''Literature is Bliss'') (2012) * ''Kardeşimin Hikayesi'' (''My Brother's Story'') (2013) * ''Son Ada'nın Çocukları ''(''Last Island's Kids'') (2014) * ''Konstantiniyye Oteli ''(''Constantinople Hotel'') (2015) * ''Elia ile Yolculuk'' (2017) * ''Huzursuzluk'' (2017) * ''Rüzgârlar Hep Gençtir'' (2019) * ''Kaplanın Sırtında'' (2021)

Partial discography

* ''Chants Révolutionnaires Turcs (Turkish Revolutionary songs)'' – 1973 * ''Yasak Plak'' – 1971-1974 * ''Eşkıya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz (Bandit Cannot be a Ruler of the World)'' – 1976 * ''Merhaba (Hello!)'' – 1977 * ''Nazım Türküsü (Nazim's Song)'' – 1978 * ''The Bus'' (''OST'') – 1978 * ''Alamanya Beyleri'' – 1979 * ''Atlının Türküsü (The Horsemen Song)'' – 1979 * ''Günlerimiz (Our Days)'' – 1980 * ''İnce Memet Türküsü (Thin Memet Song)'' – 1980 * ''Anadoluyum Ben (I Am An Anatolian)'' – 1981 * '' Maria Farandouri Söylüyor Zülfü Livaneli (Maria Farandouri Singing Livaneli)'' – 1982Rosie Ayliffe ''Turkey'' p.1048 1843530716 2003 – From the early 1980s, this was a landmark collaboration between historical enemies: Greek star Maria Farandouri singing Livaneli compositions in both Greek and Turkish. Beautiful ..." * ''Yol (The Way)'' (Soundtrack) – 1983 * ''Eine Auswahl (A Selection)'' – 1983 * ''Ada (Island)'' – 1983–1984 * ''İstanbul Konseri'' (''Istanbul Concert'') – 1984 * '' Güneş Topla Benim İçin (Gather The Sun For Me)'' – 1986 * ''Livaneli / 10 Yılın Ezgisi (10 Melodies of the Year)''– 1986 * ''Zor Yıllar (Difficult Years)'' – 1987 * ''Hoşgeldin Bebek (Welcome Baby)'' – 1987 * ''Gökyüzü Herkesindir (Sky Belongs to Everybody)'' – 1988 * Soundtracks – 1988 * ''Crossroads'' ( ''New Age'') – 1991 * ''Saat 4 Yoksun (Hour 4, You Are Not Here)'' – 1992 * ''Sevgiyle (With Love)'' −1994 * ''Neylersin'' – 1994 * ''Yangın Yeri (The Place in Fire)'' – 1996 * ''Janus'' (Symphonic Poems) – 1996 * ''Livaneli & Theodorakis'' : Together – 1997 * ''Nefesim Nefesine (My Breath to Your Breath)'' – 1998 * ''New Age Rhapsody, London Symphony Orchestra Plays Livaneli'' – 1998–1999 * ''Unutulmayanlar (Unforgettable Ones)'' – 1999 * ''İlk Türküler (First Songs)'' – 2001 * ''Hayata Dair (About Life)'' – 2005 * ''Suyun Belleği (The Memory of Water)'' – 2005 * ''Efsane Konserler (Best Concerts)'' – 2006 * ''35. Yıl Konseri (35th Year Concert)'' – 2008 * ''Gökkuşağı Gönder Bana (Send Me a Rainbow)'' – 2013 * ''Livaneli 50. Yıl "Bir Kuşaktan Bir Kuşağa (Livaneli 50th Year - 'From One Generation to Another')'' – 2016

References

External links

*
Official website in English

Official website in Turkish

{{DEFAULTSORT:Livaneli, O. Z. 1946 births Living people Turkish people of Georgian descent People from Artvin Social Democratic Populist Party (Turkey) politicians Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians Best Music Score Golden Orange Award winners Golden Orange Life Achievement Award winners TED Ankara College Foundation Schools alumni Turkish columnists Turkish film directors Turkish male singers Turkish poets Turkish writers Turkish socialists Deputies of Istanbul Vatan (2002 newspaper) people Milliyet people Sabah (newspaper) people Cumhuriyet people UNESCO goodwill ambassadors Turkish novelists Turkish social democrats Golden Boll Life Achievement Award winners