Poet (b. 1914, İstanbul – d. 15
Ekim 2008, İstanbul). He was the son of the Cavalry Colonel Hasan Hüsnü Bey. He
completed his primary education in Konya, Kayseri and in Kozan province of
Adana because of the duty of his father. He received his secondary education in
Tarsus in Adana. He graduated from Kuleli Military High School (1933) and from Turkish Military Academy (1935). He joined the army as an infantry officer and fulfilled
different duties in various places of the eastern and central Anatolia and in
the Thrace. After he completed his obligatory term of service, he left the army
(1950). He worked as a labor inspector at the General Directorate of
Publishing-Broadcasting and Tourism; and at the Ministry of Labor in İstanbul
(1952–60). After his retirement, he founded Kitap Book Store in Aksaray in
İstanbul (December, 1959). He published the monthly review called Türkçe
(43 issues, January 1960 – July 1964). He closed the bookstore in 1970 and he
spent all his time on poetry.
One of the most productive poets
of the Republican Era with over thirty poetry books, Dağlarca published his
first work (a short story) in the local newspaper Yeni Adana, after
ranking first at a competition among students held by the same newspaper
(1927). His first poem was published in the review called İstanbul (Yavaşlayan
Ömür - Life Slowing Down, 1933). After 1933, his poems were
published in the reviews İstanbul, Varlık, Kültür Haftası, Yücel, Aile,
İnkılapçı Gençlik, Yeditepe, Türk Dili, Yenilik, Vatan, Kültür Dünyası, Ataç,
Çağrı, Türk Yurdu, Türkçe, Devrim, Yön, Edebiyat Dünyası, Yelken, Papirüs,
Militan, Sanat Emeği, Sanat Olayı, Milliyet Sanat and Gösteri. He
was recognized with the poems he published in the review Varlık (1934).
He published his first poetry book on the same day as he graduated from the
War School (30 August 1935). He gained fame with his second and most popular
poetry book titled Çocuk ve Allah (The Child and the God, 1940). As an
integrate book with regard to its language and structure, it has been accepted
as one of the best examples of poetry of the Republican era. This book was
followed by his other books, which were the outcomes of his period of intuition
(1935–1945), the period of transition (1945 – 1955) and the period of
rationalism that has lasted until today. He wrote on various themes in his
lyrical and epical poems and affected many succeeding poets with his authentic
language.
In his late years, he generally
wrote children’s poems. He ranked third at a poetry competition organized by
the Republican People’s Party in 1946 with his book titled Çakırın Destanı (The
Epic Of Çakır) and collected the Yeditepe Poetry Award in 1956 with Asu
(Asu), the Turkish Language Association Poetry Award in 1966 with Delice
Böcek (The Crazy Bug) and the Turkish National Student Federation’s Turan
Emeksiz Award. He was elected as the best Turkish poet living by the
International Poetry Forum, based in the United States, in 1967. He was given
the Golden Wrap Award by the 13th Struga (Yugoslavia) Poetry Nights
Festival (1947). He was elected as the best poet of 1974 by the review Milliyet
Sanat in 1975. With his book Horoz (Rooster), he shared the Sedat
Simavi Foundation Literature Award with Peride Celal.
