Poetry's Voice, Society's Song

Poetry's Voice has been Walter's major contribution to the study of Ottoman literature. It attempts to situate Ottoman poetry within the broader context of Ottoman society and introduces the notion of the poem as a socio-cultural "script" that interacts with other cultural phenomena to constitute the meaning of emotional states and personal relations at certain times under certain conditions. It won an award from the Turkish Studies Association for the best contribution to Turkish Studies in 1984-1985. It is now out of print and difficult to obtain. There is some sentiment for producing an inexpensive paperback reprint.