Novelist (b. 27 March 1889, Cairo /
Egypt – d. 13 December 1974, Ankara). He started his primary and elementary
education at Fevziye Primary School in Manisa where he moved with his family
when he was six years old and returned to Egypt and he completed his education
at Freres Private French High School and Swiss School. He moved to İstanbul
with his mother before a short time of the constitutional monarchy (1908). He
discontinued İstanbul University, the Faculty of Law where he educated for a
time. He joined the Dawn of the New Age Movement with the help of Şahabeddin
Süleyman and he published his poems, short stories, plays and free verse in the
reviews such as Muhit (1909), Şiir ve Tefekkür (1909), Servet-i Fünûn (1910-11) and Rübab, Peyam-ı Edebi. His first literary
work (Nirvana-Nirvana) is a play of
one act (Resimli Kitap, June 1909).
He supported an art notion that depends on Greek and Latin sources with the
influence of Yahya Kemal who had come back from Paris at those years. Meanwhile
he was interested in Bektaşi sect. He wrote articles that support the National
Struggle after he returned from Switzerland where he went for treatment (1916)
in the reviews and newspapers such as İkdam,
Dergâh, Türk Yurdu, Yeni Mecmua and
Akşam. He came to Anatolia after the announcement of Republic and became
deputy of Mardin (1923-31) and Manisa (1931-34). He married to Leman Hanım, the
sister of Burhan Belge. He wrote for the newspapers Cımhuriyet (1923-25), Hakimiyet-i
Milliye (1923-25) and Milliyet
(1926-29) while he continued his novel works. He went to Switzerland for
treatment for second time (1926).
He was one of the editors (Şevket
Süreyya Aydemir, Vedat Nedim Tör, Burhan Asaf, İsmail Hüsrev Tökin) of the
review Kadro that was published for
the propaganda of new ideology and was the holder of privilege. He was
appointed to Tiran (1934) as an ambassador with the claim the review Kadro told Kemalism with a Marxist way
of explanations. The review Kadro was
closed (1935) when its staff disbanded after a short time. Afterwards he served
as an ambassador of the capital cities such as Prague (1935), the Hay (1939),
Bern (1942, 1951-550) and Tahran (1955). He was appointed to the newspaper Ulus (old Hakimiyeti Milliye) as an
editor after he retired same year. He became Manisa deputy for second time
between 27 May 1961 and 1965. He resigned from the Republican People's Party on
14 October 1962 with the claim that party made concessions from the principles
of Atatürk when he was Manisa deputy and editor of the newspaper Ulus. He was the chairman of the board
of directors of Anadolu Agency. His funeral was brought from Ankara to
İstanbul, Yahya Efendi Cemetery in Beşiktaş.
Yakup Kadri gave products at various
fields including short story, play, free verse, memoir, essay, anecdote and
monograph; he gained his popularity with the novels that he wrote after 1920.
He proved that he is a great master of this field with his novels, include the
historical events that Tanzimat and Republic era has lived and the social
change with deep analysis and self-criticism. He came second at the 1942
Republican People’s Party Novel Awards with his the novel Yaban (The Wild) that is deemed his most important and famous work.
WORKS:
STORY: Bir Serencam (An Adventure, 1913), Rahmet (God’s Mercy, 1923), Millî Savaş Hikâyeleri (Stories of the
National War, 1947).
NOVEL: Kiralık Konak (Mansion for Rent, 1922), Nur Baba (Father Nur, 1922), Hüküm
Gecesi (Evening of Decree, 1927), Sodom
ve Gomore (Sodom and Gomorra, 1928), Yaban
(The Wild, 1932), Ankara (Ankara,
1934), Bir Sürgün (An Exile, 1937), Panorama (Panorama, 2 volumes, 1953), Hep O Şarkı (It Is All That Song, 1956).
free verse: Erenlerin
Bağından (From the Garden of Saints, 1922), Okun Ucundan (From the Tip of Arrow, 1940).
MONOGRAPHY: Ahmet Haşim (Ahmet Haşim, 1934), Atatürk (Atatürk, 1946).
MEMOIRS: Zoraki Diplomat (Forced Diplomat, 1955),
Anamın Kitabı (My Mother’s Book,
childhood memoirs, 1957), Vatan Yolunda
(On the Way to the Country, 1958), Politikada
45 yıl (45 Years in Politics, 1968), Gençlik
ve Edebiyat Hatıraları (Childhood and Literature Memoirs, 1969).
ARTICLE: Kadınlık ve Kadınlarımız (Womanhood and Our Women, 1923), Ergenokon (Ergenekon, 2 volumes, 1929).
PLAY: Nirvana (Nirvana, illustrated book, p.
9, 1909), Veda (Farewell, illustrated
book, p. 11, 1909), Sağanak (The
Downpour, original manuscript at the İstanbul City Theatere Library), Mağara (The Cave, Varlık, p. 12-17, 1934).
His all works were published by Atilla
Özkırımlı from the Birikim Publications.