Poet and
writer (b. 21 December 1840, Tekirdağ - d. 2 December 1888, Chios Island). His
original name was Mehmed Kemal and he was the son of the Mustafa Asım who was a
head astrologer of Abdülhamid II. His grandfather, Topal Osman Paşa, became
Grand Vizier and Military Chief when he was ninety years old but was martyred
in the war against Iran. His mother’s family was originally from Albania. After
attending Bayezid Military High School and Valide School in İstanbul, he went
to Kars (1853) and Sofia (1855) with his grandfather Abdüllatif Paşa. During
those years, he received private education. His name Namık (Writer) was given
to him by Eşref Paşa who had liked his poems in Sofia. When he returned to
İstanbul (1857), upon his grandfather’s death, he began to work at the
Translation Office (1859). During these years he took special interpretation,
hadis*, canon law, Arabic and Persian literature courses from the scholars of
the time and also French courses from people who knew western languages. After
he met famous writers of the time like Ziya Paşa and Şinasi, he began to write
for Tasvir-i Efkar newspaper.
When
Şinasi fled to Paris, he left the management of his newspaper to Namık Kemal
(1865). His personality and mastery of writing was evident by the political
articles he wrote in this newspaper. He became a member of the New Ottomans
Association which was established during that time and when the members of this
association were sent away from İstanbul, he fled to Paris with them (1867). On
Sultan Abdülaziz’s visit to England, he went to London and there he began to
publish Hürriyet newspaper with Ziya
Paşa (1868). However, when their political opinions differed, he stopped
writing at the newspaper (1869). Upon the invitation of the Security Minister,
Hüsnü Paşa, he returned to İstanbul (1870).
He re-started (1872) his
writing career with his articles in İbret
Newspaper that he leased after the death of Ali Paşa (1871). Due to his
articles in this newspaper, which was closed many times, he secured public
opinion in relation to his views. When his newspaper was first closed, he was
sent away from İstanbul as the Gelibolu Governor (1872). When he was in
Gelibolu, he wrote his play Vatan Yahut
Silistre (Motherland or Silistra).
When he returned, he again edited İbret.
Upon the interest aroused by the staging his play at Gedikpaşa Theatre (1 April
1873), he was exiled to Famagusta and confined in a fortress (9 April 1873).
Three years later, benefiting from the amnesty granted on to death of Abdülaziz
and Murad V’s ascending the throne (30 May 1876), he returned to İstanbul.
Three months later, when Abdülhamit II ascended the throne (31 August 1876), he
was promoted to membership of the commission that organized the Council of
State and the New Constitution. However, after the declaration of the Law
Foundation (1876), he was imprisoned for five months and then exiled to
Mytilene Island (1877). During this time, he wrote new poems and his most
important letters. Two years later, he was appointed governor of the same
island (1879). Meanwhile, he wrote his work called Celaleddin Harzemşah (Celaleddin
Harzemşah), which he presented it to Abdülhamit and was promoted to the
Supreme Rank. He was appointed as the Governor of Rhodes in 1884 and of Chios
Island in 1887. On the islands where he served, he wrote new literary works and
endeavored to establish new schools and mosques. He died of pneumonia on Chios
Island. With the efforts of Ebuzziya Tevfik, his tomb was transported to be
near the Rumelian conqueror, Prince Süleyman Paşa in Bolayır.
The most important figure of
the Tanzimat* Reform period, Namık Kemal, in his newspaper articles and works,
asserted a constitutional government based on Islamic canon law, the equality
of the individual within the law, the dominance of law and benefiting from
Western science and technique without breaking from Turkish culture. He
remained faithful to Divan poetry in his poems with a powerful voice. In his
poetry, anecdotes, articles, plays, letters, history and critiques he gave
precedence to the problems of society.
WORKS:
POETRY: Namık Kemal’in Şiirleri (Poems by Namık
Kemal, after his death first complied by Sadettin Nüzhet Ergun, 1941).
NOVEL: İntibah (Regret,
1876), Cezmi (Cezmi, 1880).
PLAY: Vatan Yahut
Silistre (Motherland or Silistra, 1873), Zavallı Çocuk (Poor Boy, 1873), Akif
Bey (Mr. Akif, 1874), Gülnihal
(Young Rose, 1875), Celalettin Harzemşah
(Celalettin Harzemşah, 1885), Karabela
(Misfortune, 1910).
CRITIQUE: Tahrib-i
Harabat (Destruction of Ruins, 1885), Takip
(Pursuit, 1885, critique on divan poetry on account of the opinions of Ziya
Paşa which were stated in the preface of his anthology Harabat), Mes Prizon Muahazenamesi (Mes Prizon
Critique, views that he stated when Recaizade Ekrem wrote a similar translation
to his with the Italian poet Silviyo Pellica, serialized in Mecmua-ı
Ebuzziya, 1885 and 1912), Renan
Müdafaanamesi (Critique of Renan, work in which he defended Islam against
the views of Ernest Renan, 1908).
HISTORY: Devr-i İstila (Invasion Period, the enlargement of the Ottoman Empire, 1867), Barika-i Zafer (Conquest of İstanbul, 1872), Evrak-ı Perişan (Disordered Papers, with the meaning “Scattered Leaves”, the lives of Selahattin Eyyubi, Fatih and Yavuz, 1872), Kanije (Kanizsa, 1874), Silistre Muaharası (Silistra Siege, 1874), Osmanlı Tarihi (Ottoman History, new edition, 3 volumes, 1971- 74), Büyük İslam Tarihi (Great Islamic History, by İhsan Ilgar, 1975).
