In Occasions for Poetry, Oscar Aguirre-Mandujano examines fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Ottoman poetry as a socially and politically engaged practice, rather than as simply an ornament. By focusing on the events that inspired poems, Aguirre-Mandujano demonstrates how bureaucrats, scholars and noble poets used verse to shape imperial identity, authority and networks of support. Through detailed case studies from Tācīzāde Caʿfer Çelebi to Şeyhī, Aguirre-Mandujano demonstrates the role of poetry in mediating spiritual, political and personal life. This fresh approach highlights the concept of “occasionality” while connecting literary production to the broader Ottoman political imagination.
