Poet
and writer (b. 1904, Edirne – d. 6 August 1982, İstanbul). After attending the
Edirne Elementary Teacher Training School, he worked as a teacher, while
attending the Faculty of Dentistry. Then, he embarked on publication. He published
influent children’s reviews of the Republican era, such as Çocuk Sesi (1932),
Afacan (1934), Gelincik (1936) and Çocuk Gözü (1945). For
adults, he published the reviews and newspapers Okul ve Öğretmen, Her Ay,
Her Hafta and Hergün (1953-72).
He
was in the national assembly as the deputy of İstanbul of the Democrat Party
between 1957 and 1960. Gürtunca, who started his literary career with poetry,
later wrote plays about historical events and made simplifications of old
books.
WORKS:
POETRY:
İlk Memba (The First Source, 1923), Çocuklara Şiir Kitabı (Poetry
Book for Children, poems for children, 1928), Anadolu (Anatolia, 1939), Bu
Arslana Dokunmayın (Do Not Disturb This Lion, 1939), Atatürk'e Ağıt:
Millete Destan (Mourning for Atatürk: Epic for the Nation, 1944), Bu
Vatana Dokunmayın (Do Not Disturb This Country, 1946), Kıbrıs Destanı
(The Epic of Cyprus, 1964).
PLAY:
Kanlı Akşam (The Bloody Evening, 1927), Dağ Başında Aşk (Love at
the Top of a Mountain, 1939), Oğuzkan (Oğuzkan, 1971), Büyük Hakan
Alparslan (Alparslan, the Great Emperor, 1971), Tuna Gülü (Rose of
the River Danube, 1971), Fatih Sultan Mehmet (Fatih Sultan Mehmet,
1979).
OTHER WORKS: Peygamber Efendimizin Hayatı (Life of
the Prophet Muhammed, a simplification from Mustafa Darir's “Siyer-i
Nebi” –Life of the Prophet-, 1965), Hadikatü's Süedâ (The
Garden of the Happy People, a simplification from Fuzulî, 1979).
