Story writer,
novelist and playwright (d. 3 March 1940 (registered as 1938), Arslanköy /
Mersin). He attended the Arslanköy Primary School (1950) and graduated from
Diyarbakır Dicle Village Institute (1956) and Ankara Gazi Institute of Education,
Department of Physical Education (1961). For a while, he worked as a primary
school teacher in Kalemli Village in Siverek (1957-58). He worked at Malatya
High School (1961-67), İzmit High School (1967-74), Suadiye High School in
İstanbul (1974-77), Ellinci Yıl Tahran High School (1977-79), Göztepe Secondary
School (1979-81), Trabzon Arsin High School (1981-82) and then he retired.
His first short
story, Kırmızı Yel (Red Wind), featured in the
culture and art page of the newspaper Cumhuriyet in April 1970. His other works were published in the
newspapers and reviews Yeni Dergi,
Aydınlık, Gösteri, Varlık, Anadolu Ekini, Papirüs, Cumhuriyet, Adam Öykü,
2000'e Doğru and Evrensel. He is
one of the writers who have given many stories to Turkish cinema and he has
written the biggest number of screenplays. The movies that have been adapted
from his stories have won twenty six awards. Kızgın Toprak (Hot Soil), Fıratın Cinleri (Gins of Fırat), Kibar Feyzo (Feyzo, the
Kind), Derman (Cure), Aynı (Same) and
Dönüş (Return) are some of
these movies. His poems have been translated into German, Hungarian, Polish and
French. He received the Turkish Radio Television Corporation’s 1970 Short Story
Award with his work Kırmızı Yel (Red Wind); the 1980 Nevzat Üstün
Short Story Award with his work Ağız
İçinde Dil Gibi (Like a Language
in the Mouth) and the 1992 Ömer Seyfettin Short Story Award with his
work called Selam Ateşleri (Salutation Fires). In addition he
won the 1992 Swedish International second prize with Kırmızı Yel (Red Wind) and
won the 1993 Sait Faik Abasıyanık
Short Story Award with Selam Ateşleri (Salutation Fires). He shared the
2003 Yunus Nadi Short Story Award with Deniz Topçu with his file Ölüm Oyunları (Games of Death). He is a member of Writers Syndicate of Turkey,
the Association Turkish PEN Writers and the Association of Modern Turkish Language.
WORKS:
SHORT STORY: Kırmızı Yel (Red Wind, 1971), Acenta Mirza (Agency Mirza, 1974), Kıral Eli (The Hand of a King,
children’s stories, 1979), Ağız İçinde
Dil Gibi (Like a Tongue in the Mouth, 1980), Acı Duman (Bitter Smoke, 1983),
Kolları Bağlı Doğan (The One Who Was Born with Tied Arms, 1988), Mahşer (Judgment Day, 1988),
Ay Bazen Mavidir (The Moon Is
Sometimes Blue, 1989), Selam Ateşleri (Salutation
Fires, 1993), Güneş Harfleri (The
Letters of the Sun, children’s stories, 1995), Bütün Öyküleri (All Short Stories I and II, 1999), Ölüm Oyunları (Games of Death, 2002).
NOVEL: Başaklar Gece Doğar (Ears of Grain Are
Born at Night, 1992), Fıratın Sırtındaki
Kan / Bucaklar (Blood on the Back of Fırat / Corners, 1995).
RESEARCH-STUDY:
Son Yörük (The Last Yürük)
SCENARIO: Ayna (Mirror, 1984), Kan (Blood, 1986).
