Namdar Rahmi Karatay

Philosopher, Poet

Birth
24 November, 1896
Death
26 August, 1953
Education
Sorbonne University Philosophy
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Philosopher and poet (b. 24 November 1896, Kütahya - d. 24 August 1953, İstanbul). He completed his primary and secondary education in Kütahya and at high school in Konya. After working as a teacher in Konya and Afyon for a while, he went to Paris (1925). He studied Philosophy at the Sorbonne University and after worked as a teacher at Konya and Bursa High Schools and at the Gazi Education Institute. In the years when he was young, he published his essays in Uçak magazine, Babalık newspaper, which he published in Konya and in the newspapers Afyon Nur, Millî Mecmua, Uludağ and in the magazine Yeni Fikir (1925-29, 51 volume) which he and his friend Naci Fikret published in Konya. He attracted attention mainly with his work that first advocated and introduced the Western philosophy system and with his satirical poems.

He became well known with his poem “Geçti Borun Pazarı Sür eşeği Niğde’ye” (Colloquial, “It is too late to do anything about that; so let’s think about doing something else.”) Here is a part of the poem:

I didn’t know what your aims and goals were,

You lived among the books like a mouse.

Neither did you dance nor loved a girl, a woman

Who told you to waste your youth like a tramp?

Now that youth has passed by, can you now find a piece of it?

WORKS:

Felsefi Meslekler Vekabüleri (Philosophy Professions Vocabulary, 1932), Namık Kemal ve İdealizmi (Namık Kemal and His Idealism, 1941), Yazma Dersleri (Writing Courses, 1945), Kitaplarımın Hikâyesi (My Books’ Story, 1952), Geçti Borun Pazarı (Poems, 1952), Paris Mektupları (Letters of Paris).

 

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