Poet (b. 1847, Gelenbe / Manisa - d. 22
May 1912, Manisa). His real name was Mehmet Eşref. He studied in Manisa Hatuniye
Madrasah Muslim Theology School. He learnt Arabic and Persian. He worked as
head secretary in Manisa Governorship (1870) and as district revenue officer in
Turgutlu, Akçahisar and Alaşehir. He was appointed to Fatsa District
Governorship in 1879. He could not serve efficiently his duty because of his
weakness to alcohol and entertainment. He was deposed from office for being
joined in a corruption. After he was acquitted, he worked as district governor
in Çapakçur, Hizan, Ünye, Tirebolu, Garzan, Acıpayam, Buldan, Kula, Kırkağaç,
Daday and Gördes. When he was the Gördes District Governor, he was arrested as
political offender and brought to İstanbul. He was sentenced for one year as
having illegal documents in his house in İzmir (1902). He was kept under
surveillance in İzmir. When he was released, he escaped to Egypt (1903). He
moved from Egypt to Paris, Switzerland and Cyprus. He struggled with the
governance of Abdülhamit II with the humor newspaper Curcuna that he published
in Egypt where he returned.
His four
book contains his satiric poems were published in Egypt. He returned to
İstanbul after the declaration of Second Constitutional Monarchy. He published
the reviews Eşref and Musavver
Eşref, of which he was the
editorial writer. Some of his poems and articles were published in the
review Edeb Yahu which was published in İzmir. He retired
when he was the assistant of Adana Governor, then settled in Dedeağaç.
Poet Eşref
who gained famous as being the greatest satire poet of Turkish literature,
wrote all of his poems in the forms of Divan* Literature and in the form of
satire, and most of his poems contained much of slang words, therefore can be
seen as obscene. He told about the injustices in the period of Abdülhamit
governance and amusement situations rooted from the westernization with a keen
and intelligent style.
WORKS:
Deccal (Antichrist, 2 volumes, 1904-1907), İstimdad (Asking for Help, 1908), Şah ve Padişah (Shah and Sultan, 1906), Hasbihal Yahut Eşref ve Kemal (Heart to Heart Talking or Eşref and Kemal, 1908), İran'da Yangın Var (Fire in Iran, 1908), Sultan Abdülhamit'in Evail-i Saltanatı (Before the Sovereignty of Sultan Abdülhamit, 1908).
REFERENCE: Mustafa Şatim / Şair Eşref’in Hayatı (1943), Mehmet Zeki Pakalın / Resmi Siciline Göre Şair Eşref (Akademi, c. 1, sayı: 4, 1946), İbrahim Alaettin Gövsa / Türk Meşhurları Ansiklopedisi (1946), Hikmet Dizdaroğlu / Doğumunun 98’inci Yıldönümünde-Şair Eşref’e Dair (Hisar, sayı: 16, Ağustos 1951), İbnülemin Mahmud Kemal İnal / Son Asır Türk Şairleri (c. I, 1999), Behçet Necatigil / Edebiyatımızda İsimler Sözlüğü (18. bas. 1999), Şükran Kurdakul / Şairler ve Yazarlar Sözlüğü (6. bas. 1999), TBE Ansiklopedisi (2001), Mehmet Nuri Yardım / Edebiyatımızın Güleryüzü (2002), İhsan Işık / Yazarlar Sözlüğü (1990, 1998) - Türkiye Yazarlar Ansiklopedisi (2001, 2004) – Encyclopedia of Turkish Authors (2005) - Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007) – Ünlü Edebiyatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 4, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).
