Researcher of literature (b. 1907, Gümüşhane - d. 17
July 1961, Ankara).
He was a graduate of the School for Orphans (1927) and the School of
Politics (1930). He worked as a literature teacher in high schools in Ankara,
İstanbul, Kastamonu, Malatya and Eskişehir and worked as a ministry inspector.
After being a parliamentary deputy for Gümüşhane at the Grand National
Assembly, he worked as a teacher at the Ankara Gazi Education Institute. He
died while working in this post.
Vasfi
Mahir, who began his literary career as one of the “Seven Torches Movement”
poets, concentrated on playwriting and literature research in the following
years. He produced works in the fields of poetry, playwriting, research and
anthology. In 1945 he published a monthly literature journal called Divan. His book Türk Edebiyat Tarihi (The
History of Turkish Literature) that was published after his death is an
important work for the synthesis and critique of Turkish literature history
from past to present.
WORKS:
POETRY:
Dağların Derdi (The Problem of the
Mountains, 1928), Tunç Sesleri (The
Sounds of Bronze, 1935), Geçmiş
Geceler (Past Nights, 1936), Bizim
Türküler (Our Folk Songs, 1937), Ergenekon
(The Ergenekon Epic, 1941), Hayat
Şarkıları (Life Songs, 1965).
PLAY: On İnkılap (Ten Revolutions, 1933), Yaman (Amazingly Well, written,
in verse, 1933), Sanatkâr (The
Artist, written in verse, 1965).
ANTHOLOGY: En Güzel
Türk Manileri (The Best Turkish Quatrains, 1933), En Güzel Türk Masalları (The Best
Turkish Fairytales, 1934), Şaheserler
Antolojisi (Anthology of Masterpieces, 1934), Divan Şiiri Antolojisi (Anthology of Divan* Poetry, 1947), Türk Edebiyatı Şaheserleri (Masterpieces
of Turkish Literature, 1955), Batı
Edebiyatı Şaheserleri (Masterpieces of Western Literature, 1955), Tekke Şiiri Antolojisi (Anthology of
Dervish Lodge Poetry, 1955), Şiir
Defteri (The Poem Notebook, 1956), Divan
Şiirleri (Poems of Divan* Literature, 1958), Hikâye Defteri (The Story Notebook, 1958), Saz Şiiri Antolojisi (Anthology of
the Saz Poems, 1963), Türk Nesri
Antolojisi (Anthology of Turkish Writing, 1963), Meşhur Beyitler (The Best Known Lines of Poems, 1963), Türk Edebiyat Tarihi (The History of
Turkish Literature, 1964).
RESEARCH: Fransız
Edebiyatı (French Literature, 1934), Yeni
Türk Edebiyatı (New Turkish Literature, 1936), İzahlı Türkçe Metinler (Turkish Texts with Explanations, for High
Schools, 1945), Osmanlı Padişahları (The
Ottoman Empire Sultans, monograph, 1949), Namık
Kemal (Namık Kemal, a Turkish writer, 1955), Namık Kemal'in Şiirleri (The Poems of Namık Kemal, 1959), Ziya Paşa'nın Şiirleri (Poems of Ziya
Paşa, 1959), Türk Edebiyatı Tarihi (The
History of Turkish Literature, 1964), Donkişot
(Don Quixote, 1947), Aşk ve Istırap
Şiirleri (Love and Sorrow Poems, from Heine, 1948), Ömer Hayyam'dan Rubailer (Rubai*s from Omar Khayyam, 1955),