Ahmet Telli

Poet and writer (b. 1946, Eskipazar / Karabük). He completed his intermediate education at Hasanoğlan and Pazaröğretmen Teacher’s School. After working as a village teacher, he graduated from the Gazi Institute of Education, Department of Turkish Language and Literature. He worked as a teacher of literature at various high schools in Anatolia and as a teacher of Turkish at the Gazi Institute of Education. Having been sentenced in 1981, he was dismissed under martial law. In the same year he was charged under articles 141, 142 and 146 of the Turkish Penal Code. He was sentenced because of one of his works under article 142. After he was dismissed, he worked as a bookseller, publisher and as a manager and editor at various publishing houses.

His first poem was published in 1961. His poetry and articles were published in various reviews and newspapers but mostly in the reviews such as Forum, Türk Dili, Varlık, Oluşum, Dönemeç, Somut, Damar and Cumhuriyet. He shared the 1980 Toprak Poetry Award with Metin Altıok with his book Hüznün İsyan Olur (Your Sadness Becomes a Revolt) (1980). He won the Yazko Poetry Encouragement Award with Saklı Kalan (What Stays Hidden) (1981) and the 1982 Nevzat Üstün Poetry Achievement Award with Su Çürüdü (The Water Decayed).

WORKS:

POETRY: Yangın Yılları (The Years of Fire, 1979), Hüznün İsyan Olur (Your Sadness Becomes a Revolt, 1979), Dövüşen Anlatsın (Let Him Explain the One Who Fought, 1980), Saklı Kalan (What Stays Hidden, 1981), Su Çürüdü (The Water Decayed, 1982), Belki Yine Gelirim (Maybe I Will Come Again, 1984), Çocuksun Sen (You are a Child, 1994), Kalbim Unut Bu Şiiri (Forget that Poem My Heart, compilation, 1994).

ESSAY: Ben Hiçbir Şey Söylemedim (I Said Nothing, 2001), Sulara mı Yazıldı (Is it Written on Water?, 2001). 

REFERENCE: H. Küçükdereli (Sesimiz, Ekim 1979), Ruşen Hakkı (Türkiye Yazıları, Kasım 1979), Asım Bezirci / Güle Dil Verenler (1998), İ. Eryiğit-M. Erdoğan / A. Telli ile Şiir Üzerine (Ayane, Nisan 1998), Behçet Necatigil / Edebiyatımızda İsimler Sözlüğü (18. bas. 1999), Şükran Kurdakul / Şairler ve Yazarlar Sözlüğü (gen. 6. bas. 1999), TBE Ansiklopedisi (2001), Vecdi Erbay (7.Gündem, 13 Ekim 2001), Hüseyin Atabaş / Barbar ve Şehlâ Bağlamında Ahmet Telli Şiiri / Damar, Şubat 2005), İhsan Işık / 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).