Journalist and writer (b. 1890, Ustramca / Macedonia
– d. 11 March 1980, Paris / France). After he graduated from İstanbul School
of Law, he studied sociology at Paris
Sorbonne University.
He went to the United States
and graduated from Columbia
University, Faculty of
Journalism. When he returned to Turkey
from the United States,
he was appointed General Director of the Press. He was jailed due to his
articles that appeared in the review Resimli
Ay, which he published in İstanbul with his wife, Sabiha Sertel. Later on,
he published Hayat Ansiklopedisi
(Life Encyclopedia) with Faik Sabri Duran. He published the newspaper Tan and the review Görüşler.
He had to escape to Paris
with his wife when the newspaper Tan was
burned down by reactionaries protesting his articles (1950). He lived in the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics for many years
and after his wife’s death in Paris
where he settled. He came to İstanbul by winning a court case against the
Council of State then returned to Paris
and shortly after he died.
He began his
career as a journalist at the newspaper
Rumeli that Yunus Nadi, also founder of Cumhuriyet,
published in Thessalonica. Zekeriya Sertel wrote articles in Yeni Felsefe published in 1912, in Son Posta published in 1930 and in the
newspapers Cumhuriyet and Vatan when he lived in İstanbul in his
later years.
WORKS:
MEMOIR: Mavi Gözlü Dev (The Giant With Blue
Eyes, memories of Nazım Hikmet, 1968),
Hatırladıklarım (My Remembrances, 1968),
Nazım Hikmet'in Son Yılları (The Last Years of Nazım Hikmet, 1979).
TRAVEL
LITERATURE: Amerikan Biçimi Yaşam / 1969
-1979 Amerikan İzlenimleri (American Style Life / 1969-79 American
Impressions, 1994).
RESEARCH: Olduğu Gibi / Rus Biçimi Sosyalizm (As
Is/ Russian Model Socialism, 1999),
Sertellerin Anılarında Nazım Hikmet ve Babıali (Nazım Hikmet and Babıali*
in The Memories of the Sertel, 1999).
