Ahmet Tufan Şentürk

Poet and writer (b. 12 Mayıs 1924, Esentepe-Lamos village / Ermenek / Karaman – d. 9 May 2005, Ankara). He attended the Ankara Solfasol Village (Göktepe) Primary School, İstanbul Haydarpaşa High School (1944). He studied in Ankara University, Faculty of Law for a while. His service as an officer started in Ankara Office of Governor, Department of City Management and finished as an executor in the Proportion and Expropriation and then he retired (1975). He was a member of United Nations Turk Foundation, Folklore Research Center. When he died, he was buried in his hometown.

He was known as a poet in Turkish Literature, anyway he did not interested in other genres much. Except from poetical works (genres written as essay, memory, book Review) he also used the pen names Battal Gökcan-Gökçe and Battal Arif. His articles and poems were published in Yurt newspaper (10 November 1938); and then in Türk Dili, Hisar, Filiz, Bahç, Çağrı, Kemalist Ülkü, Köye Doğru, Çınaraltı, Varlık, Foto Magazin, İnkılapçı Gençlik reviews and Anayurt, Tasvir, Vakit newspapers. He became salient with his poems that were published in Hisar review (1951-52) in where he also worked as a secretary for a while. Some of his poems were composed. Because of his contributions to the Turkish Culture, he won the Professional Association of Scientific and Literary Work Owners of Turkey’ Honor Service Prize, and also he collected Orhan Şaik Gökyay 2001 Poetry Award. The play called Torosların Öbür Yüzü (The Other Side of Taurus), which was written about him and by H. Rıdvan Çongur, was played in the Turkish Radio Television Association Radios. With taking for granted H. Rıdvan Çongur’s play, producer Taha Feyizli made a documentary called “Ahmet Tufan Şentürk Belgeseli” (Documentary on Ahmet Tufan Şentürk) and this documentary were shown in Turkish Radio Television Association’s channels.

WORKS:

NOVEL: Sarhoş Dünya (The Drunken World, 1958), Mustafa Kemal (Mustafa Kemal, 1965), Allah Versin (God Gives to You!, 1969), Çakırdikeni (Bluethorn, 1971), İnsanlık Şarkısı (Songs of Humanity, 1976), Hepsinden Güzel (More Beautiful Than All of Them, 1986), Sevgiyle (With Love, 1988), Şölen (The Feast, 1991), İnsanlık Şarkıları (Songs of Humanity, 1998).

THOUGHT-RESEARCH: Yarası Olan Gocunsun (Who Have Pain Takes Offence 1999), Gidenler-Kalanlar-Gerçekler-Yalanlar (The Going- Staying- Facts- Lies, 1951).

MEMOIR: Anılar Koridorunda Sarıveliler - Armağan 1 (Sarıveliler in the corridors of memories, Gift I, prose-poem, edit with Mustafa Ceylan, 2000), Ahmet Tufan Şentürk İçin Ne Dediler? Armağan II (What Was Said about Ahmet Şentürk? Gift 2, edition with Mustafa Ceylan, 2002).

COMPOSITION: Halk Fıkrala–rındaki Gerçek (The Truths behind the Folk Anecdotes, 1999).