Writer
(b. 1926, İstanbul - d. 19 December 2002, İstanbul). His full name was Memet
Fuat Bengü. He was the son of Vedat Örfi Bengü, the actor, director and
scenarist. He also used the name Mehmet Bengü. He attended Haydarpaşa High
School (1946) and graduated from Istanbul University, Department of English
Language and Literature (1950). He worked as teacher, translator, correspondent
and assistant architect in construction. He published the review Kitaplar
together with Tuna Baltacıoğlu and Oktay Verel (1950-51). He established and
managed De Publishing House 1960). He published the monthly literary review Yeni
Dergi (1964-75). He published the almanacs, consisting of selected poems,
essays and short stories of the previous year, with the title Türk Edebiyatı
(Turkish Literature, ten volumes, 1963-72). He had been passionate about sport
since his childhood and made use of his passion by introducing children to
sport. He managed the football, table tennis and volleyball teams at the
Altınyurt club, which was a neighborhood sports club. Between the years 1972
and 1980, he worked as a coach for the men’s national volleyball team where he
trained famous players. From 1979 to 1982, he gave volleyball lessons at the
Anadoluhisarı Youth Sports Academy. From 1980 to 1983, he was the editorial
manager of the review Yazko Edebiyat. In 1981, he edited local
publications at Adam Publishing House and retired in 1987. He was the general
publishing manager of the review Adam Sanat, which was first published
in 1985 until 1999.
His poems, essays and critiques were published beginning
in
WORKS:
NARRATIVE: Aşk ve Sümüklüböcek (Love and Snail, in
collaboration with Tuna Baltacıoğlu, 1946), Yaşadığımız (What We Lived,
novel, 1951; rewritten edition, 1998), Bir Ayrılışın Öyküsü (Story of a
Separation, short stories, 1998).
MEMOIR: Gölgede Kalan Yıllar (Overshadowed Years,
1997), Tribünden Palavra Anılar (Made-Up Memoirs from the Football
Stand, 1999), Yazarlığın Eteklerinde (At the Base of Authorship, 2002).
ESSAY – CRITIC - RESEARCH: Unutulmuş Yazılar
(Forgotten Writing, 1986), Düşünceye Saygı (Respect for Thought, 1960), Çağını
Görebilmek (To See One’s Age, 1982), Eleştiri Sorumluluğu
(Responsibility of Criticism, 1994), İki Yönlü Yozlaşma (Mutual
Corruption, 1995), Her Yer Tiyatrodur (Everywhere is Theatre, 1997), Çağdaşımız
Makyavel (Our Contemporary Machiavelli, 1992), Özgünlük Avı (Hunt
for Authenticity, 1996), Konuşan Toplum (Talking Society, 1996), Dağlarda
Yüreğim (My Heart on the Mountains, 1996), Sömürüsüz Bir Dünya
(World Without Exploitation, 1998), Çoğunluğun Gücü (Power of the
Majority, 1998), Duyumsanmayan Karanlık (Darkness not Perceived, 1998), Biçimden
Biçeme (From Form to Style, 1999), Yaşlı Bir Şaire Mektuplar
(Letters to an Old Poet, 1999), Aykırılıklar (Incongruities, 1999), Din
ile Felsefe (Religion and Philosophy, 2000), Demokrasi Kültürü (Culture
of Democracy, 2000), Memet Fuat'ın Nâzım Hikmet'i (Nazım Hikmet of Memet
Fuat, 2000), İkinci Yeni Tartışması (Debate on the Second New, 2000), Nâzım
Hikmet Üzerine Yazılar (Writings on Nazım Hikmet, 2001), Yirminci
Yüzyılda Yazınımıza El Verenler (Those Who Help Our Literature in the
Twentieth Century, 2001), Kitap Eleştirileri (Criticism of Books, 2002),
Toplum ile İnsan (Society and Culture, 2002), İncelemeler
(Research, 2002).
