Historian of literature (b. 1894,
Rhodes / Greece - d. 28 September 1978, Ankara). He attended Edirne Primary
School (1903), Edirne Military High School (1909), Konya High School
(1913). He served as a teacher of literature
and headmaster at İstanbul University Private İstiklal High School (1922) and
as a teacher at İstanbul High School and as the Chairman at the İstanbul
Community Center’s of Eminönü (1935). He was elected the parliamentary deputy
of Aydın and served in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (1940-46). Later, he
went on teaching literature at the Gazi Institute of Education (1947-49). On
retiring, he was elected the secretary general by the executive committee of
the Turkish Language Association (1951-60) and then served as the chairman
(1963-66).
His first article
was published in the newspaper Babalık (1913)
in Konya. His later articles were published in Felsefe ve İçtimaiyyat Mecmuası (1927) (which he had established),
in Yeni Türk Dergisi (1936-40), Ulus (1943-63), and in the review Türk Dili, published by the Turkish
Language Association beginning in 1951. He published a review with the title Felsefe ve İçtimaiyat. In 1940, he took
up the post of general secretary of the Türk
Ansiklopedisi (Turkish Encyclopedia), which was at first published with the
title İnönü Ansiklopedisi (İnönü
Encyclopedia) in which he wrote material. He is one of the most productive
researchers and historians of literature.
WORKS:
NOVEL:
Acılar (Sorrows, 1928).
STUDY-RESEARCH: Edebiyat Tarihi Dersleri (Lectures on
History of Literature, Volume I: Up to Tanzimat*, 1931, Volume II: Literature
in the Tanzimat *Era, 1934, Volume III: Literature of the Servet-i Fünun* Era,
1938), Maarifimiz ve Millî Terbiyemiz
(Our Education and National Discipline, 1940), Eserler ve Şahsiyetler (Works and People, research and critique,
1940), Halk Kürsüsünden Akisler
(Reflections from the People’s Platform, 1941), Divan Edebiyatı (Divan* Literature lexis, symbols, concepts, 1941),
Nabi'nin Surnamesi (Surname* of Nabi,
research-text, 1944), Profesör Ferid Kam,
Hayatı ve Eserleri (Professor Ferid Kam, His Life and Works, 1946), Atâî'nin Hilyetü'l-Efkâr'ı (Atai's Work on the Appearance and
Character of Muhammed the Prophet, research-text 1948), Türk Dilinde
Gelişme ve Sadeleşme Safhaları (Phases of Improvement and Simplification in
the Turkish Language, 1949; pub. with the title Steps of Improvement and
Simplification in the Turkish Language, 1969), Türk Edebiyatı (Turkish Literature, for 10th grades, 1950), Mantıku't-Tayr (Birdy Talk) prologue-research, facsimile edition, 1955), Gazavatnâmeler* ve Mihaloğlu Ali Bey'in
Gazavatnâmesi* (research-text, 1956), Türk
Edebiyatında Şehrengizler ve Şehrengizlerde İstanbul (The City Books in
Turkish Literature and İstanbul in the City Books, 1958), Arap, Fars ve Türk Edebiyatlarında Leyla ve Mecnun Hikâyesi (The
Story of Leyla and Majnun in Arabian, Persian and Turkish Literature, 1959), Tarih Boyunca Türk Dili (Turkish
Language Throughout History, 1961), Ümmet
Çağı Türk Edebiyatı (Turkish Literature in the Age of Islam, 1962), Tarih Edebiyatında Manzum Atasözleri ve
Deyimler (Proverbs and Sayings in Verse in Historical Literature, 1962), Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar (Hüseyin Rahmi
Gürpınar, 1965-68), Şemsettin Sami
(Şemsettin Sami, 1969), Türk Edebiyatı
Tarihi 1 (History of Turkish Literature 1 – Introduction, 1973), Dil Üstüne Yazılar (Articles on
Language, 1973).
REFERENCE: Mehmet Zeki / Türkiye Teracimi Ahval Ansiklopedisi (c. II, 1929), Sadettin Nüzhet Ergun / Türk Şairleri (c. 1, s. 19, 1936), Mehmet Behçet Yazar / Edebiyatçılarımız ve Türk Edebiyatı (s. 19-36, 1938), İbrahim Kutluk / Agâh Sırrı Levend (1963), İ. Ulçugür / Agâh Sırrı Levend (1982), 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), Mehmet Behçet Yazar / Edebiyatçılar Alemi - Edebiyatımızın Unutulan Simaları (yay. haz. Mustafa Everdi, 1999), Behçet Necatigil / Edebiyatımızda İsimler Sözlüğü (18. bas. 1999), Şükran Kurdakul / Şairler ve Yazarlar Sözlüğü (gen. 6. bas. 1999), M. Uyguner / “Levend, Agâh Sırrı” (TDE Ansiklopedisi, 2001, c. 6), TBE Ansiklopedisi (2001), TBMM Albümü 1920-2013 (1. cilt, 2010).
