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Sevin Okyay

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Sevin Okyay
A close-up black-and-white portrait of an older woman smiling at the camera. Her fist is resting against her cheek, obscuring half her mouth.
Sevin Okyay (2008)
Born (1942-11-25) 25 November 1942 (age 82)
Istanbul, Turkey
Occupation(s)Literary critic, journalist, writer, translator
Notable workHarry Potter translations
Children2

Sevin Okyay (born 11 November 1942, Istanbul)[1][2][3][4] is a Turkish critic, journalist, author, columnist, radio host and translator.[5][2] Best known for her translations of the Harry Potter books, Okyay is Turkey's first female film critic.[6][7][8][4][9] She writes about cinema, sports, literature and jazz[2][9] and hosts two radio shows: Caz ve Ötesi (Jazz and Beyond) and Cinayet Masası (Murder Desk).[5][10]

Early life and career

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Okyay and her younger brother Sinan were born to an architect-engineer father and a housemaker mother.[2][3] Their father was Albanian and their mother was Circassian.[2] They spent their childhood winters in Beşiktaş and the summers in Maltepe.[3] They lived with their mother following their parents' divorce when Okyay was 10 or 12.[2][3] She credits her mother with starting her love of the arts through taking her and her brother to plays and concerts, and reading to them.[11][10]

While attending Arnavutköy American High School for Girls, Okyay played basketball and volleyball. Tansu Çiller was a classmate and volleyball teammate.[2][10][3] Okyay briefly attended university before being expelled for absenteeism.[3]

Okyay has been a translator since 1963.[12][2] Her first translation was a 333-page detective novel by Georgette Heyer about a 19th-century thief in London, which she found challenging due to the slang.[2][13] She became a political correspondent for Politika in 1975 to financially supplement her translation work.[2][4] While at Politika, she was given an assignment to speak to members of the Revolutionary Youth Federation of Turkey. The team was leaving as she arrived and they advised her to wait for them to return. They did not. She was later arrested by police for loitering and spent four days in jail.[11] She started at Milliyet Ekler in 1983 and worked closely with Enis Batur. Batur sent her to see Federico Fellini's And the Ship Sails On in 1984;[2][3] while the job was ostensibly meant for her colleague Ömer Madra, he refused to write the column and encouraged her to do so instead. This made her Turkey's first female film critic.[4][10][5] Over the course of her career, Okyay has worked for Radikal, Dunya, Ayrıntılı Haber, Hürriyet, Gergedan, Şehir, Kapris, Star, Gösteri, Elele and Kadın.[14][9] She also translated for UNICEF's magazine.[13] She began writing about sports while working for Nokta.[3][10]

Okyay presented Ve Sinema on TRT for five and a half years.[4][10] Though she has a been involved in radio programming since 1995, with her detective program Cinayet Masası (Murder Desk) on air for 26 years as of 2024,[2] it wasn't until the COVID-19 pandemic that she joined Açık Radyo and later NTV Radio to broadcast her music show Caz ve Ötesi (Jazz and Beyond).[5][10] Earlier in her career, she appeared in the 1999 film Run for Money and translated plays including The House of Bernarda Alba, Hamlet 2001 and Othello.[4][10][14]

She continues to write about cinema, literature, jazz and sports for Milliyet, 221B and BirGün, among other publications.[5][9][15] She also sits on juries for multiple associations, including the award committees for the International Crime and Punishment Film Festival,[16][3] the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts' Talât Sait Halman Translation Award,[17][18][19][3] Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival[20] and the Turkish Film Critics Association.[3] In 2017, journalist Pınar İlkiz wrote a book about Okyay's life called Hakikaten-Sevin Okyay Anlatıyor.[11]

Personal life

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Okyay married at 21[2] and had two children, son Kutlukhan Kutlu and daughter Elif Kutlu.[3][9][5] She and her spouse later divorced.[3] Kutlukhan is also a translator and worked with his mother on the Harry Potter books, while Elif directs broadcasts for NTV.[3][9] Okyay has lived in Kadıköy for more than 25 years.[5]

Awards

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Bibliography

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  • 1996: Ilk Romanim (My First Novel) - children's book[3][14][13]
  • 1996: 120 Filmde Seyriâlem (A Cinema Tour in 120 Films) - selected movie critiques[14]
  • 1998: Çiçek Dürbünü (Kaleidoscope) - collected essays[3][14]
  • 2002: Gol Atan Kaleye (Goal to the Goalkeeper) - essay[14]
  • 2010: Masal Pınarı (Fairytale Spring) - play; staged by Pınar Selek[4][10][14][28]
  • 2018: Ara Sıra Ve Daima (Sometimes and Always) - "portrait articles" about people who changed her life; originally published in Radikal[12][29][10]

