İsmail Yılmaz (Novelist)

Novelist (b. 1952, Alpagut village / Bilecik). He attended Alpagut Village Primary School (1966), Bursa İmam-Hatip High School (1975) and graduated from Uludağ University, Bursa Faculty of Theology (1980). He worked in religious posts in various places for the Ministry of Religious Works (1975-82) and as a teacher in secondary schools in İnegöl, Nazilli, Türkmenistan and Bilecik. He worked as a consultant of Turkish language at Turkmenistan Television for a while. He was involved in the work on the Turkish World Poet Anthology in Ashgabat. He is member of the Writers Union of Turkey.

His stories and articles were published since 1970 in the newspapers and reviews Marmara (Bursa), Yeni Devir (1980-85), Mavera (1986-88), Literatürno Aşgabat (Russian 1995-98), Zaman. He has written articles about Turkish and Turkmen in the reviews Karakum and Literatürno Aşgabat. His novel, Bir Namludur Yüreğim (My Heart is a Barrel), won the first prize under the name of Karabasan (The Nightmare) at the Sedat Yenigün Competition in 1986. He won the first prize of the Ministry of the Environment with his work. İslâmda Çevre Sorunları (Environmental Problems in Islam) in 1992 and he won the third prize in the Ministry of Education Theatre Competition with his play Ulu Çınar’ın Kökleri (The Roots of the Grand Plane Tree) in 1995.

WORKS:

NOVEL: Korkunun Bekçileri (Guards of Fear, 1987), Bir Namludur Yüreğim (My Heart is a Barrel, 1988), Güneşin Öldüğü Yer (The Place Where the Sun Died, 1988), Yuvasız Kuşlar (Birds without Nests, 1990), Çanlar Sustu (The Bells Became Silent, 1993).

PLAY: Ulu Çınarın Kökleri (The Roots of the Grand Plane Tree, 1995).

TALE: (Turkmenistan Folk Tales): Yartıkulak (Yartıkulak 1999), Yetimce (Yetimce, 1999), Gülcehan (Gülcehan, 1999), Akpamuk (Akpamuk, 1999), Karaca (Karaca).

REFERENCE: İhsan Işık / Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, 2007).