Celal Sılay

Poet (b. 1914, Bursa – d. 8 September 1974, İstanbul). His full name was Mehmet Celal Sılay. After he graduated from Bursa Işıklar Military High School (1929), he continued his studies at private high schools in İstanbul. He graduated from İstanbul İstiklal High School (1934). He worked for the newspapers Vatan (1940), Tasvir-i Efkâr (1944) and began his journalistic career. He worked as an essay writer using Ahmet Selami as a pen name in the newspapers he worked for Yeni Gazete (1957) and Hergün (1959). He died from a heart attack. He is buried in Zincirlikuyu Graveyard.

Celal Sılay, who wasn’t evaluated a lot due to the fact that he did not belong to any literature movement or society, became an important poet who developed a unique style during his period. He directed the reviews İşte (1944, 4 volumes), Esi (1956-57, 15 volumes) and published the reviews Doğu ve Batı (1954-66, 28 volumes) and Yeni İnsan (1963-71, 195 volumes).

WORKS:

POETRY: Çöl Yolcuları (Desert Passengers, 1932), Dört Kapı (Four Doors, 1933), Hayat ve Merhaleler (Life and Stages, 1933), Lacivert Işıklar (Indigo Lights, 1934), Edebî Renkler (Literary Colors, 1936), Hüsran Filizleri (Buds of Disappointment, 1937), Merhamet Şiirleri (Mercy Poems, 1943), Acaba (I Wonder, 1945), Sonra (Next, 1946), Boşlukta Duran Taş (The Stone Remaining in The Void, 1949), Zaman ile Yarış (Race With Time, 1956), Adamca (Like a Man, 1959), Doğa (Nature, 1965), İlişki Deyimleri (Relationship Idioms, 1969).

ESSAY: Değinmeler (To Mention, 1966), Kişi Birey (Person, Individual, 1967), Yorum (Comment, 1968).

REFERENCE: TDE Ansiklopedisi (c. 8, 1976-98), Atilla Özkırımlı / Türk Edebiyatı Ansiklopedisi (1982), Seyit Kemal Karaalioğlu / Resimli Türk Edebiyatçılar Sözlüğü (1982), Yurt Ansiklopedisi (c. I, 1982), Mehmet Behçet Yazar / Edebiyatçılar Alemi - Edebiyatımızın Unutulan Simaları (yay. haz. Mustafa Everdi, 1999), Behçet Necatigil / Edebiyatımızda İsimler Sözlüğü (18. bas. 1999), Şükran Kurdakul / Şairler ve Yazarlar Sözlüğü (gen. 6. bas. 1999), İhsan Işık / Yazarlar Sözlüğü (1990, 1998) - Türkiye Yazarlar Ansiklopedisi (2001, 2004) – Encyclopedia of Turkish Authors (2005) - Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007), Mehmet Nuri Yardım / Edebiyatımızın Güleryüzü (2002)-Yazar Olacak Çocuklar (2004), İhsan Işık / Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2. bas., 2009).