Aziz Nesin

Humorist, Writer

Birth
10 December, 1915
Death
05 July, 1995
Education
War Academy
Horoscope
Other Names
Mehmet Nusret Nesin (asıl adı)

Humorist (b. 2 January 1916, İstanbul – d. 5 July 1995, İstanbul). His real name was Mehmet Nusret Nesin. Aziz was his father’s name. After two years at the School for Orphans, he graduated from Kuleli Military High School (1935), the War Academy (1937) and Military Science School (1939). Then he joined the Army as a lieutenant. He serviced in Trakya for two years during the Second World War. When he was dismissed from the rank of officer on the allegation of abusing duty and authority (1945), he began to run a grocer’s shop and then he became a journalist. He worked as a redactor and writer for the newspapers Yenigün, Karagöz and Tan (1944-45). He published his own magazine called Cumartesi and with Sabahattin Ali a humoristic paper called Markopaşa (1946-47). He continued to publish this magazine even after it was forbidden several times, under the names of Malumpaşa, Merhumpaşa, Ali Baba, Bizimpaşa and Hür Markopaşa. Because of one of his pamphlet, he was sent to prison for ten months in 1947 and he was exiled for four months. He published the magazines Baştan and Yeni Baştan. Because of a translation in this magazine he was sent to prison for sixteen months and was kept under surveillance for a further sixteen months (1951).

He did various jobs after release from prison (1953). Meanwhile he established the Düşün Publishing House with Kemal Tahir (1956), he published the humorous paper Zübük (1961). He was busy with his writing. The Aziz Nesin Association was founded in his honor (1972). He published the Literature Almanac for this association from 1976. For a few periods he was the Head of the Writers Syndicate of Turkey (1977, 1988…).

He started his literary life with poems and short stories published in the magazine Milliyet (1944). Then he published humorous stories for the magazines most of which he published or for the magazines which he managed, sometimes under pen names. He wrote anecdotes for Yeni Gazete (1957), Akşam (1958), Tanin (1960), Öncü, Yeni Tanin and Günaydın. He became well-known for his works in which he reflected the distortion in society with his careful observations. He received many awards at home and abroad with his works. With his book Üç Karagöz Oyunu (Three Turkish Puppet Shows, 1968), he won the Karacan Award first prize in 1968 from Milliyet newspaper, with Çiçu (Çiçu) the Turkish Language Association 1970 Theatre Award, with his play Pırlatan Bal (Honey Which Makes You Fart) he came second in the 1974 Arkın Children’s Literature Award, in 1978 with his novel Yaşar Ne Yaşar Ne Yaşamaz (Yaşar neither Lives nor Dies) the Madaralı Award and in 1985 he was chosen as the People's Choice Writer of the Year held by the Fair and Exhibition Organization Inc. The awards he received abroad: the Golden Palm (Italy, 1956-57), the Golden Hedgehog (Bulgaria, 1966), the Crocodile (USSR, 1969) the Lotus (the Writers Union of Asia and Africa, 1976), in 1985 PEN Club honorary membership in the United Kingdom and in 1989 the Tolstoy Gold Medal.

WORKS:

