Şinasi Özdenoğlu

     Poet and writer (b. 29 October 1923, Gümüşhane). He attended Gümüşhane Primary School (1933), Gümüşhane Elementary School (1937), Trabzon High School (1940) and graduated from Ankara University, Faculty of Political Sciences (1944) and from Ankara University, Faculty of Law (with equivalent exam, 1952). He worked as a trainee officer at the Inspection Board of the Ministry of State, as a officer at the provincial office in Gümüşhane, İstanbul and Rize, District Head Official (1948), the Governor of the Sürmene district (1950) and after military service (1949), Governor of Sorgun (1952) and Lüleburgaz (1952-54), administrator at the Ankara Police Institute and at the Police Department, legal practitioner at the Ankara Bar (1954), member of the Constitutional Assembly (1960) and Ankara parliamentary deputy in the 14th parliament (1969-73). He traveled across many countries in Europe, as well as Israel and Egypt. He is a member of the Association of Turkish Parliamentarians (vice-president), the Mulkiye Alumni, the Turkish Association of the United Nations, the Turkish Authors Association and the Writers Syndicate of Turkey.

His first poem 30 Ağustos (30 August) was published in the newspaper Gümüşeli in 1935, when he was a student at elementary school. His later works and translations from French poetry appeared in the newspapers and reviews Servet-i Fünûn (Uyanış), Yedigün, Varlık, Varlık Yıllığı, Yücel, Halkevi, Türk Dili, Sanat Çevresi, Atatürkçü Düşünce, Cumhuriyet, Dünya, Halkevi, İstanbul, Kemalist Ülkü, Kuşakkaya, Milliyet, Ulus, Yaşasın Edebiyat, Ülkü, Hisar, Çınaraltı, Unesco Dergisi, Gösteri, and Kıyı. In 1942, he came first at the Thought Competition held by the review Yeni Adam; in 1945, he collected the Encouragement Award of the Turkish Foundation of Law and received the honorary medal and certificate of the Free Hungary Organization in 1956, with his epic poem Macar Rapsodisi (Hungarian Rhapsody). In 1981, he collected the award of the Ministry of Culture and the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality’s Honorary Award of the Capital with his lyrics to 100. Yıl Atatürk Marşı (March for Atatürk on the 100th Anniversary). His poems have been translated into Hungarian, English, German and Romanian. Every year the Mulkiye Charity gives awards for poetry, essay and environmental subjects in his name. Five of his poems have been set to music.

WORKS:

POETRY: Teselli (Solace, 1943), Anaforda Dönen Adam (The Man Caught in a Countercurrent, 1946), Vatanım Benim (My Country, 1973), Özgürlük İçin Ölmek (To Die for Freedom, 1974), Acısıyla Yanmak Türkiye'nin (To Suffer from Problems of Turkey, poetic prose, 1975), Memleketi Sevmek Suçu (The Crime of Loving the Country, 1978), Şairler Böyle Sever (Poets Love Like This, 1986), Yasaklar Cehennemi (Hell of Inhibitions, 1991), Özgürlük Tek Sevgilim (Freedom, My Only Love, 1992), Sımsıcak Dostluğunda Ölümün (In the Warm Friendship of Death, 1993), Sevdim-Savaştım (I Loved-I Fought, 1995), Türkiye Sevdası (Love of Turkey, epics, epic poems, 1997), Her Aşk Bir Titanik (Every Love is a Titanic, 2003).

SELECTION: Uzak Şiirler (Distant Poems, 1997).

STUDY: Edebiyatımızın Beş Ana Meselesi (The Five Main Problems of Our Literature, 1949).

ESSAY: Önce İnsan Olmak (To Be Human First, 1988), Suskunlar Ülkesi (Country of the Silent, 1988).

SHORT STORY: Seninle Bir Yılbaşı (A New Year with You, 1989).

MEMOIR: Anılar ve Portreler (Memoirs and Portraits, 2000).