Selected translations

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Okyay translated Othello and Fırtına.[3][4][10][14] She has also translated the plays Seeking for Helen and Benim Cyrenos[4][14] and the lyrics for Nuri Pakdil's play Horror.[4][10]

Original title Author Translation Publication year Publisher ISBN Notes
Tales of the Early World Ted Hughes Ilk Dünya Hikayeleri 1999 Yapı Kredi Yayınları ISBN 975-363-784-5 [30]
Delights of Turkey Edouard Roditi Türkiye Tatlari ISBN 975-363-909-0 [30]
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction J.D. Salinger Yükseltin Tavan Kirisini, Ustalar ve Seymour - bir Giris ISBN 975-363-318-1 With Coskun Yerli[30]
Animal Farm George Orwell Hayvanlar Çiftliği 2000 ISBN 9789757736776 [30]
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J.K. Rowling Harry Potter ve Sirlar Odasi 2001 ISBN 975-08-0295-0 [30]
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter ve Azkaban Tutsagi ISBN 975-08-0311-6 With Kutlukhan Kutlu[30]
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter ve Ates Kadehi ISBN 975-08-0331-0
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Fantastik Canavlar Nelerdir, Nerelerde Bulunurlar? 2002 ISBN 975-08-0413-9 With Gül Sarioglu[30]
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry Potter ve Zümrüdüanka Yoldasligi 2003 ISBN 975-08-0645-X With Kutlukhan Kutlu[30]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry Potter ve Melez Prens 2005 ISBN 975-08-0995-5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Harry Potter ve Ölüm Yadigarları 2007 ISBN 9789750812989
Death on the Nile Agatha Christie Nil'de Ölüm - Malikanedeki Esrar 2010 NTV Yayınları ISBN 9786055813673
The Secret of Chimneys
The Pony Mad Princess - a Surprise for Princess Ellie Diana Kimpton Midilli Tutkunu Prenses – Prenses Ellie'ye Sürpriz 2011 Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları ISBN 9786053603627
The Call of Cthulhu H. P. Lovecraft Cthulhu’nun Çağrısı ve Diğer Tuhaf Öyküler 2019 DEX ISBN 9786050959512 [31]
The Colour Out of Space
The Whisperer in Darkness
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
At the Mountains of Madness
Remember This House James Baldwin Ben Senin Zencin Değilim’i 2020 Kırmızı Kedi Yayinevi ISBN 9786052986516 [32]