SHORT STORY: Geriye Kalan (The Thing Left Behind, 1948), İt Kuyruğu (Dog Tails, 1955), Yedek Parça (Spares, 1955), Fil Hamdi (Elephant Hamdi, 1955), Damda Deli Var (There is a Madman on the Roof, 1956), Koltuk (Armchair, 1957), Kazan Töreni (Ceremony of the Cauldron, 1957), Toros Canavarı (The Monster of Toros, 1957), Deliler Boşandı (The Crazies Got Divorced, 1957), Mahallenin Kısmeti (The Luck of the Street, 1957), Ölmüş Eşek (Dead Donkey, 1957), Hangi Parti Kazanacak (Which Party Will Win? 1957), Havadan Sudan (Talking about This and That, 1958), Bay Düdük (Mr. Whistle, 1958), Nazik Alet (Sensitive Device, 1958), Gıdıgıdı (Tickling, 1959), Aferin (Well-done, 1959), Kördöğüşü (Fighting of the Blind, 1959), Mahmut ile Nigar (Mahmut and Nigar, 1960) Gözüne Gözlük (Eyeglasses To Your Eyes, 1960), Ah Biz Eşekler (Oh, We Donkeys, 1960), Yüz Liraya Bir Deli (A Madman for One Hundred Turkish Liras, 1961), Biz Adam Olmayız (We Cannot Grow Up, 1962), Bir Koltuk Nasıl Devrilir (How Can a Government be Overthrown, 1961), Sosyalizm Geliyor Savulun (Out of the Way! Socialism’s Coming, 1965), İhtilali Nasıl Yaptık (How did We Revolt? 1965), Rıfat Bey Neden Kaşınıyor (Why does Rıfat Efendi Ask for Trouble, 1965), Yeşil Renkli Namus Gazı (Green Colored Honorable Air, 1965), Bülbül Yuvası Evler (Houses Like Nightingale Nests, 1968), Vatan Sağol-sun (Long Live Our Country, 1968), Yaşasın Memleket (Long Live Our Homeland, 1969), Büyük Grev (General Strike, 1978), Hayvan Deyip Geçme (Don’t Insult the Animals, 1980), 70 Yaşım Merhaba (Hello my 70th.Year, 1984), Kalpazanlık Bile Yapılamıyor (Even Forgery Cannot be Done, 1984), Maçinli Kız İçin Ev (A House for the Girl from the Celestial Empire, 1987), Gülmece Öyküleri (Humorous Short Stories, 13 volumes, his all short stories, 2001).

NOVEL: Kadın Olan Erkek (The Man Who Became a Woman, 1955), Gol Kralı Sait Hop Sait (Goal King Sait, Jump Sait, 1957), Erkek Sabahat (Male Beauty, 1957), Saçkıran (Alopecia, 1959), Zübük (Zübük, 1961), Şimdiki Çocuklar Harika (Today’s Children are Wonderful, 1967), Surname (Surname*, Poetic Work, 1976), Tek Yol (The Only Way, 1978).

MEMOIR: Bir Sürgünün Hatıraları (Memories of an Exile, 1957), Böyle Gelmiş Böyle Gitmez (That’s How it Was, but it'll be Different in the Future, 2 volumes, 1966-1977), Poliste (At the Police Station, 1967), Yokuşun Başı (The Beginning of the Climb, 1982), Benim Delilerim (My Crazies, 1984), Çağımızın Nasreddin Hocası Aziz Nesin (Aziz Nesin, the Nasreddin Hoca of Our Age, by Demirtaş Ceyhun, 1984), Salkım Salkım Asılacak Adamlar (Bunches of Men to be Hung, 1987), Ben de Çocuktum (I Was a Child Once, 1989), Rüyalarım Ziyan Olmasın (Don’t Waste My Dreams, 1990).

FAIRY-TALE: Memleketin Birinde (In One of the Countries, 1953), Hoptirinam (Hopping And Jumping, 1960), Uyusana Tosunum (Sleep My Dear Young Bull, 1971), Aziz Dededen Masallar (Fairy-tales from Grandfather Aziz, 1978).

ANECDOTE: Nutuk Makinası (Speech Machine, 1958), Az Gittik Uz Gittik (We Went Close, We Went Far, 1959), Merhaba (Hello, 1971), Suçlanan ve Aklanan Yazılar (The Accused and Acquitted Articles, 1982), Ah Biz Ödlek Aydınlar (Oh, We Faint-Hearted Intellectuals, 1985), Soruşturmada (Under Questioning, answers to questioning, declarations, 1986), Korkudan Korkmak (Being Afraid of Fear, 1988), Bulgaristan’da Kürtler, Türkiye’de Kürtler (The Kurds in Bulgaria, The Kurds in Turkey, 1989), Nah Kalkınırız (We Cannot Improve Ourselves, 1989).

