Poet and writer (b. 15 June
1925, Menemen / İzmir – d. 11 October 2005, İstanbul). He is the elder brother of
the movie actress Çolpan İlhan. After he finished Karşıyaka Cumhuriyet Primary
School and Karşıyaka Secondary School, he entered İzmir Atatürk High School. He
was arrested for setting up a secret organization when he was in the first
grade. His penalty was postponed due to his young age, but he was expelled from
school and documented as “Cannot study in Turkey” (1941). With the decision of
the Council of State he earned the right to study again and finished İstanbul
Işık High School (1946). While he was a student in İstanbul University Faculty
of Law, he left his education and went to Paris to join the Committee of
Rescuing Nazım Hikmet (1949). He lived in the artistic and bohemian
environments of Paris, to where he returned a few more times (1951-1952,
1962-1965). He joined the Socialist Party of Turkey when his first returned
from Paris. He worked at Gerçek and Demokrat İzmir newspapers and
wrote leading articles in Demokrat İzmir, where he worked as
editor-in-chief. He worked as an advisor at Bilgi Publishing House in Ankara,
where he settled in 1973. After 1980, he settled in İstanbul and was a
publishing consultant at Sanat Olayı magazine for a while, which was
published by Karacan Publishing and had been managed by Ülkü Tamer before. He
married in 1968 for fifteen years.
His first poem, Balıkçı
Türküsü (Folksong of the Fisherman), was published in the Yeni Edebiyat
magazine (1 October 1941), and his first articles were published in İstanbul
magazine (January, 1945). He became known by winning second prize at the
Republican People’s Party Poetry Contest in 1946 with his poem Cebbaroğlu
Mehemmed (Mehemmed the Son of Cebbar). He won the 1974 Yunus Nadi Award
with his book Tutuklunun Günlüğü (Diary of the Prisoner). Later, he
published his poems and critiques in newspapers and magazines such as Gün,
Genç Nesil, Adım Adım, Fikirler, Varlık, Aile, Yirminci Asır, Seçilmiş
Hikâyeler, Kaynak Mavi, Yeditepe, Dost, Ataç, Yön, Yelken, Cumhuriyet, Milliyet
Sanat Olayı. He worked as a columnist for Dünya and Milliyet newspapers.
His connection with cinema started with his movie reviews in Vatan newspaper
in 1953. After his script Sekiz Sütuna Manşet (Headline in Eight
Columns), his script named Kartallar Yüksek Uçar (Eagles Fly High) was
made into a 12-part TV series in 1984 and his script named Yanlış Saksının
Çiçeği (Flower of the Wrong Vase) was made into a TV film in 1997; they
were both broadcast by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation. Attila
İlhan, who influenced new generations by featuring among the great names of the
pervious period as a poet, became more famous in the following years, and his
views became an important topic to be discussed. He was against the “Strange”
and “Second New” poetry movements. He became the spokesman of the “Societal
Realism Movement” known as the Maviciler in Mavi magazine. He won
the Turkish Language Association 1974 Poetry Award with Tutuklunun Günlüğü
(Diary of a Prisoner), and the Yunus Nadi Award of 1974-1975 with his novel Sırtlan
Payı (Share of the Hyena).
In his scripts, he used the
name Ali Kaptanoğlu. His major films were Yalnızlar Rıhtımı (Pier of the
Lonesome, directed by Lütfi Akad), Ateşten Damlalar (Fire Drops,
directed by Memduh Ün), Rıfat Diye Biri (A Person Named Rıfat, directed
by Ertem Gönenç), Şoför Nebahat (Driver Nebahat, directed by Metin
Erksan), Devlerin Öfkesi (Rage of the Giants, directed by Nevzat Pesen)
and Ver Elini İstanbul (İstanbul Give Me Your Hand, directed by Aydın
Arakon). French society and his observations regarding the environment when he
was in Paris formed the basis of many incidents and characters that featured in
his later works. On his return to Turkey, he often got into trouble with the
police. The interrogations in the Sansaryan Han played an important role in his
works where death, danger and themes of tension were discussed.
In his novels, he dealt with
the people of the city and the recent history of Turkey regarding the
political, economical and social aspects. He was not contented with just
reflecting through his characters, the lifestyle, economic and social problems
of the period he dealt with, or just the big cities of Turkey like İstanbul and
İzmir. But he considered at length, how Western culture was reflected in
Turkey, its negative and positive effects within his characters in a structure
that ran in parallel with the cities in Europe. He entered a period that might
be considered his maturity period with Kurtlar Sofrası (Table of the
Wolves). The characters in the five-book series Aynanın İçindekiler (The
Ones Inside the Mirror), which was written later, are intellectuals who reflect
the period that formed Turkey’s recent history. Historical events are discussed
with political and social balance. Each of the characters, which are related to
each other, emerges to the forefront and the incidents are narrated with that
character’s observations.