References

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  1. ^ "Sevin Okyay" (in Turkish). Beyazperde. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Bilgehan, Zeynep (27 October 2024). "Çevirmen, yazar ve sinema eleştirmeni Sevin Okyay: Nuri Bilge'yi daha ilk filminde keşfettim" [Translator, writer and film critic Sevin Okyay: I discovered Nuri Bilge in his first film] (in Turkish). Hürriyet. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Değirmenci, Bircan (21 June 2023). "Bir sinema tutkunu: Sevin Okyay" [A movie enthusiast: Sevin Okyay] (in Turkish). Politika. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Sevin Okyay ONK Ajans'ta" (in Turkish). ONK Ajans'ta. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g ""Haydarpaşa'yla olmak çok güzel"" ["It's so nice to be with Haydarpaşa"] (in Turkish). Gazete Kadıköy. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  6. ^ Towns, Ann; Rumelili, Bahar (2006). "Foreign yet Familiar". In Nexon, Daniel H.; Neumann, Iver B. (eds.). Harry Potter and International Relations. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 71–74. ISBN 978-0-7425-3959-4.
  7. ^ Aldoğan, Yazgülü (26 April 2021). "Sevin Okyay, "Kaç ödül aldığımı bilmiyorum!"" [Sevin Okyay, "I don't know how many awards I received!"] (in Turkish). Cumhuriyet. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  8. ^ a b "4. Uluslararası Kadın Yönetmenler Festivali Emek Ödülü, Sevin Okyay'ın" [4. International Women Directors Festival Labor Award, Sevin Okyay's] (in Turkish). Cumhuriyet. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e f İlkiz, Pınar (15 September 2017). "Açılışlara 'Sevin Okyay'ın ablasıyım' deyip giriyorum" [I'm going to start with the opening "I am Sevin Okyay's sister"] (in Turkish). Hürriyet. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Sevin Okyay ile Röportaj" [Interview with Sevin Okyay] (in Turkish). Interviewed by Solak, Özlem. Dedektif Dergi. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  11. ^ a b c "Herkesin sevgilisi Sevin Okyay kendini anlatıyor" [Everyone's darling Sevin Okyay tells about herself] (in Turkish). BirGün. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  12. ^ a b Rençberler, Yavuz (15 November 2018). "Sevin Okyay eski kelimelerle yazıyor neden mi" [Why does Sevin Okyay write with old words?] (in Turkish). 7/24 Kültür Sanat. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  13. ^ a b c Öktemer, Can (14 September 2012). "Sevin Okyay: Herkes yazdığına göre yakında okur kalmayacak" [Sevin Okyay: Since everyone has written, there will be no readers soon] (in Turkish). Agos. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Sevin Okyay" (in Turkish). Ulusal Yarışma. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017.
  15. ^ Okyay, Sevin. "İlle de kötü adamlar" [Not necessarily the bad guys] (in Turkish). Milliyet. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Lacivert Yazı İşleri: Her tür ayrımcılığa dikkat çekmek istiyoruz" [Lacivert Yazı İşleri: We want to draw attention to all kinds of discrimination] (in Turkish). Lacivert Dergi. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  17. ^ "Talât Sait Halman Çeviri Ödülü'nün sahibi Zafer Ceylan oldu" [Zafer Ceylan became the winner of the Talât Sait Halman Translation Award] (in Turkish). Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  18. ^ "Prof. Ali Volkan Erdemir, İKSV çeviri ödülünün sahibi oldu" [Prof. Ali Volkan Erdemir won the İKSV translation award] (in Turkish). Denizli Haber. 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  19. ^ "Talât Sait Halman Çeviri Ödülü, Fuat Sevimay'a Takdim Edildi" [Talât Sait Halman Translation Award Presented to Fuat Sevimay] (in Turkish). Artful Living. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  20. ^ "'Altın Portakal'ın 'Ulusal Uzun Metraj Yarışması'nda yer alacak filmler açıklandı" [The films that will take part in the 'National Feature Competition' of 'Golden Orange' have been announced] (in Turkish). Demirören Haber Ajansı. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  21. ^ "Sevin Okyay" (in Turkish). Edebiyat Haber. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  22. ^ "Sevin Okyay: Radikal'e yazmam için yazı istemeleri lazım" [Sevin Okyay: They need to ask for an article for me to write to Radikal] (in Turkish). T24. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  23. ^ "Sevin Okyay'a çeviri onur ödülü..." [Translation honorary award to Sevin Okyay...] (in Turkish). Vatan. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  24. ^ Rençberler, Yavuz (27 November 2016). "Mavi Anka onur ödülü Sevin Okyay'a" [Mavi Anka honorary award to Sevin Okyay] (in Turkish). 7/24 Kültür Sanat. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  25. ^ "Orhan Kemal Emek Ödülü Sevin Okyay ve Ertunç Şenkay'ın oldu" [Orhan Kemal Labor Award went to Sevin Okyay and Ertunç Şenkay] (in Turkish). Yeşil Gazete. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  26. ^ Erdogan, Mehmet (7 November 2022). "Ev sinemasından vizyona bu hafta: Savaş kahramanı bir kadın; Buluttaki Gölge" [Honorary awards announced] (in Turkish). The Independent Turkey. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  27. ^ "Livaneli, Gökmen ve Okyay'a Onur Ödülü" [Honorary Award to Livaneli, Gökmen and Okyay] (in Turkish). Sanattan Yansımalar. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  28. ^ ""Masal Pınarı": Pınar Selek için…" ["Fairy Tale Spring": For Pınar Selek...] (in Turkish). Mimesis. 28 November 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  29. ^ Celik, Ece (8 November 2018). "Yüzlerce arkadaşı olan bir 'asosyal': Sevin Okyay" [An 'asocial' with hundreds of friends: Sevin Okyay] (in Turkish). Hürriyet. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h "Sevin Okyay Biyografisi" [Sevin Okyay Biography] (in Turkish). seherbaz.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017.
  31. ^ "Cthulhu'nun Çağrısı ve Diğer Tuhaf Öyküler" [Cthulhu's Call and Other Strange Stories] (in Turkish). Artful Living. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  32. ^ "BUGÜN günlerden Cumhuriyet Kitap! (08.07.2020)" (in Turkish). Cumhuriyet. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
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