Mustafa İsen

He is a researcher of literature and bureaucrat. He was born in 1953 in Adapazarı, the son of a Balkan-origin immigrant family. He graduated from Çorum İmam Hatip High School (1967) and Atatürk University, Faculty of Literature, Department of Turkish Language and Literature (1975). He completed his PhD on “Künhü'l Ahbar'ın Tezkire Kısmı: İnceleme-Metin” (The Tezkire Part of Künhü'l Ahbar: Review-Text) (1979).  He was appointed as Old Turkish Literature assistant to the Faculty of Literature, Department of Turkish Language and Literature. He was sent to the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philology, Department of Eastern Languages as a Turkish language lecturer by the Ministry of National Education in 1981. He worked there until 1983. He became Assistant Professor in the same year and after returning to his homeland, he began to work as an academician in the Atatürk University, Faculty of Sciences and Literature, Department of Turkish Language and Literature. He delivered lectures in his study field at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Faculty of Sciences and Literature, Department of Turkish Language and Literature, which was at the foundation stage during those years. He was appointed as an advisor in the Ministry of National Education (1987-89).

He became Associate Professor in the field of Old Turkish Literature in the same year and was appointed to Gazi University, Faculty of Sciences and Literature, Department of Turkish Language and Literature in 1989. He was appointed as Vice-Dean of the same faculty (1992-96) and as the Head of Turkish Education Application and Research Centre (1993-96). He became a Professor in 1994. He served as Director of the Social Sciences Institute of International Ahmet Yesevi Turkish-Kazakh University (1996-98), and as Head of Gazi University Faculty of Sciences and Literature, Department of Turkish Language and Literature. He was appointed as Dean of the same faculty (1997-2000). Then he transferred to Başkent University, Faculty of Sciences and Literature. He served as Head of the Department of Turkish Language and Literature in that institution (2000-2002). On December 7, 2002, he was appointed as the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture. Upon the merger of the ministries of Culture and Tourism, he was appointed as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Undersecretary on 17^th June 2003. In the 2007 elections, he applied to be nominated as a candidate for parliament with membership from the AK Party on July 22^nd, but he was not nominated and subsequently returned back to his duty of undersecretary. After Abdullah Gül’s election as the President, he was appointed to the Secretariat General of the Presidency. Together with this duty, he has been carrying out the membership of the Board of Trustees of International Ahmet Yesevi Turkish-Kazakh University since April 4, 2003 and the membership of The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) since October 17, 2009.

Prof. İsen, who has many published works about Turkish Literature, is well known for his published studies on Old Turkish Literature and Turkish cultural assets of the Balkans. His articles have appeared in publications such as Çevren, EÜ Edebiyat Fakültesi Araştırma Dergisi, Millî Kültür, Kaynaklar, Türk Kültürü Araştırmaları, Türk Dünyası Araştırmaları, Millî Eğitim, Türk Yurdu, Yedi İklim, Türkiye Günlüğü, Bilig, Türk Dili, and Dergâh ve Sesler. He took his place among the article authors of the TDOE-TDE encyclopaedia published by Atatürk Culture Center of the Prime Ministry.

WORKS:

Sehi Bey Tezkiresi (simpl., 1980), Yugoslavya Türk Çocuk Şiirinden Seçmeler (with R. İsen, 1980), Büyük Türk Klasikleri (v. 3-4, with H. İpekten, T. Karabey and M. Akkuş, 1986), Büyük Türk Klasikleri (v. 6, 1987, v. 7: 1988, with H. İpekten, T. Karabey and M. Akkuş ile), Tezkirelere Göre Divan Edebiyatı İsimler Sözlüğü (with H. İpekten, 1988), Gelibolulu Mustafa Ali (1988), Usûlî: Hayatı Sanatı ve Divanı (1988), Hammamizade İhsan / Hayatı, Eserleri ve Divanı (with R. Canım, 1989), Latifî Tezkiresi (simpl., 1990), Şeyhî Divanı (with Cemal Kurnaz, 1990), Türk Edebiyatında Tevhidler (with Muhsin Macit, 1992), Künhü’l Ahbar’ın Tezkire Kısmı (1994), Acıyı Bal Eylemek (Türk Edebiyatında Mersiye, 1994), Basılı Divanlar Kataloğu (with Haluk İpekten, 1997), Sultan Şairler (with A. F. Bilkan, 1997), Türkiye Dışındaki Türk Edebiyatları Antolojisi 7 (with S. Engüllü, Makedonya-Yugoslavya [Kosova] Türk Edebiyatı, 1997), Ötelerden Bir Ses - Dîvân Edebiyatı ve Balkanlarda Türk Edebiyatı Üzerine Makaleler (1997), Balkanlarda Türk Çocuk Şiiri Antolojisi (with Reyhan İsen, Ayşe Esra Kireççi, 2001), Eski Türk Edebiyatı (2003), Balkanlarda Türk Çocuk Hikâyeleri Antolojisi (with Tuba Işınsu İsen, 2002), Gazanâme-i Çehrin (with İsmail Hakkı Aksoyak, 2003), Şair Tezkireleri (2003).

REFERENCE: Ebubekir Sıddık Şahin / Ötelerden Bir Ses - Mustafa İsen (Hece, Şubat-Mart 1999), Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Ansiklopedisi (1980), Muhsin Macit / Osmanlı Tezkire Yazarları Neler Anlatırlardı (Virgül, Ekim 2000), 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, 2009) -  Ünlü Bilim Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 2, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Fomous People (2013), 26. Dönem Milletvekilleri – Sakarya  (akparti.org.tr, 27.05.2016).