hülya n. yılmaz [sic] was born and raised in Turkey. After completing her Master’s Degree in Germanic Languages and Literatures at Hacettepe University in Ankara, she has moved to the U.S. in pursuit of her doctoral studies. While raising her one and only child, she has completed her Ph.D. at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in the same area of specialization. Her dissertation, however, involved a comparative study; for in her research, she focused on the influence of the 13th and 14th century mystical poetry of the Islamic Orient on the 19th and 20th century mainstream German literature. She, thus, applied comprehensive analyses on the Sufi ghazals of Rumi and Hafis within the context of their impact on German-speaking writers as far as form, content and symbolism. Her voluminous book on the same topic was published in German under the title of Das Ghasel des islamischen Orients in der deutschen Dichtung.
For the following 40+ years then, hülya has dedicated herself to academia. She taught a large variety of courses, including those she designed herself, while she completed some scholarly work alongside. Her position at the university called for a strong presence in the teaching field. She still managed to participate actively in numerous national and international conferences where she presented her academic work. The feedback she received at those conferences enabled her to gain a vital insight into the advancement possibilities of her teaching career. She intensively and diligently compiled materials to enrich her students’ learning journeys. At the same time, her research projects expanded beyond that with which she had been mostly familiar when her field-specific expertise was concerned. She was no longer doing the work for German Literatures and Languages, but had rather attained a considerable amount of knowledge with regard to comparative literature studies. As a result, she was pursued to teach multi-disciplinary seminars for the Comparative Literature Studies Department at Penn State – the university from where she retired in 2018. Her curricula consisted of literary traditions within the Islamic context. Initially, her course texts only included the selected literary work by Muslim women. Soon, however, she began to teach on the basis of gender-neutral reading materials.
A few years before her retirement, hülya started working as a freelance writer and editor. In an attempt to honor her second lifelong passion – creative writing, she authored three books while still teaching full-time at Penn State: Trance, Aflame. Memoirs in Verse, and An Aegean Breeze of Peace (co-authored). Trance is a multi-linguistic collection of poems in which she offers her own translations of her Turkish and German poetry. The other two entail poems in English. After her retirement, she authored this and that . . . a hodgepodge of hülya’s poetry, Letter-Poems from a Beloved (prose poetry), and Canlarım, My Lifeblood (poetry in Turkish and English, private edition). As an early retiree, she continued to provide first-time as well as experienced authors with her freelance editing work on a full-time basis. She considers herself to be fortunate to have in her editorial record a large number of writers with whom she has collaborated toward their debut books (poetry and prose) as well as throughout their 2nd, 3rd or 4th professional writing endeavors.
The literary language of hülya’s first preference is English, which is the second foreign language she acquired; Turkish, her mother tongue takes the second position. As for German – the first foreign language of her acquisition and the core element of her academic career, it comes in last.
hülya finds it vital for everyone to understand a deeper sense of self. She writes creatively to attain and nourish a more comprehensive understanding of our humanity.
Don’t just exist. Live. ~ hny, 2016
~ All books of hülya n. yılmaz are available either at
http://www.innerchildpress.com/h%C3%BClya-n-yilmaz.php or Amazon.com, but also via e-mail at choiceandcourage@gmail.com ~
hülyaswritings 
Study me as much as you like, you will not know me.
for I differ in a hundred ways from what you see me to be.
Put yourself behind my eyes and see me as I see myself,
for I have chosen to dwell in a place you cannot see.
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Thank you, bhuwanchand, for your visit and your comment. I assume you, too, are a poet?!
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Not really, just a learner, I love to read.
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Actually, I didn’t mean to use the term “poet” regarding myself, either; for I believe the ultimate lyrical masters’ sense of their selves: “still a student…only a student”. It is very good to know you, too, feel that way.
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🙂 a pleasure to communicate with you.
The ghazals that we in India commonly identify with have deep Sufi connections, written in beautiful Urdu language which originated in India (written in Persian script but is very similar to Hindi/Hindustani language). Its the musical expression of ghazals that I got exposed to early in the childhood. Rumi is still a long distance ahead for me to comprehend clearly, as I still struggle to understand Ghalib and others born much later here in India.