WORKS:
POETRY: Havaya Çizilen Dünya (The
World Drawn in Air, 1935), Çocuk ve Allah (The Child and the God, 1940),
Daha (More, 1943), Çakırın Destanı (The Epic of Çakır, 1945), Taş
Devri (The Stone Age, 1945), Üç Şehitler Destanı (Epic of Three
Martyrs, 1949), Toprak Ana (The Mother Soil, 1950), Aç Yazı (The
Hungry Writing, 1951), İstiklâl Savaşı-Samsun'dan Ankara'ya (The
Independence War – From Samsun to Ankara, 1951), İstiklal Savaşı-İnönüler
(The Independence War – İnönü and His Friends, 1951), Sivaslı Karınca
(The Ant from Sivas, 1951), İstanbul-Fetih Destanı (Epic of the Conquest
of İstanbul, 1953), Anıtkabir (Mausoleum of Atatürk, 1953), Asû
(Asu, 1955), Delice Böcek (The Crazy Bug, 1957), Batı Acısı (The
Pain of West, 1958), Mevlâna’da Olmak (Being in Mevlana, 1958), Hoo'lar
(Hoo’s, 1960), Özgürlük Alanı (Field of Freedom, 1960), Cezayir
Türküsü (The Song of Algeria, with translation into French, English and
Arabian, 1961), Aylam (My Ayla, 1962), Türk Olmak (Being Turkish,
1963), Yedi Memetler (The Seven Memets 1964), Çanakkale Destanı (The
Epic of the Dardanelles, 1965), Dışardan Gazel (Singing an Ode from
Outside, 1965), Kazmalama (Digging, 1965), Yeryağ (Soil Oil,
1965), Vietnam Savaşımız (Our Vietnam War, with translation into
English, 1966), Kubilay Destanı (The Epic of Kubilay, 1968), Haydi
(Come On, 1968), 19 Mayıs Destanı (The Epic of May 19th, 1969), The Blind
of Vietnam (play in prose, 1970), Dört Kanatlı Kuş (A Bird
with Four Wings, selected poems, 1970), Heroism (Hiroshima, with
translation into French and English, 1970), Malazgirt Ululaması (An
Appraisal to the Victory of Malazgirt, 1971), Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
(Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, 1973), Horoz (Rooster, 1977), Hollandalı
Dörtlükler (Dutch Quatrains, 1977), Çukurova Koçaklaması (Epic of
Çukurova, 1979), Çıplak (Naked, 1981), Kaçan Uykular Ülkesinde (In
the Land of Escaped Sleep, 1981), Yunus Emre'de Olmak (Being in Yunus
Emre, 1981), Nötron Bombası (The Neutron Bomb, 1981), İlk Yapıtla 50
Yıl Sonrakiler (With the First Work, Those of 50 Years Later, 1985), Dişiboy
(Dişiboy, 1985), Takma Yaşamalar Çağı (The Age of Fake Lives, 1986), Uzaklarla
Giyinmek (Wearing with Distance, 1990), Dildeki Bilgisayar (The
Computer in the Language, 1992), O'1923 - Tapınağa Asılmış Gövdeler – Gezi,
Mevlana'da Olmak, (O’1923 - The Bodies Hang on the Temple – Travel, Being
in Mevlana) - Göbistan (Göbland, 1998), Batı Acısı - Akdeniz - Aç
Yazı (The Pain of West - The Mediterranean - The Hungry Writing, 1998), Seviştilerken
(As They are Making Love, 1999).
CHILDREN’S POETRY: Açıl Susam
(Open, Sesame, Skopje, 1967), Kuş Ayak (Birdy Feet, 1971), Kınalı
Kuzu Ağıdı (Wailing of Hennaed Lamb, 1972), Arka Üstü (Falling Back,
1974), Yeryüzü Çocukları (Children of the Earth, 1974), Yanık
Çocuklar Koçaklaması (Epic Of Burned Children, 1976), Balina ile
Mandalina (The Whale and the Tangerine, 1977), Yaramaz Sözcükler
(Naughty Words, 1979), Göz Masalı (The Fairy Tale of Eye, 1979), Yazıları
Seven Ayı (The Bear who Liked Writings, 1980), Şeker Yiyen Resimler (The
Pictures that Ate Sugar, 1980), Cinoğlan (The Cunning Kid, childhood
years of Nasrettin Hoca, 1981), Hin ve Hincik (Cunning and Cunningsome,
1981), Güneş Doğduran (That Rises the Sun, 1981), Kaçan Ayılar
Ülkesinde (In the Land of Escaped Bears, 1982).
