The problem of existence in the poems of Küçük İskender

Since the dawn of humanity, human beings have questioned the reasons for their existence within the world and the universe; accordingly, one of the central problems of philosophy has been the effort to comprehend existence. Particularly in the 19th century, with the diversification of philosophical perspectives and their increasing prevalence—albeit at an intellectual level—the observation by thinkers and artists that human values were upended during the First and Second World Wars led to a deeper engagement with existentialist thought. Søren Kierkegaard's understanding, which places the burden of giving meaning to life on the individual, soon influenced many disciplines, especially the arts. This approach, which found expression in literature primarily through the works of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, rapidly expanded its sphere of influence and made its presence felt in Turkish literature as well. Especially during the "Second New" (İkinci Yeni) movement, poets such as Edip Cansever, Turgut Uyar, Cemal Süreya, and İlhan Berk began to address the human condition within the framework of existentialist philosophy. Themes such as the individual's quest for selfhood in the modern world, solitude, the anxiety of freedom, and the inevitability of death became increasingly prominent. As a poet who emerged within this intellectual climate and began publishing his early works under its influence, küçük İskender is one of the leading figures who voiced existential anguish in his poetry. He made a significant impact on Turkish poetry by addressing both personal and societal issues through an unconventional and distinctive language. His poems intensely explore themes such as existential suffering, death, suicide, sexuality, identity struggles, and social critique. His defiant stance against traditional norms has been regarded as a breakthrough in Turkish literature. The aim of this study is to trace the influence of existentialist thought through the prominent themes of sexuality, death, loneliness, alienation, and freedom in the poetry of küçük İskender, and to analyze how these themes are aestheticized within the poetic discourse.