His first poetry book Duvar
(The Wall), in his own words, is a book “that discusses our daily and
long-term life problems almost always under the light of freedom and happiness,
carrying the optimistic romanticism of future good days, along with a social
realism.” He gave examples of sensitivity both in a societal context and
individually in Sisler Bulvarı (The Boulevard of Mists). In his later
books, İlhan’s rich imagination and exotic images accompanied the improving
language in his poetry. His poems were sometimes wrapped in a melancholic
atmosphere, and sometimes a hopeful and lively one; they acquired a highly
sensitive quality, woven with boisterous, striking and easily remembered
images, taking as their basis the individual in society and sometimes based on
narration. He also knew how to benefit from the possibilities of Divan* poetry.
WORKS:
POETRY: Duvar (The
Wall, 1948), Sisler Bulvarı (The Boulevard of Mists, 1954), Yağmur
Kaçağı (Fugitive of Rain, 1955), Ben Sana Mecburum (I’m Bound to
You, 1960), Belâ Çiçeği (Flower of Trouble, 1962), Yasak Sevişmek
(Forbidden Lovemaking, 1968), Tutuklunun Günlüğü (Diary of the Prisoner,
1973), Böyle Bir Sevmek (A Love Like This, 1977), Elde Var Hüzün
(On the Hand There is Grief, 1982), Korkunun Krallığı (Kingdom of Fear,
1987), Ayrılık Sevdaya Dahil (Separation is Inside Love, 1993), Ayrılık
Sevdaya Dahil Bütün Şiirleri:11 (Separation is Inside Love, All his Poems:
11, 2001), Kimi Sevsem Sensin-Bütün Şiirleri:12 (Whoever I Love, It is
You- All his Poems:12, 2001).
NOVEL: Sokaktaki
Adam (The Man on the Street, 1953), Zenciler Birbirine Benzemez
(Black People Don’t Look Like Each Other, 1957), Kurtlar Sofrası (Table
of the Wolves, 2 volumes, 1963-1964), Bıçağın Ucu (Tip of the Knife,
1973), Sırtlan Payı (Share of the Hyena, 1974), Yaraya Tuz Basmak
(Rubbing Salt into the Wound, 1978), Fena Halde Leman (Terrible Leman,
1980), Dersaadet’te Sabah Ezanları (Morning Prayers in Dersaadet, 1981),
Haco Hanım Vay (Wow! Miss Haco, 1984), O Karanlıkta Biz (Us in
That Darkness, 1988), Allah’ın Süngüleri (God’s Bayonets, 2003).
SHORT STORY: Yengecin
Kıskacı (Pincer of the Crab, 2003).
TRAVEL LITERATURE: Abbas
Yolcu (Abbas the Passenger, 1957).
ESSAY-RESEARCH-CRITICISM-MEMOIR:
Hangi Sol (Which Left Wing?, 1970), Hangi Batı (Which West?,
1972), Faşizmin Ayak Sesleri (Footsteps of Fascism, 1975), Hangi Seks
(Which Sex?, 1976), Hangi Sağ (Which Right Wing?, 1980), Gerçekçilik
Savaşı (War of Realism, 1980), Hangi Atatürk (Which Atatürk?, 1981),
Batının Deli Gömleği (Straightjacket of the West, newspaper articles,
1981), İkinci Yeni Savaşı (Second New War, 1983), Sağım Solum Sobe
(Right, Left and Home Free, newspaper articles, 1985), Yanlış Kadınlar
Yanlış Erkekler (Wrong Women, Wrong Men, essay, memoir, 1985), Ulusal
Kültür Savaşı (National Culture War, essay, critique, 1986), Sosyalizm
Asıl Şimdi (Socialism Right Now, 1991), Aydınlar Savaşı (War of the
Intellectuals, 1991), Kadınlar Savaşı (War of Women, 1992), Hangi
Edebiyat (Which Literature?, 1993), Hangi Laiklik (Which Laicism?,
1995), Hangi Küreselleşme (Which Globalization?, 1997), Bir Sap Kırmızı
Karanfil (One Red Carnation Stalk, 1998), Sultan Galiyef-Avrasya’da
Dolaşan Hayalet (Sultan Galiev-The Ghost Wandering in Eurasia, 2000), Dönek
Bereketi Cumhuriyet Söyleşileri – Nisan-Eylül 1998 (Untrustworthy
Abundance, Republic Interviews – April-September 1998, 2002), Hangi
Küreselleşme (Which Globalization?, 2002), Açtırma Kutuyu! (Don’t
Make Me Talk!, 2004).
INTERVIEW:
Cumhuriyet Söyleşileri / 1: “…Bir Sap Kırmızı Karanfil…” (Interviews in Cumhuriyet newspaper / 1: “…One Red
Carnation Stalk…”, 1998), Cumhuriyet Söyleşileri 2 – Ufkun Arkasını
Görebilmek (Interviews in Cumhuriyet
newspaper – Being Able to See Beyond the Horizon, 1999).
SCRIPT (With their dates of
broadcast on TV): Sekiz Sütuna Manşet (Headline in Eight Columns, 6
parts, 1982), Kartallar Yüksek Uçar (Eagles Fly High, 12 parts, 1983), Yarın
Artık Bugündür (Tomorrow is Now Today, 1986), Yıldızlar Gece Büyür
(Stars Grow at Night, 16 parts, 1992), TeleFlaş (TeleFlash, 13 parts,
1993).
TV FILM: Paranın Kiri
(Money Filth, 1979).
His translations have also been published.
