Historian of
literature (b. 1 September 1913, Siverek / Şanlıurfa – d. 28 July 2000,
İstanbul). He was son of Molla Hacı Zülfikar Karahan who was one of the famous
scholars of his time and died in Hicaz while he was performing his pilgrimage
to Mecca. He graduated from İzmir Teacher School, İzmir High School (1934) and
İstanbul University, the Faculty of Letters, Department of Turkish Language and
Literature and High Teacher School in 1934. He worked as a teacher at high
schools in Samsun and İzmir (1939-47). He entered into İstanbul University, the
Faculty of Letters as an assistant of Turkish literature and text explanation
(1947) after having completed his PhD in 1945. He graduated from Sorbonne
University, Education and Development of Teachers Training School in France and
Institute of Phonetics in 1950. He became an associate professor in 1959 and a
professor in 1973 after he returned to Turkey. He retired in 1983. He gave
lectures of Turkish literature at the İstanbul High Islam Institute, High
Teacher School and Ayn Şems University in Kahire during his teaching at the
İstanbul University, the Faculty of Letters. He was one of the 147 that were
dismissed from university after 27 May Coup.
His first
poem Dicle’de Akşam Güneşi (The Evening
Sun in Tigris, was published in the review Servet-i
Fünun while he was a student in Diyarbakır in 1931. Karahan started his
literary career with poetry; his researches on old and modern Turkish
literature were published in the reviews and newspapers such as Ege Işıldağı (İzmir, 1934), Gençlik, İnkılapçı Gençlik (1938-39), 19 Mayıs (Samsun, 1940-41), Fikirler ve Yeni Asır (İzmir, 1942-47), Tasvir, Yeni Sabah, Milliyet, Hürriyet,
Tercüman, Güneş, Türkiye, Middle East and
New Middle East, Türkiyat, Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı, Yeşilay, Ülkü, Çağrı,
Türk Düşüncesi, Türk Dili and
Pakistan Postası (1947-2000) and in many scientific reviews abroad. He
donated his 7000 books and 150 periodicals to Şanlıurfa Private Direction to
found a library in his name in 1992.
WORKS:
POETRY: Güneşin Doğduğu Yurt (The Country Where
The Sun Set, 1934).
STUDY-RESEARCH: Fuzulî' nin
Mektupları (Letters of Fuzuli, 1948), Fuzulî,
Muhiti, Hayatı ve Şahsiyeti (Fuzuli, Muhiti, Life and Personality, PhD
thesis, 1949), Nabî (Nabi, 1953, expanded
edition, 1987), Nef'i (Nefi, 1954,
expanded edition, 1986), İslâm-Türk
Edebiyatında Kırk Hadis (Forty Hadis* in Islam-Turk Literature, 1954), Fatih, Şair Avnî (Fatih, Poet Avni,
1954), Fuzulî, Poete En Trois Langues
(Poets of Fuzulî in three languages, 1959), Tercümanü'l-Ümem
(Interpreter of the Countries,
1962), Öğretim Mesleği Dünya Kongresi (The
World Congress of Teacher Profession, 1965), Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Çağı Şairlerinden Figanî ve Divançesi
(Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Era Poet Figani and His Pamphlet, 1966), Nef'i Divanından Seçmeler (Selections
from Divan* of Nef’i, 1971), Topkapı
Sarayı Müzesi'ndeki Ahnâme Yazmalarından Seçmeler (Selections from the
Ahnâme Manuscripts at Topkapı Palace, 1971), Dr. Muhammed İkbal ve Eserlerinden Seçme Bilgiler (Dr. Muhammed
İkbal and Selections of his Works, 1974, with the name İkbal the Voice That
Comes from the East. 2001), M. Ali
Cinnah'a Armağan (Gift to M. Ali Cinnah, 1977), Kırk Hadis (Forty Hadis*, 1977; in four languages with
illuminations, 1986), Eski Türk Edebiyatı
İncelemeleri (Researches on Old Turkish Literature, 1980), Kırk Altın Küpe (Forty Golden Earrings,
1987), Şirazlı Hafız ve Şiirlerinden
Seçmeler (Preacher of Shiraz and Selections from His Poetry,
research-anthology, 1988), Eski Türk
Edebiyatı (Old Turkish Literature, 1988), Şanlıurfa ve GAP Sempozyumu (Şanlıurfa and South Eastern Anatolia
Project, 1988), Türk Kültürü ve Edebiyatı
(Turkish Culture and Literature, 1988), Urfalı
Mehmed Şevket ve Şiirleri (Urfalı Mehmed Şevket and His Poetry, 1991), Les Poets Classiques A. L'e Popoque De Soliman Le Magnifique (Classic
Poets at the Era of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman, 1991).
He has also translations.
REFERENCE: TDE Ansiklopedisi (c. 5), Seyit Kemal Karaalioğlu / Resimli Türk Edebiyatçılar Sözlüğü (2. bas. 1982), 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) – Ünlü Bilim Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 2, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013), Behçet Necatigil / Edebiyatımızda İsimler Sözlüğü (18. bas. 1999), Şükran Kurdakul / Şairler ve Yazarlar Sözlüğü (gen. 6. bas. 1999), Mehmet Nuri Yardım / Klâsik Edebiyatımızın Yıldızı Kaydı (Türk Edebiyatı dergisi, sayı: 323, Eylül 2000), Doğudan Gelen Ses İkbal (Kitap Rehberi, Aralık 2001), Hasan Aksoy / TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (c. 24, 2001), TBE Ansiklopedisi (2001).
