Metin Önal Mengüşoğlu

      Poet and writer (b. 17 May 1947, Elazığ). He attended Diyarbakır İnönü Primary School (1957) and Malatya High School (1969), and graduated from İstanbul University, Faculty of Law (1979). He worked at the General Directorate of Foundations and Bursa Disciplinary Court for some time. Later on he started his own business in the same city. He lost a son who died at a very young age in an accident and this wounded him deeply. He is famous for reading poems beautifully as well as his own poetry. He is a member of the Writers Union of Turkey.

His first poem Unutmak (To Forget) was published in the newspaper Yeni İstiklal in 1962. His later works were published in Yeni İstiklal, Türk Yurdu, Defne, Çile (3 issues, Malatya), Dal, Çağrı, Fikir ve Sanatta Hareket, İslâm Medeniyeti, Millî Gençlik, Deneme, Aylık Dergi, Kriter (1971-84) as well as Yeni İstiklal, and in Kelime (1986-87), Varide, İktibas and Umran, which he published himself. In 2000, he collected the Writers Union of Turkey City Book Award with his book Harput Şehrengizi (The City Book of Harput). In 1998, he was tried under article 312 of the constitution for a poem of his on the subject of headscarves but he was acquitted.

WORKS:

SHORT STORY: Gâvur Kayırıcılar (Nepotism of the Infidels, 1973), Dr. S. (Dr. S., 1987).

POETRY: Ben Asyalı Bir Ozan (I’m an Asian Minstrel, 1983), Çamurlu Bir Irmak (A Muddy River, 1986), Hayatımın Bahanesi (The Excuse of My Life, 1995), Sevda Söze Dönüşmez (Love Does not Become Words, 1998).

NOVEL: Yerler Mühürlendi (The Floors are Sealed, 1996).

ESSAY: Ağabeyime Mektuplar (Letters to My Brother, 1995), Kimliğin Fotoğrafsız Yaprağı (Leaf Without an Identity Photograph, 1998), Havada Bulut Var (There’s a Cloud in the Sky, 1999), Harput Şehrengizi (The City Book of Harput, memoir-essay, 2000).

RESEARCH: Düşünmek Farzdır (To Think is Obligatory, 1995). 

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 (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007), M. Selami Çekmegil (Gündüz gazetesi, 25.2.1995), Hikmet Gündoğan (Akit, 25.5.1995), Hüseyin Akın (Millî Gazete, 29.5.2000), Mehmet Aycı (Kırağı, Temmuz 1995), D. Mehmet Doğan (Akit, 1.7.2000), Ahmet Kabaklı (Türkiye, 20.7.2000), Taşra Edebiyat Dergisi Metin Önal Mengüşoğlu Özel Bölümü (Kış 2001).