Turkish writer, musician, and activist Zülfü Livaneli, widely regarded as the most important cultural figure in Turkey, reflects on his lifelong resistance to oppression, his artistic journey, and the cultural richness of Anatolia.
Livaneli also shares his experiences of exile, political persecution, and his deep-rooted commitment to defending human rights.
"My life could be explained by my passports," he says, recounting how his journey took him from possessing a fake passport as a fugitive to holding diplomatic credentials as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. "Sometimes I'm a criminal, sometimes I'm a diplomat. But I'm the same person."
Livaneli describes his unexpected rise to fame as a musician. Imprisoned after the 1971 military coup in Turkey, he began composing songs in memory of his lost friends. His first album, recorded in Sweden, was banned in Turkey but became an underground anthem for the resistance. "The students are marching with your songs," his brother told him. I said, 'Come on, what song?' I never intended that." In 1997, Livaneli gave a concert in front of 500,000 people in Ankara.
Reflecting on his music, he notes, "I never planned to be a musician. I was a writer. But music found me. It was a way to express the pain and hopes of the people." His deep engagement with literature, both Turkish and global, shapes his novels, which often give voice to the marginalized. His novel "Disquiet" explored the struggles of the Yazidi people, challenging widespread prejudices. "People saw refugees as enemies. But after reading this novel, they understood. This creates empathy."
Livaneli has always opposed injustice, regardless of political affiliation. "Wherever I see some victim, I make a song. I don’t have any engagement with any particular movement. When I see any injustice somewhere, I write about it." Despite facing government censorship and hostility, he remains committed to his homeland. "I don't leave the country. If I leave, they will be disappointed. Even he left, they would say. That’s why I’m in Turkey."
Zülfü Livaneli was born in 1946 in Ilgın, Turkey. A celebrated novelist, film director, composer, and political figure. Widely considered one of the most important Turkish cultural figures of our time, Livaneli is known for his novels that interweave diverse social and historical backgrounds, figures, and incidents, including the critically acclaimed “Bliss”, “Serenade for Nadia”, “Leyla’s House”, and “My Brother’s Story”, which have been translated into thirty-seven languages, won numerous international literary prizes, and been turned into movies, stage plays, and operas. Livaneli has composed hundreds of songs that blend traditional Anatolian music with contemporary themes. His work, spanning music, literature, and film, has earned him international acclaim as a leading cultural figure in Turkey and beyond.
Christian Lund interviewed Zülfü Livaneli in his home in Bodrum, Turkey, in September 2024.
Cameras: Rasmus Quistgaard
Edit: Roxanne Bagheshirin Lærkesen
Produced by Christian Lund
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2025
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