RESEARCH: Tiyatro Tarihi (History of Theatre,
1961), Voleybol (Volleyball, 1983, with the name Mehmet Bengü).
BIOGRAPHY: Yunus Emre (Yunus Emre, 1976), Pir
Sultan (Pir Sultan, 1977), Karacaoğlan (Karacaoğlan, 1977), Şinasi
(Şinasi, 1977), Namık Kemal (Namık Kemal, 1999), Tevfik Fikret (Tevfik
Fikret, 1979), Ahmet Haşim (Ahmet Haşim, 1977), Dadaloğlu
(Dadaloğlu, 2002).
ANTHOLOGY: Türk Edebiyatı (Turkish Literature, De
almanacs, 1963-1972, ten volumes), İlkokul Çocukları İçin Şiirler (Poems
for Primary School Students, 1968), Çağdaş Türk Şiiri Antolojisi
(Anthology of Contemporary Turkish Poetry, 1985; enlarged 14th edition, 1999), Dünya Yazınından Çeviri
Şiirler (Translated Poems from World Literature, 1992), Dünya Yazınından
Seçilmiş Kısa Oyunlar I (Selected Short Plays from World Literature I,
1993), Dünya Yazınından Seçilmiş Kısa Oyunlar II (Selected Short Plays
from World Literature II, 1993), Dünya Yazınından Seçilmiş Kısa Öyküler
(Selected Short Stories from World Literature, 1993), Türk Yazınından
Seçilmiş Çocuklar İçin Şiirler (Selected Poems for Children from Turkish
Literature, 1993), Türk Yazınından Seçilmiş Denemeler (Selected Essays
from Turkish Literature, 1993), Türk Yazınından Seçilmiş Eleştiri Yazıları (1993).
COLLECTION (Selected Poems): Nâzım Hikmet (Nâzım Hikmet, 1997), Orhan Veli Kanık (Orhan Veli Kanık, 1997), Oktay Rifat (Oktay Rifat, 1997), Cahit Külebi (Cahit Külebi, 1997), Sabri Altınel (Sabri Altınel, 1997), Edip Cansever (Edip Cansever, 1997), Cahit Irgat (Cahit Irgat, 1998), Nâzım Hikmet: Portreler (Nazım Hikmet: Portraits, 2001), 'A'dan Z'ye Nâzım Hikmet (Nazım Hikmet from A to Z, 2002), Nasrettin Hoca Fıkraları (Anecdotes of Nasreddin Hoca, 2002).
In addition, he made many translations from famous writers such as Jack London, John Steinbeck, Edgar Allen Poe and Ernest Hemingway.
REFERENCE: Çetin Yetkin / Siyasal İktidar Sanata Karşı (1970), Atilla Özkırımlı / Türk Edebiyatı Ansiklopedisi (c.3, 1982), TDE Ansiklopedisi (c. 1, s. 396), İhsan Işık / Yazarlar Sözlüğü (1990, 1998) - Türkiye Yazarlar Ansiklopedisi (2001, 2004) – Encyclopedia of Turkish Authors (2005), Enis Batur / Çağdaşımız Memet Fuat - Sennur Sezer / Edebiyatımızın Maestrosu Memet Fuat - Mehmet Sarsmaz / Memet Fuat’a Saygıyı Yazmadan ‘Özgünlük Avı’na Çıkmak’ (Cumhuriyet Kitap, 8.11.1997), Turhan Günay / Yaşadığımız ve Dil Kaygısı (Cumhuriyet Kitap, 31.12.1998), Fethi Naci / Memet Fuat’ın “Nâzım Hikmet”i (Cumhuriyet Kitap, 28.9.2000), TBE Ansiklopedisi (c. 2, 2001), Gürcan Arıtürk / Aklın Aydınlığı Memet Fuat (Radikal Kitap, 13.1.2005), İhsan Işık / 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).