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:o) I share the same sentiment with you…
I read from Ghalib as often as I can. As for Rumi, not enough at all. I believe Ghalib will also be recorded in literary history as a timeless poet and writer. I wish I could read both in their literary languages, though – better yet, in their native tongues. In translation, after all, certain elements of fine and refined flavors tend to be either missed or lost altogether, if the translator is not one with a keen eye into the specific cultural entity’s core characteristics. Look at me, I am going on and on…it is quite a chore to stop me when the subject matter is Sufi ghazals. I thank you not only for visiting my blog site and for liking many of my posts but also for sharing your unique insight with me. I look forward to our communication again!
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You are absolutely right, one needs to know the language in which they wrote to let their words go directly into the heart. Otherwise one can appreciate the beauty of their work from a distance. It is the language barrier which makes it a bit distant for me to truly absorb the essence of Rumi. Fortunately for me, Ghalib was born in India and I am able to understand his ghazals they way he wrote them, without the interpretation. I have tried to read the English versions (by different translators), although they try their level best to keep the essence of Ghalib’s message, the beauty of the words in original language gets totally missed out. Sample this “Blood flowing along through the veins doesn’t impress us, If blood doesn’t drop from the eyes, it’s not real blood” but what Ghalib wrote was “Ragon mein daudate phirane ke hum nahi qayal, jab aankh hi se na tapaka to phir lahu kya hai”. The translator had tried to capture the essence but it just doesn’t matches the rawness of Ghalib’s words. I guess its a short coming for any kind of literature when it gets translated into other languages.
Come to thing of it, Ghalib’s wasn’t even thinking of or trying to leave any legacy behind, he was just trying to survive his life and wrote what he was experiencing in search of a little bit of happiness in his life.
I do not know Persian language so can not read Ghalib in the language he has written, but I can understand Urdu and have been lucky to be able to listen to his Ghazals sung by an Jagjit Singh (Indian ghazal singer who passed away in 2011) Listen to him if you ever get a chance, I am sure you will understand it much better than any English translation.
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You are aware of so much when it comes to this unique poetic expression of the self and “love” in the largest sense. I appreciate the fact that we have met! Another dear acquaintance had suggested to me to listen, just to listen to the Ghazals sung by Jagiit Singh (SP?) and I shall do so as soon as I have my act together. My gratitude comes to you for sharing with me your rare insight, knowledge but also for your love for poetry, especially, the musical beauty of Ghazals. I wish you a memorably good day!
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Jagjit Singh is undoubtedly the best ghazal singer from India, there are arguably better ghazal singers in our neighbor Pakistan (Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hasan) but Jagjit and Chitra (his wife) Singh’s ghazals of Mirza Ghalib, which were part of a TV series based on the poet’s life were a truly a masterpiece. Try it whenever you get the time. If you have trouble finding it, just let me know, I have it in my collection. Best wishes.
Regards
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That you have such remarkable artists’ collection as one of your own is admirable. In the long time past, I had a collection of Sufi music (performed by Turkish artists but instrumentally only), “had” being the operable word here. I have left them behind. I am now excited to learn from you the diversity of the musical artists who have been performing the ghazals in such beautiful-sounding languages. I listened recently to Ghulam Ali (a dear colleague had given me the reference) – and waited until, so that I could write to you about it: so very moving, thrilling. But I intend to take much more time with the names you give me here, as the term goes: to do their art justice while also honoring the ghazals the way they should. Thank you again for your resourcefulness and your personal references!
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Thank you for following my blog in return 🙂
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Hello Maa’m 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. It is not everyday one comes across learned folks like you. I was not even born when you started your doctoral studies 🙂
Would be coming around more often now 🙂
Tatsat
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Hello Tatsat,
(If I may address you with your signed name here – and please call me by my name)
Thank you also for visiting my blog site and your kind words. I, too, hope to be reading more of your writings. Happy blogging in the meantime!
hülya
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Sure Hülya 🙂
It might be the way we are brought up here in India. Popular culture dictates that in informal settings we do not call elders by name as such…
But again, what good is a life if limited by his/her culture 🙂 So Hülya it will be.
Been a pleasure 🙂
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It is, or at least has been during my time, the same in my birth country when it came to the different forms of addressing someone. I immediately recognized the courtesy and respect behind your cordial direct reference to me. It can be certainly “ma’am” if that will make you more comfortable. However the form of address may be, it definitely has been a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to becoming more acquainted with your writings. All the best.
