Poet and writer (b. 9 February 1937,
Oğuz village / Acıpayam / Denizli - d. 15 June 1999, İstanbul). He attended
Acıpayam Elementary School (1953), Denizli High School (1956) and graduated
from the Istanbul Private Institute of Journalism (1959). He embarked on a
career in journalism and worked for newspapers such as Denizli (1956), Tan and Yeni Gazete (1958), Dünya (1959-62), Tasvir
(1962-63), Ekspres, Son Havadis, Hergün,
Ortadoğu, Güneş and Sabah. He
served as a press consultant at the Maritime Bank and the Printemps Company.
His first article was published in the
newspaper Demokrat Denizli in 1950
and his later works appeared in reviews such as Tarla (which he published himself) and in Varlık, Yücel, Nasır, Petek, Yelken, Maya, İnanç, Türk Yurdu, Millî
Kültür, Türk Edebiyatı and some other newspapers. He was selected
journalist of the year 1963 and he was given the opportunity to travel across
21 countries in Europe as a prize. In 1992 and 1993 he traveled across the
United States. Beginning in 1961, he collected the Journalist Association Award
for ten years in succession. In 1953, he was ranked first at the poetry contest
held by the review Doğan Kardeş. In
1956, he collected an award given by the review Nasır, in 1976 and 1979
the Peyami Safa Novel Award, in 1985 the Award for Contribution to Turkish
Folklore, in 1987 the Ministry of Culture Short Story Award with Karadon (Karadon). In 1989, he was
acknowledged with an honorary doctorate for his contributions to folk
literature. He was a member of the Music Artist Foundation (chairman for eleven
years), the Turkish Literature Foundation (secretary general for seven years),
the Turkish Union of Tourism Writers and Journalists (writers on tourism –
chairman in 1973), the Turkish Red Crescent and the Folklore Research Center,
etc. An avenue in Acıpayam was named after him in 2000.
WORKS:
POETRY: Fakir İşi (Job of the Poor, 1957), Babanız Yine Âşık Çocuklar (Kids, Dad’s in Love Again, 1987), Öpkü (Kiss, 1996).
INTERVIEW: İçgöç (Domestic Migration, 1964), Acı Yol (Hard Way, 1964).
TRAVEL LITERATURE: Köylü Gözüyle Avrupa (Europe from a Villager’s Eye, 1965).
COLLECTION-ESSAY-RESEARCH: Sahte Ozanlar (Fake Poets, 1969), Âşık Veysel (Âşık Veysel, 1969), Anadolu'da Türk Mührü (The Turkish Mark in
Anatolia,
1971), Karacaoğlan (Karacaoğlan, 1973), Dadaloğlu (Dadaloğlu, 1974), Benim O Benim (Mine, It’s Mine, 1987), Halkbilim ve Edebiyat (Folklore and Literature, 1990), Âşık Hasan Dede (The Minstrel Hasan
Dede, 1995), Benim Gizli Yazılarım
(My Secret Writing, 1996).
NOVEL: Meydan Dayağı (Public Flogging, 1976), Kamyon (Truck, 1979).
SHORT STORY: Delitay
(Mad Pony, 1982), Karadon (Karadon,
1987).
ANTHOLOGY: Türk Halk Şiiri (Turkish Folk Poetry, 1975).
