An auctioneer from Palo: Some things have to be carried into the future

In the Fatih district of Istanbul, a book auction is held every week on Mondays and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. in Dylemi second-hand bookseller.

At the auction, most of the books are in Turkish, English, German, Ottoman, Kurdish, and Arabic.

Besides books, CDs, newspapers, magazines, posters, and some printed materials will also be auctioned.

The participants are mostly booksellers and university students. The participation of women in these auctions is also low.

The organizer of this event is Huseyin from Palo. He is the owner of Dylemi second-hand bookseller and is from the city of Elazig. Huseyin Palo has studied archeology in Antalya and has a master’s degree in cinema from Beykent University.

Palo has been involved in selling and auctioning books for the past 12 years. He participated in the book auction in Hazzopulo Passage for the first time.

In the Hazzopulo passage, there was an auction house run by Ekber Ant and his friends called “Sunday Market”. On Wednesdays and Sundays, they had an auction there, and we were good friends. At that time, with the encouragement of my friends – who said we will help you too – I started this work in Fatih. But these friends forgot their promises over time, and so we also started this process.

Huseyin Palo

How are auctioned books available?

Huseyin Palo said that people who participate in the auction are more booksellers on the Internet and readers. He informs us, every generation and every opinion comes here and this activity takes place in a good atmosphere.

Palo also says this about finding books;

I usually get books from other bookstores. Sometimes I also find books from people who want to sell their library at home. I receive a commission from them and at the same time, I do my best to carry out this activity.

Issues of Ozgur Gundem

When we talk to Huseyin Palo about Kurdish products, he talks about a memory of his past years and continues like this;

When the issues Ozgur Gundem newspaper – you know it was closed, the government took it over – were sent to the paper operation, where the people who buy books there, then they brought some of them, and we sold them at the auction. Of course, your heart hurts because you know that something belongs to you and you understand that there is also a sacrifice. But on the other hand, life goes on and some things have to be carried into the future…

“I try to collect Kurdish products”

At the end of our conversation, Palo draws attention to the works he has created and ends his speech with a criticism of some Kurdish institutions;

​Alexandre Jaba’s works on Kurdish in Russian, and Margarita Rudenko’s Mem and Zin were also signed and sent to us from Russia. I also try to collect Kurdish works within the bounds of possibility. Because I see that Kurdish institutions are not at this level, they do not know the value of these works. Our institutions do not know what a signed book means and how it should be protected. We can also understand how Kurdish institutions appreciate these works.

The auction of books lasts until late at night, and Palo informs us that this activity sometimes lasts more than 5 hours.

This news was translated by Yonca Sarsilmaz

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