Essay writer,
critic and literature researcher (b. 7 Februrary 1946, Sorkun village /
Sandıklı / Afyon). He has used the pen names Ahmet Rıdvan, Vedid Eymen, Mehmet
Toprak, Ahmet Selim and Necmettin Sandıklı. He attended primary school in his
village. After graduating from Afyonkarahisar High School (1964), he studied at
İstanbul University, Faculty of Literature, Department of Turkish Language and
Literature (1968) and Çapa School of Teacher Training. His graduation thesis
was “Aşık Paşa' nın 'Garibnâme'si
Üzerine” (On “Garibname” (Book of
Stranges) by Aşık Paşa). He completed his master’s and philosophy doctorate at
Erzurum Atatürk University Faculty of Science and Literature (1977). His
master’s thesis was “İkinci meşrutiyet
Dönemi Dergiciliği ve 'Resimli Kitap” (Review Publishing during the Second
Constitutional Monarchy Period and “Resimli
Kitap”) and dissertation thesis “Abdülhak
Şinasi Hisar ve Romancılığı” (Abdülhak Şinasi Hisar and His Novel Writing).
Following his
higher education, he served as a teacher at İstanbul Ortaköy Primary Teacher
Training School and Maçka School of Technicians and served as teacher and
administrator at many other schools (1974-76). He worked as reporter, broadcast
planning specialist (1980-84) and literary member of the Turkish Folk Music
Repertoire Board (1984-90) at the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation,
where he had started working in 1977. He also worked as a member of the
editorial board at the Ministry of Culture for a period of time. Among the
founders of the Writers Union of Turkey, Turinay was chairman and general
secretary of this union for many years and was Head of the Ankara Institute for
Family Research and the Ankara Branch of Culture Foundation.
During the
prime ministry of Turgut Özal, he was made responsible for the founding the
Institute of Family Research affiliated to the Office of the Prime Ministry
(1990), later he was appointed as the general director of the institute for
three years. During his service at the institute, he instigated many projects
including the 1st Family Council of Turkey and the production of
many visual scientific publications. The Institute received the Writers Union
of Turkey Public Publications Award in 1991 as a result of his leadership. In
1992, he was transferred from the position of chairman of the institute to
consultant at the Office of the Prime Ministry. He retired from this position
in 2000. He has also worked as a consultant at İstanbul Metropolitan
Municipality.
His first
article was published in the review Pınar
(1968). Later, his essays, criticisms, research and articles were published in
the reviews Yeniden Millî Mücadele (as
member of editorial board, 1969-71),
Hisar (1974-79), Türk Edebiyatı (1973), Hisar (1974-80), Muştu (1977), Mavera (1980-82), Töre (1979-82), Sözcü (as director of art-literature), Millî Kültür (1980-86),
Mili Eğitim ve Kültür (1981-83),
Doğuş Edebiyat (1983),
Radyo-Televizyon (1987), Suffe
Edebiyat, Yazarlar Birliği yıllıkları, Kadın ve Aile (1990-93), Panel (1989-1994), Yeni Dergi (1994), Edebiyat
Ortamı (1997), Umran (2000), Özgür ve Bilge (2002), Hece (2002) as well as the journals Ortadoğu (1975-76), Hergün (1977), Zaman (1986), Belde (Ankara, 1988), Yeni
Asya (1993-94) and Yeni Şafak (1996-2000). He received the
Writers Union of Turkey Essay/Research Award with his book Geleneğin Dünyası / Yeniliğin Ufukları (World of Tradition/
Horizons of Innovation, 1983).
WORKS:
Müşâhedat (Revelation, simplified from Ahmet
Mithat Efendi, editing, 1979), Geleneğin
Dünyası / Yeniliğin Ufukları (World of Tradition/ Horizons of Innovation,
essay-critique, 1983), Abdülhak Şinasi
Hisar (Abdülhak Şinasi Hisar, doctorate thesis, 1988), Hüsn-ü Aşk: Klasik Hikâyenin Son Merhalesi (Beautiful Love: The
Last Phase of the Classical Story, separate publishing of Şeyh Galip Kitabı -Book of Şeyh Galip, 1995), Klasik Romana ve Leyla vü Mecnûn'a Dair (On the Classical Novel
and Leila and Mejnun, separate
publishing of Fuzûli Kitabı -Book of
Fuzuli, 1996), Kültür, Dil ve Sanata Dair
(On Culture, Language and Art, 1997),
Değişen Toplum ve Aile (Changing Society and Family, 1996).