Educator, writer and poet (b. 15 July
1943, Dayısı village / Kelkit / Gümüşhane – d. 28 Mayıs 2008, İstanbul). He
used the pen name Seyyah-ı Fakih Evliya Çelebi in his humorous articles. He
attended the Kırıkkale Primary School, Erzincan High School (1966), and
graduated from Ankara University, Faculty of Theology (1970). He received his
master’s degree at İstanbul University, Faculty of Economics, Department of Turkish Economical History
(1986); and his doctorate degree Department of Social Structure and Social
Change in the same faculty (1989). His master thesis was “Osmanlı Devletinde
İhtisab Ağalığı” (Landlordship with Oversight of the Public in the Ottoman
Empire). He worked as a teacher in Aydın (1970–75) and İstanbul (1976–78), as
the chairman of Public Education in Aydın (1976) and as a publishing expert at
the Directorate of Religious Affairs (1976–80). After 1980, he worked as a
teacher in İstanbul and became the head of Department of Psycho-Social Fields
in Sport in the School of Physical Education and Sports at Mimar Sinan
University. He is a member of the Professional Association of Scientific and
Literary Work Owners of Turkey and the Musical Work Owners Society of Turkey.
His essays and
poems were published in the reviews Defne, Türk Yurdu, Töre, Türk Edebiyatı,
Ayyıldız, Yeni Türkiye, Kültür Dünyası, Türk Dünyası Araştırmalar Vakfı,
Güneysu and in the newspaper Ortadoğu, Hergün, Ayrıntılı Haber, Türkiye and
Millet. He collected the first rank award at the Turkish Hearth Poetry Competition
in 1963, and received an honorary mention at the Ömer Seyfettin Short Story
Competition in 1995. His seven poems were set to music and sang by famous
singers.
WORKS:
POETRY: Hun Aşkı (The Love of
Khun, 1973), Mavi Türkü (The Bluse Song, poems in prose, 1983), Şafağa
Çekilenler (Those Retreating to Dawn, 1984), ... Ve Sığınırım İçime
(And I Surrender to Inside of Me, 1992), Sitâre (Stars, 1997), Asra
Yemin Olsun ki... (I Swear for the Age That… 2000), Bütün Şiirleri (All
Poems, 2003).
RESEARCH-STUDY: Tanzimat ve Türk
Ailesi (Tanzimat* and the Turkish Family, 1993), Türk’e Dair (About
Turks, 2001), Divan Şiirinde Kadın (Women in the Divan* Poetry, 2001), Kur’an
Gerçekleri (The Facts of the Holy Koran, 2002), 17. Yüzyıl Osmanlı
Toplumu (The Ottoman Society in the 17th Century, 2005).
PLAY: Büyü (The Magic, 1984).
HUMOR: Devrannâme (The Book of
Time, with the pen name Seyyah-ı Fakir, 1984), Seyrannâme (The Book of
Impressions, 1997).
TRAVEL LITERATURE: Men Kazanga
Baramen (Notes from a Travel to Tatarstan, 2000).
CHILDREN’S
LITERATURE: (Evliya Çelebi-Resimli Çocuk Hikâyeleri Dizisi – The Series
of Evliya Çelebi – Children’s Short Stories with Paintings): Azak'ın
Denizaltıları (The Submarines of the Sea of Azov), Bahadır Giray'ın
Mektubu (Letter of Bahadır Giray, 1993).
Besides, he wrote textbooks on
religion.
