Poet and writer (b. 1926, Ömerler
village / Polatlı / Ankara). He graduated from Çifteler Village Institute
(1943), Hasanoğlan High Village Institute, the Department of Fine Arts (1946)
and Gazi Institute of Education. He worked as a teacher at village primary
schools and then at secondary schools in Turhal, Amasya and Ankara.
His short stories and poetry have been published in the reviews such as Köy Enstitüleri Dergisi (1945), Yücel, Fikirler, Yeditepe, İmece, Varlık and Sanat Emeği. He focused on novel writing after his poetry and short stories. He narrated village problems and the life of peasants in his books with a pure language. He came third at the Doğan Kardeş Children’s Books Award with his book Toprağa Basınca (Setting Foot on the Ground) in 1964. He received two achievement awards at the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation Art Awards in 1970 with his unpublished radio plays Yapılar Yapılırken (When Buildings Are Erected) and Otobüs Yarışı (The Bus Race). He received the Madaralı Novel Award in 1976 with his novel Tütün Yorgunu (Tired of Tobacco) and the Orhan Kemal Novel Award in 1992 with Köylüler (Villagers).
WORKS:
POETRY: Susuzluk (The Thirst, 1956).
SHORT-STORY: Ateş Düşünce (When the Fire Fell, 1967), Öte Yakadaki Cennet (The Paradise on
the Other Side, 1972), Koca Taş (The
Giant Stone, 1974), O Güzel İnsanlar (Those
Beautiful People, children’s short stories, 1978), Yolun Kıyısındaki Adam (The Man On the Side of the Road, 1979), Duvar Yazıları (Graffiti, 1981), Kökten Ankaralı (Originally from
Ankara, 1982), Hendek Başı (The Head
of the Ditch, 1984), Hem Uzak Hem Yakın (Both
Near and Far, 1985), Sıra Dışı Öyküler (Extraordinary
Stories, 1994), Öykülerle Çizgiler (Lines
with Stories, 1998).
NOVEL: Sarı Traktör (The Yellow Tractor, 1958), Yarbükü (Yarbükü, 1959), Emmioğlu (Son of the Uncle, 1961), Ortakçılar (The Sharecroppers, 1964), Ferhat ile Şirin (Ferhad and Şirin,
1965), Toprağa Basınca (Setting Foot
on the Ground, children’s novel, 1966), Defile (The Parade, 1972), Yaz Davar (Summer Sheep, 1973), Toz Duman İçinde (In the Dust, 1974), Ortakçının Oğlu (Son of the
Sharecropper, with Ortakçılar-The
Sharecroppers, 1974), Tütün Yorgunu (Tired of Tobacco, 1975), Kente İndi İdris (İdris Went to Town,
1981), Vatan Dediler (They Said
Country, 1981), Köylüler (Villagers,
1991).
MEMOIR: Bozkırda Günler (The Days on the Steppe,
1952), Karanlığın Kuvveti (The Power
of Darkness, memoirs of the years at village institutes, 1967), Akan Sulara Karşı (Against the Flowing
Water, 1985).
PLAY: Bir Yol (A Way, 1966).