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Oh that is fascinating 🙂 Had it not been for this interaction, I would not have known how to bump onto someone when in Turkey 🙂
Pleasure!
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If you ever travel there, I hope you will enjoy your experience as numerous of my non-Turkish friends have.
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Very nice to meet you here. Very impressive. 🙂 Paulette
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Thank you very much, Paulette. I, too, am very pleased to meet you here.
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Pingback: SoundEagle in Best Moment Award from Moment Matters | SoundEagle
Hi, how are you?
Good news, we are giving you the “BEST MOMENT AWARD“. Congratulations and enjoy the rest of the day!
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I thank you, Moment Matters, for this honorable selection! I most certainly will enjoy the rest of my day, and beyond.
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My dissertation as well as my book, Das Ghasel des islamischen Orients in der deutschen Dichtung, focus on the literary influence of the Islamic East upon the 19th and 20th-century German literature through Anatolian Sufism. Therein lies the tie between my research background and Comparative Literature Studies.=== This is great. Does that mean your research was also discussing poetry by Rumi, Hulya? I love Rumi, he’s a great inspiration of mine.
Also, here I hope it is not too late to wish you a wonderful New Year. May 2013 bring you more happiness, love, and success. I would like to thank you because you continue following my blog. I hope my blog posts do not disappoint and that your visits in there have been a joyful ride. Thank you again, many blessings and much love to you. 🙂
Subhan Zein
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Your blog posts, a disappointment? Not at all! They are a delight. As for my dissertation and book, yes, I have indeed researched Rumi’s ghazal poems in their influence on selected German poets. My focus was on his Divan. Rumi, I have found out in all the decades between my work’s completion and the present, has been an inspiration to countless people from all walks of life. Timeless gem of a poet, if I may dare to judge. Thank you for responding to my background regarding Rumi. Thank you also for your wishes for the new year. It is never too late to express what’s good in us to others. Your reaching out this way is much appreciated. All the best to you in 2013 also!
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Tashakur, Professor. I read your comment with great delight. And thank you for showing your interest in my work. You may be interested in reading some of my poems, I suppose: ‘If you are fire, then your beloved must be water’ and ‘A wondrous nightingale’, for example. And I would love to hear your feedback, well of course, at anytime of your convenience. Tashakur ederim, many blessings and much love to you.. 🙂
Subhan Zein
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You have a unique way of warmth with which to reach out to others. I appreciate your kind words to and about me. I take delight in poetry that is composed under the influence of a timeless mystic such as Rumi. While I didn’t have a chance yet to read in calm your poems you mention here, I very much look forward to creating that time for myself. My “teşekkürler” to you also, and my best wishes for your continued poetic creativity.
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This blog’s been included in chain of nominations of Super-Sweet Blogging Award.
http://stalkingdawn.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/some-nominations-part-1/
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Thank you for the kind inclusion!
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Thank you for the kind inclusion! Is there something that I need to do?
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Visit
http://stalkingdawn.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/some-nominations-part-1/
rules are there, that is if you wish to do the post about it. There’s no compulsion to it 🙂
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Thank you for the comforting note. I’m afraid I have to pass this opportunity, as I have serious time limitations. Being a full-time professor leaves me with far less free time than desired. Regardless: thank you for your very kind selection. And all the best wishes for your studies as well as poetry writing endeavors!
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I was just given a Liebster Blogging award by another blogger and I have included you in my list of 5 blogs who also deserve a Liebster. Check it out here if you care to take part in the Award. http://merlinspielen.com/2012/06/06/blogging-is-an-awarding-experience/
Yes these awards are mostly about building audience and traffic so no pressure to participate if that doesn`t fit with your blogging approach. Just my way of saying thanks for the thoughtful posts – and hope more people come here to read your posts.
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First of all, my sincere congratulations on your wonderful achievement of the Liebster Blogging award, merlinspielen! How exciting of a step! Then, I thank you, dear blogger friend for listing my blog and for the sincere enthusiasm in your words there. I appreciate your supportive act very much and will most certainly look into the Award site.
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Thank you, and I look forward to reading more of your postings!
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hello – nice to meet you
David in Maine USA
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Nice to meet you also, David in Maine USA. I am sorry for being this late in responding to your kind visit to my blog site before. Continued success with your writing! Hulya in PA USA
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