Since we recently learned that politician and activist Canan Kaftancıoğlu was incarcerated by the oppressive Turkish government for almost ten years because she recited a poem, we can clearly understand what the meaning of freedom we enjoy in the western hemisphere truly means. Pelin Batu, an accomplished and well respected poet, comes from this oppressed country and with this book she embarks in the quest of self-discovery by unravelling one by one all the pages of her inner cosmos. Her work, astoundingly clear and eloquently formatted leads the reader to her quest when she introduces Lady Chaos, her opening symbol that leads her way the way Homer uses his Muse to begin his reciting of Odyssey. Deep thought poetry, entrenching itself in the subconscious of the reader, leaves no stone unturned, no dark pleat unlighted, no question unanswered until the poet leads the reader to catharsis through her self-discovery. Bravo to a poet who stands unfettered by the Chaos of oppression around her and standing amid the destructive oppression that dictates the rules of behaviour in her country she gazes the clarity of blue sky through the eye of a hurricane!
~ Manolis Aligizakis, Cretan, poet, author, translator

“Pelin Batu is a poet who weaves her lines silently and gravely into a poetry that is deep and profound. Her new book is mainly a reworking of Mediterranean/Mesopotamian mythologies along with other myths from around the world, wherein the stories are told from the point of view of women protagonists. She does not lay import on being too apparent- she rather enthralls us as we descend down to her depths.”
~ Ataol Behramoğlu

Pelin Batu was born in 1978. After graduating from Marymount School, she studied drama and literature at New York University. She received her B.A in history and M.A. in Western Languages and Literature from Bosphorus University. She is currently a PHD candidate in Literature at Bosphorus University. She has had a number of notable performances in theatre and film. Her first book “Glass” was published by Yapı Kredi in 2003 and her second book “The Book of Winds” by Artshop in 2009. Her book of paintings and lyrics “Resim Defteri” was followed by the latest book of poetry, “The Divan of Lost Things” which was published by Everest Publishing in 2015. Her collected edition of poetry previously published in various literary journals under the heading of “Labirentine” and her mythological poems “It all Began with a Story” were published by the oldest publishing house İnkilap Yayınları in 2018. Pelin Batu is an active political and environmental activist. She currently lives in Istanbul.