SATIRE: Azizname (The Book of Aziz, 1979).

TRAVEL LITERATURE: Duyduk Duymadık Demeyin (Don’t Say We Heard or We Didn’t Hear, 1976), Dünya Kazan Ben Kepçe (The World is a Cauldron and I am a Ladle, 1977).

PLAY: Biraz Gelir misiniz (Will You Come, Please? 1958), Bir Şey Yap Met ( Do Something Met, 1959), Toros Canavarı (The Monster of Toros, 1963), Düdükçülerle Fırçacıların Savaşı (The Fight Between the Whistlers and the Brushers, 1968), Çiçu (Çiçu, 1979), Tut Elimden Rovni (Hold My Hand Rovni, 1970), Hadi Öldürsene Canikom (Come on and Kill Me My Dear, 1970), Beş Kısa Oyun (Five Short Plays, 1979), Bütün Oyunlar (All Plays, 2 volumes, 1982). Barbaros’un Torunu (The Grandchild of Barbaros), Hakkımı Ver Hakkı (Give Me My Rights Hakkı) and Yaşar Ne Yaşar Ne Yaşamaz (Yaşar Neither Lives Nor Dies) were not published.

POETRY: Sondan Başa (From the End to the Beginning, 1984), Sevgiye On Ölüme Beş Kala (It’s Ten to Love, Five to Death, 1986), Kendini Yakalamak (Catching Yourself, 1988), Hoşçakalın (Goodbye, 1990), Sivas Acısı (The Pain of Sivas, 1995).

ANTHOLOGY: Cumhuriyet Döneminde Türk Mizahı (Turkish Humor in the Period of the Republic, 1973).

SPEECH: İnsanlar Konuşa Konuşa (People Understand Each Other by Speaking, 1988).

ESSAY: Sivas Acısı (The Pain of Sivas, 1995), Çuvala Doldurulmuş Kediler (Cats Put into a Sack, 1995), Sizin Memlekette Eşek Yok mu? (Don’t You Have Donkeys in Your Country? 1995), Okuduğum Kitaplar (The Books I Read, 2001).

COLLECTION: Cumhuriyet Döneminde Türk Mizahı (Turkish Humor in The Period of the Republic, edited by Aziz Nesin, expanded by Turgut Çeviker, 2001).

LETTER: Mektuplaşmalar 1 / Aziz Nesin Ali Nesin (Correspondence 1 / Aziz Nesin, Ali Nesin, 1994), Canım Oğlum, Sevgili Babacığım, Aziz Nesin-Ali Nesin Mektuplaşmaları 1966-1981 (My Dear Son, My Dear Father, Correspondence between Aziz Nesin and Ali Nesin 1966-1981, 2002). 

KAYNAKÇA: Tahir Alangu / Cumhuriyetten Sonra Hikâye ve Roman (c. 3, 1965) - Aziz Nesin ve Halk Masalları (Yeni Dergi, Ağustos 1966), Alpay Kabacalı / Aziz Nesin (1990), Edebiyatçılar Derneği / Aziz Nesin Günleri (haz. Hüseyin Atabaş, 1996), Öner Yağcı / Aziz Nesin Kitaplığı-1998 (Cumhuriyet Kitap, 24.12.1998), Behçet Necatigil / Edebiyatımızda İsimler Sözlüğü (1999), Şükran Kurdakul / Şairler ve Yazarlar Sözlüğü (1999), Mehmet H. Doğan / Şimdi Uzaklardasın (1999), Ataol Behramoğlu / Aziz Nesin’li Anılar (2001), Kemal Şahingözlü (Varlık, Ekim 2002),  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) - Ünlü Edebiyatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 4, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).

PHOTO GALLERY

RELATED BIOGRAPHIES

Show More