Alâeddin Özdenören

Educator, Writer, Poet

Death
26 June, 2003
Education
İstanbul University Faculty of Literature Department of Philosophy
Horoscope
Other Names
Bilal Davut

Poet and writer (b. 20 May 1940, Kahramanmaraş - d. 26 June 2003, Kütahya). He attended primary and elementary school in Maraş, Tunceli, Malatya and İstanbul. He graduated from İstanbul University, Faculty of Literature, Department of Philosophy (1966). His graduate thesis was Bergson'da Özgürlük Problemi (The Problem of Freedom in Bergson). He worked at İstanbul Eyüp Devrim Primary School (1964-65) as a primary school teacher and in Maraş High School (1966-69), Çorum High School (1971-73), Mersin Atatürk High School (1973-75), Ankara Gazi Institute of Education (1975-78), Ankara Halide Edip Adıvar High School for Girls (1978-80), Ankara Başkent High School (1982-85) and Ankara Science High School (1985-91) as a teacher of philosophy. In 1991 he was appointed the undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and then he retired. He lived in Balıkesir in his later years. He was a member of the Writers Union of Turkey.

He published a review with the title Hamle in Maraş together with his twin brother and the storywriters Rasim Özdenören, Cahit Zarifoğlu and the poet Erdem Bayazıt and edited the literary pages of local newspapers during his years at high school. His first poem was published in the review Hamle in 1957, and his later poems and articles appeared in the reviews Yeni İstiklal, Diriliş and Edebiyat, and in Mavera, of which he was one of the founders in 1976. His works were published in the reviews Edebiyat Ortamı, Yedi İklim, Hece, Ay Vakti in his later years. He wrote daily and weekly in the newspapers Yeni Devir, Millî Gazete Zaman, Tutanak and Sağduyu with the pen name Bilal Davut, as well as his real name.

He is a member of the same school as his contemporaries Cahit Zarifoğlu, Erdem Bayazıt and Akif İnan, nevertheless, an air of grief prevails in his poetry. He is known for his poems where he reflects lyricism with a skillfully established inner harmony, particularly in poems that he wrote after he lost his son Kerem in an accident. He collected the Writers Union of Turkey Poetry Award in 1996 with Yalnızlık Gide Gide (Loneliness as I Go On).

WORKS:

POETRY: Güneş Donanması (The Sun Navy, 1974), Yalnızlık Gide Gide (Loneliness as I Go On, 1996), Şiirler / Bütün Şiirleri: 1975-1999 (Poems/All Poems: 1975-1999, 1999), Bütün Şiirler (All Poems, 2002).

ESSAY: İnsan ve İslâm (Man and Islam, 1982), Batılılaşma Üzerine (On Westernization, 1983), Devlet ve İnsan (State and Man, 1986), Yakın Çağ Batı Dünyası ve Türkiye'ye Yansımaları (The Western World in Recent Times and its Reflections on Turkey, 1986).

RESEARCH: Şiirin Geçitleri (Trajectories of Poetry, 1996).

MEMOIR: Unutulmuşluklar (Being Forgotten, 1999). 

REFERENCE: 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 (2007) – Ünlü Edebiyatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 4, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013), TDE Ansiklopedisi (c. VII, 1990), Recep Garip / Güneş Donanması Üzerine (Ay Vakti seçkisi, Ekim 2000), Cemil Çiftçi / Maraşlı Şair Yazar Alimler (2000), Mustafa Aydoğan / Alaeddin Özdenören’in Şiiri (Hece, Nisan 2003), Faruk Uysal / Lirik Şiirin Geldiği Yer (Hece, Nisan 2003), Rasim Özdenören / Alâeddin: Bir Yalnızlık ve Istırap Adası (Hece, Eylül 2003), Ali Yakın / Alâeddin Özdenören ile Şiirle Yaşanan Kırk Beş Yıl Üzerine (Hece, Nisan 2003), Mehmet Nuri Yardım / Yazar Olacak Çocuklar (2004), Mustafa Aydoğan / Yalnızlık Mahşeri Alaeddin Özdenören (2015).

RELATED BIOGRAPHIES

Show More