Researcher of folklore and folk literature (b. 4 July 1945, Abdili
village / Boğazlıyan / Yozgat). He finished primary school in his village and
secondary school in Boğazlıyan. He graduated from Bursa
Işıklar Military
High School and Atatürk University,
Faculty of Literature, Department of Turkish Language and Literature (1967).
After he worked as a teacher in Konya, he became
an assistant of Folk Literature at Erzurum
Atatürk University
(1968). He completed his doctorate there. His doctorate thesis was Âşık Garip Üzerine Mukayeseli Bir Araştırm (Comparative
Research on the Minstrel Garip, 1972). Going to France
in 1974 and participating in courses, seminars and conferences related to
folklore methodology and folklore literature given by Prof. Dr. Pertev Naili
Boratav at the Sorbonne in Paris,
he later returned to his department. He became associate professor in 1980 and
professor in 1986 at Ege
University, Faculty of
Literature to where he had been appointed in 1978. His associate professorship
thesis was Tahir ile Zühre (Tahir and
Zühre), his professorship thesis was Nasreddin
Hoca Fıkraları (Anecdotes of Nasreddin Hoca). He gave courses at İzmir Dokuz Eylül University and Ege University.
In addition to being the Director of the Research Institute of the Turkic World
at Ege University, he continued as President of
the Turkish Folklore Foundation Information Branch and as a member of the Management Committee of
the Turkish Language Association. He is a member of
the Professional Association of Scientific and Literary Work Owners of Turkey,
the Research Institute of Turkish Culture and Science Committee at the Turkish
Language Association. He speaks French.
An honorary doctorate was given to him by the Azerbaijan State
University in 1992. With
his work Manas Destanı (Epic Poem of
Manas), he received the Manas-1000 Merit Award in 1995. He also received the
Award of Services to the Turkic World given by the Turkish World Writers and
Artists Foundation in addition to the Turkmenistan Service Award in
1996. He is known for his research on folk stories. He
completed the project Ege Bölgesi Sözlü
ve Yazılı Kültür Ürünlerinin Derlenmesi Projesi (Anthology of Written and
Oral Cultural Works of the Aegean Region) in 1990. He organized the project Türk Dünyası Destanlarının Tespiti, Türkiye
Türkçesine Aktarılması ve Yayımlanması Projesi (Project of Determining
Turkish Epic Poems, Their Translation into Modern Turkish and their
Publication) which planned to publish epic poems in 140 books and was supported
by the State Planning Organization. His book Aşık Garip (Aşık Garip) was translated into Italian. He has
participated in many congresses and conferences in Turkey and abroad and his articles
have been published in foreign languages (French and Russian). He has written
many papers, reports and articles.
WORKS:
Âşık Garip Hikâyesi Üzerine Mukayeseli Bir Araştırma (Comparative Research on the Aşık Garip, 1974), Tahir ile Zühre Hikâyesi (Story of
Tahir and Zühre, 1983, 2nd edition with additions, 1998), Aziya (Aziya, with Kâmil V. Nerimanoğlu and M. Öner, 1992), Letâif-i Nasreddin Hoca (Anecdotes of
Nasreddin Hodja, Burhaniye Translation, review and explanation, 1989; 2nd
edition with additions, 1998), Türk Halk
Edebiyatının Ermeni Kültürüne Tesiri (Effect of Turkish Folk Literature on
Armenian Culture, 1992, with Prof.Dr. Kamil Veli Nerimanoğlu and Mustafa Öner), Sahada
Folklor Deneme Teknikleri (Techniques of Folklore Experiments in the Field,
1992), Manas Destanı Üzerine İncelemeler
- Çeviriler I (The Epic Poem of Manas, Reviews and Translations 1, 1995), Manas Destanı (Epic Poem of Manas,
with Alimcan İnayet, 1995), Türkmen Şiiri
Antolojisi (Anthology of Turkmen Poetry, with Gurbandurdı Geldiyev, 1995), Halkbilimi Yöntemi (Method of
Folklore, with K. Krohn J. Krohn and Günsel İçöz, 1995), Nasreddin Hoca Latifelerinin Şerhi (Explanation of the Anecdotes
of Nasreddin Hoca, Burhaniye Translation, 1999).
His translations from English have also been published.
