Guilliame Apollinaire: object of Turkish ire or secret desire?

On the heels of “Banned Books Weeks” comes a stark reminder of why we celebrate controversial books.

Earlier this month, Irfan Sanci, the publisher of Sel books in Turkey, was honored by the International Publishers Association when they announced that the “2010 IPA Freedom Prize” will be awarded to Sanci on November 2, 2010.

In the IPA’s press release, committee chair Bjørn Smith-Simonsen said that they were honoring Sanci for publishing the following books in violation of Article 226 of the Turkish penal code (the law governing obscenity): Ben Mila’s The Fairy’s Pendulum; Guillaume Apollinaire’s Adventures of the Young Don Juan; and Letters of a Learned and Well-mannered French Bourgeois Lady by P.V.

“There is potential political censorship in the air,” Smith-Simonsen said. “We therefore call for Sel’s acquittal.”

Yesterday in Benedicte Page’s story in the Guardian, Sanci is quoted as saying:

“I am being punished in my own country but am also getting an international award. This is tragic. Everything aside, Apollinare’s book, which is a part of the world’s cultural heritage, is being tried for hurting the public’s sense of shame.”

According to the Guardian, Sanci’s case is one of 70 currently being prosecuted against writers and publishers in the country on charges ranging from defamation, insulting Turkish institutions, and critical commentary of Turkey’s handling of the Kurdish situation.

Sanci’s next hearing, which is also on November 2, is in defiance of a February ruling against Turkey by the European Court of Human Rights. The court censured Turkey for convicting Rahmi Akdas, who had published The Eleven Thousand Rods, also by Apollinaire.