Storywriter (b.
11 March 1884, Gönen / Balıkesir – d. 6 March 1920, İstanbul). He attended
primary school in Gönen, Eyüp Baytar High School in İstanbul (1896), Military
School in Edirne (1900) and İstanbul War School (1903). He served as a first
lieutenant in İzmir (1903-1908) and in border towns and villages with the 3rd
Army Commandership in Thessalonica (1908-1910). In 1911, he left the army and
began to write for the review Genç
Kalemler, published in Thessalonica. He was recruited to the army when the
Balkan War broke out and was captured by the Greeks during the defense of Yanya
(1913). Later in the same year, he was released and returned to İstanbul. He
began teaching literature at Kabataş High School and worked there until his
death (1913-1920). Ömer Seyfettin, who died of diabetes, was first buried in
Kuş Dili Graveyard and then was moved to Zincirlikuyu Graveyard (1939).
Ömer Seyfettin
began his literary career with the poem Hissi
Müncemid (Solid Feeling), which was published in the review Mecmuayi Edebiyye in 1900. In his
article Yeni Lisan (New Language),
which was published in the first issue of the review Genç Kalemler (11 April 1911) and is regarded as the founding
declaration of the movement known as ‘National Literature’, he criticized the
heavy, unfathomable language of the literature of Scientific Wealth and
defended the necessity to write in a way which could be understood by the
general public. He pioneered the ‘National Literature’ movement together with
Ziya Gökâlp and Ali Canip Yöntem. Most of his works were inspired by his
childhood memories, observations of daily life, folk legends and stories from
history and mainly dealt with the theme of nationalism. He wrote approximately
140 stories in three years (1917-1920). His stories were published in reviews
and newspapers such as Yeni Mecmua (1917-1918),
Şair (1918-1919), Vakit, Türk Dünyası and Akşam (1918-1920). He serialized his
story Yalnız Efe (Lonely Hector) in
the newspaper Büyük Mecmua with the
title Anadolu Romanı (Novel of
Anatolia). Most of his books were published posthumously.
WORKS
NOVEL: Ashab-ı Kehfimiz (Our Ashab-ı Kehf*,
1918), Efruz Bey (Efruz Bey, 1919).
NOVELLA: Harem (Harem, 1918).
SHORT STORY:
After his death, his short stories were collected in a series of ten books
according to the similarity of their themes, by the Bilgi Publishing House
between 1970-1973: Efruz Bey (Efruz
Bey, 1970), Kahramanlar (Heroes,
1970), Bomba (Bomb, 1970), Harem (Harem, 1970), Yüksek Ökçeler (High Heels, 1970), Kurumuş Ağaçlar (Dead Trees, 1971), Yalnız
Efe (Lonely Hector, 1971), Falaka
(Bastinado, 1971). Aşk Dalgası (Wave
of Love), Beyaz Lale (The White
Tulip), Gizli Mabed (Secret Temple). (His stories continue to be published
by various publishing houses under various titles.)
POETRY: Ömer Seyfettin'in Şiirleri (Poems by
Ömer Seyfettin, collected by Fevziye Abdullah Tansel, 1972).
ESSAY
(collected by Muzaffer Uyguner): Dil
Konusunda Yazıları (Articles on Language, 1989), Sanat ve Edebiyat Yazıları (Articles on Art and Literature, 1990), Olup Bitenler, Toplumsal Yazılar (What
Happens, Social Articles, 1992), Türklük
ve Türkçecilik Yazıları (Articles on Being Turkish and Defending the
Turkish Language, 1993).
RESEARCH: Türk Masalları (Turkish Fairytales, 1906), Vatan, Yalnız Vatan (Motherland, Only Motherland, 1911), Millî Tarihimizden Çıkarılmış Ameli Siyaset (Applied Politics from Our National History, under the pen name Seyfettin Tarhan, 1914), Turan Devleti (The Turan State, 1914), Yazmak Sanatı (The Art of Writing, 1919).
REFERENCE Hikmet Dizdaroğlu / Ömer Seyfettin (1964), Tahir Alangu / Ömer Seyfettin: Ülkücü Bir Yazarın Romanı (monografi, 1968), Mehmet İsmet Binark / Ömer Seyfettin Bibliyografyası (N. Sefercioğlu ile, 1970), Bursalı Mehmed Tahir / Osmanlı Müellifleri II (1972), Muzaffer Uyguner / Ömer Seyfettin (1990), 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 (2007) – Ünlü Edebiyatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 4, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013), Atilla Özkırımlı / Ömer Seyfettin (1992), Feridun Andaç / Edebiyatımızın Yol Haritası (2000), Ertuğrul Efeoğlu / Ömer Seyfettin’in ‘Tekinsiz’ Bir Öyküsü Perili Köşk (Hürriyet Gösteri, Ocak 2005), Ömer Seyfettin’in hazin hikayesi (sabah.com.tr, 3.7.2014), Dilek Üğüden / Sahipsiz Biri Gibi Ölen ve Cesedi Kadavra Yapılan Ünlü Yazarımız Ömer Seyfettin’in Hazin Hikayesi (listelist.com/omer-seyfettinin-cesedi, 11 Temmuz 2016).