Folk poet (b. 1785 – d. 1868). He was
the son of the Bard Musa who was from a family of the nomad Turkmen Avshar
tribe who lived in Çukurova and his real name was Veli*. He lived as a
traveling poet in Çukurova and Anatolia. He became known for his poems that
narrated the resistance of tribes (1865) against the state forces that
compelled them to live in villages, especially the “Improvement Party” under
the command of Derviş Paşa.
Dadaloğlu, who wrote his poems in a simple language, was not influenced by Divan* literature as was many of his contemporaries. He is reminiscent of mostly Karacaoğlan and Köroğlu with his ballads, folk music, epics and folk songs.
REFERENCE: İhsan Işık / Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, 2007) – Ünlü Sanatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 5, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).