Don't Be Surprised – Selected Poems, as Turkish original name is Sakın Şaşırma - Seçme Şiirler, is a selection compiled from the poems of Orhan Veli Kanık from different periods. The work brings together poems that exemplify the poet's relationship with colloquial language and the formal innovations he introduced. The poem that gives the book its name reflects the main characteristics of Orhan Veli's poetics with its simple language and ironic structure. Don't Be Surprised – Selected Poems is one of many poetry collections published after Orhan Veli's death. Various editions have been published by different publishing houses.

Orhan Veli Kanık (1914–1950) is one of the founders of the Garip movement in Turkish literature. With this movement, which he developed together with Melih Cevdet Anday and Oktay Rifat, he championed free verse and everyday language, opposing the traditional understanding of meter and form. Humor, irony, simple word choice, and social themes are prominently featured in his poems.

Thematic Structure

The poems in the work can be examined thematically under the following headings:

• Depiction of Daily Life: The poems depict everyday living spaces such as streets, coffee houses, seaside areas, and similar places.
• Social Observation: In the work, topics such as social classes, bureaucracy, and poverty are addressed with an ironic language.
• Emotional Themes: Themes of love and separation are treated in both cheerful and melancholic ways.
• Irony and Humor: Most of the poems are written from an ironic perspective. This feature is used in individual and social analyses.

Formal Characteristics

Formal simplicity is paramount in Orhan Veli's understanding of poetry. Along with the use of free verse, he incorporated idioms, slang, and popular expressions. He avoids artful discourse in his poems. He prefers direct, simple, and understandable language. The poem “Sakın Şaşırma” (Don't Be Surprised) is a characteristic example of these features.

Literary Value

This selection showcases Orhan Veli's place in literature and his contributions to the Garip movement. The poet's incorporation of everyday language into literature is a significant turning point in modern Turkish poetry.