Poet and writer (b. 25 February 1907, Eğridere / Gümülcine / Ottoman Empire (Ardino / Bulgaria) - d. 2 April
1948, Kırklareli). He attended Edremit Primary School (1921) and graduated from
İstanbul Primary Teacher Training School (1927). After serving as a classroom
teacher in Yozgat for a short period of time, he was transferred to Germany and
stayed there for two years (1928-30). Upon his return to Turkey, he taught
German in Aydın and Konya secondary schools (1930-32). Because of his political
ideas and satires, he was imprisoned for three months and one year in Aydın and
Konya respectively. He also served time in Konya and Sinop prisons. On the
tenth anniversary of the Turkish Republic, he was pardoned (1933) and then he
worked as a civil servant at the Ministry of National Education, Publication
Directorate as a translator and as a dramatist at Ankara State Conservatory.
Because he was removed from his post due to his articles (1945), he worked as
journalist in İstanbul. He published the humor review Marko Paşa with Aziz Nesin
(1946). He was again imprisoned for three months due to his articles in
1947. While he was planning to escape to Bulgaria in 1948, he was killed by the
person who agreed to smuggle him abroad. Where his grave is located is unknown.
His first poems
and stories were published in the reviews Çağlayan
(Balıkesir, 1926) and Resimli Ay (1930).
He was mostly known for his stories on the topics of life in towns and
villages. His novel Kuyucaklı Yusuf (Yusuf
from Kuyucak) is regarded as “one of the most successful representations of the
genre in Turkish literature” (Atilla Özkırımlı). In addition, he did
translations. The Sabahattin Ali Story Contest has been organized in his name
since 1980. All his works were published again in a series by Bilgi and Cem
publishing houses, and later published by Yapı Kredi Publications.
WORKS:
POETRY: Dağlar ve Rüzgâr (Mountains and Wind,
1934), Dağlar ve Rüzgar-Kurbağaların
Serenadı-Öteki Şiirler (Mountains and Wind- Serenade of the Frogs- Other
Poems, 1988), Bütün Şiirleri / Sabahattin
Ali (All Poems/ Sabahattin Ali, 1999).
SHORT STORY: Değirmen (The Mill, 1935, with
“Mountains and Wind”, 1965), Kağnı (Oxcart,
1936), Ses (Sound, 1937), Yeni Dünya (New World, 1943), Sırça Köşk (The Glass House, 1947), Çakıcı'nın İlk Kurşunu (The First
Bullet of Çakıcı, Tereke - Heritage by Nüket Esen, Zeynep Uysal, Engin
Kılıç and Olcay Akyıldız; stories, poems and collected articles of Sabahattin
Ali, 2002), Bütün Öyküler I, Bütün
Öyküler II (All Stories I, All Stories II)..
NOVEL: Kuyucaklı Yusuf (Yusuf from Kuyucak,
1937), İçimizdeki Şeytan (The Evil
inside Us, 1940), Kürk Mantolu Madonna (Madonna
in the Fur Coat, 1943), Bütün Romanları (All Novels, one volume, 2004).
PLAY: Esirler (The Captives, 1936), Bütün Oyunları 1 (All Plays I, 2001), Bütün Oyunları 2 (All Plays II, with
“The New World” and “The Glass House”, with the play “The Captives”, 2002).
ESSAY: Markopaşa Yazıları ve Ötekiler (Marco
Paşa Articles and the Others, 1998, compiled by Hikmet Altınkaynak).
In addition, he
translated from English.
All his works
were reprinted firstly by Bilgi Publications, secondly by Cem Publications and
lastly by Yapı Kredi Publications.
REFERENCE: Demir Özlü / Bir Önsöz Üzerine (Yeni Dergi, Şubat 1966) – Yeni Dergi (Temmuz 1966), Vedat Günyol / Dile Gelseler (1966), Kemal Sülker / Sabahattin Ali Dosyası (1968), Mustafa Kutlu / Sabahattin Ali (1972), 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 Edebiyatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 4, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013), Muzaffer Uyguner / Sabahattin Ali (1992), (1993), Behçet Necatigil / Edebiyatımızda İsimler Sözlüğü (18. bas. 1999), Şükran Kurdakul / Şairler ve Yazarlar Sözlüğü (gen. 6. bas. 1999), Feridun Andaç / Edebiyatımızın Yol Haritası (2000), Necip Tosun / Bozuk Düzen Sömürü Despotizm Gölgesinde İnsanlık Manzaraları: Sabahattin Ali Öyküsü (Heceöykü, Ağustos-Eylül 2004).
