Nazim Hikmet was repeatedly arrested for his political beliefs and spent much of his adult life in prison or in exile.
Many of his works have been translated into English, including "Human Landscapes from My Country: An Epic Novel in Verse" (2009), "Things I Didn’t Know I Loved" (1975), "The Day Before Tomorrow" (1972), "The Moscow Symphony" (1970), and "Selected Poems" (1967).
After the death of Nazim Hikmet his close friends under the leadership of his sister Samia Yaltirim and Prof.Dr.Aydin Aybay decided to set up a foundation in his name.
Due to his friends efforts, the “Nazim Hikmet Culture and Arts Foundation” was established by Samia Yaltirim in 1991.
The first winner of the "International Nazim Hikmet Poetry Award" ceremony which held on January 14, 1995, considering the value of artistic and intellectual properties of works was Syrian poet Adonis, who is currently living in France.