Sunay Akın

Sunay Akın — Biography

Born Şükrü Sunay Akın on 12 September 1962 in Trabzon, the writer moved to Istanbul with his family at ten for a better education. He finished Istanbul Haydarpaşa High School and later graduated from Istanbul University's Department of Geography. His debut poetry collection, Makiler, named by Cemal Süreya, appeared in 1989 and was followed by Antik Acılar, Kaza Süsü and 62 Tavşanı; he also co-founded the poetry magazines Yeni Yaprak (1989) and Olmaz (1990), and won the Halil Kocagöz Poetry Prize in 1987 and the Orhon Murat Arıburnu Poetry Prize in 1990.

While teaching at Marmara University's Faculty of Fine Arts and the Müjdat Gezen Art Center, he began developing one-man shows, performing them across Turkey and abroad in cities such as Frankfurt, Nuremberg and London. On television he produced cultural programs such as "Stüdyo İstanbul," "İzler" and "5N1K" for TRT2 and CNN Türk, and hosted "Gezgin Korkuluk" and "Mahya Işıkları" on TV8.

In 2005 he opened the Istanbul Toy Museum in a historic mansion in Göztepe, built from a collection he had assembled over eleven years; the museum was shortlisted for the European Museum of the Year award in 2010. In 2023 he established a foundation bearing his name, and he continues to tour the country with talks and signings for his book "Koyu Mavi Memleket Kumaşı."