Anadolu Parsının Ekopoetik Temsili: Tulliana
The Ecopoetic Representation of the Anatolian Leopard: Tulliana

Summary/Abstract: Turkish literature has a rich tradition of works for the field of critical animal studies. Therefore, animal representations in Turkish literature should be evaluated not merely as cultural, allegorical, or aesthetic elements, but as part of ethical and ontological debates. İsmail Orhan Sönmez’s poetry collection Tulliana provides a concrete example for this field. Bearing the subtitle Poems for the Anatolian Leopard, the work focuses on the Anatolian leopard, which is endangered and has held an important place in the material and spiritual culture of Anatolia for centuries. Influenced by his father, the poet has had a particular interest in the Anatolian leopard since childhood, and in his poems he emphasizes the role of human activities in the extinction process of this species, foregrounding the destruction caused by human hands. By addressing in depth the complex relationship between humans and this threatened species, the poet lays the groundwork for a discourse of interspecies equality. Thus, the emergence of literary approaches that reject anthropocentrism and advocate ecological justice becomes strikingly visible. This approach resembles the theoretical framework prominent in the literature of critical animal studies, which argues that animals should be regarded not merely as objects of representation but as subjects. Therefore, this study demonstrates that literary texts have the potential to represent animals not as passive and humandependent beings, but as conscious subjects in their own right. In the study, the Anatolian leopard is depicted not merely as a mythological or symbolic figure, but as a conscious being capable of experiencing emotions such as anger, fear, resistance, and grief. This depiction shows that the animal is removed from the level of representation and positioned as an experiencing subject.

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