On a distant planet whose name I cannot reveal, electronic computers are used only for entertainment. Programming, meanwhile, is considered a sport there, an Olympic sport! I learned these things from a person named Merhume who contacted me years ago. This person, who described themselves as an interplanetary traveler, spoke to me at length about the purpose of their visit and the place they came from, then pressed a battered leather bag into my hands and vanished in their mysterious, car-like vehicle. When I got home, I found that the bag contained hundreds of writings with publication dates attached to them. These were mostly short, one-or-two-page essays on programming and computers. Among them I also came across literary and philosophical texts. And there was "The Adventures of Babür", a thick novel with a black cover. As I leafed through the pages of the novel, a slip of paper fell into my lap. On the paper were nested, intersecting circles, and in the corner, a poem. Though I did not understand why, I understood that they wanted me to publish these writings, and so this web page came to be.
What all these writings or these experiences of mine mean, believe me, I do not know. Forgive me for contenting myself with carrying out this modest duty that fell to me, and for not pursuing this mystery. Perhaps the mystery of Merhume, of their homeland, and of these writings will be uncovered by those who come after me.
With respect,
Furkan Erdem