Some authors provide information about the mental, spiritual and emotional states of the author before, during, and after the formation of literary works. This information, along with other social, historical, and physical conditions, is presented to the reader in the preface, afterword, article, or footnotes. Alternatively, explanations may be added to the work after its publication. These items that appear outside the main text of a literary work, such as prefaces, introductions, and footnotes, are described as paratext in literary studies. Undoubtedly, authors or poets have specific reasons for providing information about their works to readers through non-textual means. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "West-Eastern Divan” (“West-östlicher Divan") and Nazim Hikmet's “The Legend of Sheikh Bedreddin, the son of the Judge of Simavne” ("Simavne Kadısı Oğlu Şeyh Bedreddin Destanı") are examples of works that showcase paratextual relations. Both Goethe and Hikmet recognized the importance of presenting the textual and non-textual sources that influenced the formation of their works to readers. They achieved this through the explanations they added to their works. This study will evaluate the meanings and functions of paratexts in the works of Goethe and Hikmet, after reviewing the perspectives of various researchers and theorists on the relationship between authors and their works.