Cahit Zarifoğlu

     Poet and writer (b. 1940 Ankara – d. 7 June 1987, İstanbul). He is originally from Kahramanmaraş. He completed his primary and elementary education in Siverek, Kızılcahamam and Kahramanmaraş due to his father’s work. He graduated from Istanbul university, Faculty of Literature, Department of German Language and Literature in 1972. He worked as a translator at various institutions and he went to Europe to take language courses. During this time, he visited the major countries of Europe. After his return he worked as a teacher at a private high school, a translator at the Turkish Machinery and Chemistry Corporation and at the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, and as an auditor at İstanbul Radio.

     Starting his literary career during his high school days, he wrote poems and stories for newspapers in Kahramanmaraş. He also published the review Açı (first issue, August 1962) in Kahramanmaraş. His poems were published in Papirüs, Türk Dili and Yeni Dergi (1966-72) He was known for his poems, stories, journals and critiques that were published in the reviews Diriliş and Edebiyat and notably Mavera. He administered Akabe Publications of which he was among the founders and the review Mavera. He was followed with interest by his readers with whom he had a close dialogue in his columns he wrote for the newspapers Yeni Devir, Millî Gazete and Zaman under the pen names Ahmet Sağlam, Vedat Cani and Abdurrahman Cem. In addition his works were published in İslâm, Kadın ve Aile and children’s magazines. He concentrated on children’s literature in his later years. He was chosen as Author of the Year by the Writers Union of Turkey in 1981 for children’s literature with one of his books, called Yürekdede ile Padişah (The Courageous Old Man and the Emperor).

WORKS:

POETRY: İşaret Çocukları (Children of the Sign, 1967), Yedi Güzel Adam (Seven Nice Men, 1973), Menziller (The Range of Guns, 1977), Korku ve Yakarış (Fear and Prayer, 1986), Şiirler (Poems, all of his poems, 1989).

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: Katıraslan (Mule-Lion, 1983), Ağaçkakanlar (Woodpeckers, 1983), Serçe Kuş (Bird Sparrow, 1983) Yürekdede ile Padişah (Courageous Old Man and the Emperor, 1984), Küçük Şehzade (Little Prince, 1987), Motorlu Kuş (The Motorized Bird, 1987), Kuşların Dili (The Language of the Birds, a simplified and summarized edition of Farid al-Din Attar’s Mantiq at-Tayr, 1987).

SHORT STORY: İns (Mankind, 1974).

JOURNAL: Yaşamak (Living, 1980).

NOVEL: Savaş Ritimleri (Rhythms of War, 1985).

ESSAY: Bir Değirmendir Bu Dünya (This World is a Windmill, 1986), Zengin Hayaller Peşinde (In Pursuit of Wealthy Dreams, 1999).

PLAY: Sütçü İmam (Milkman Imam, 1987). 

REFERENCE: Sezai Karakoç / İşaret Çocukları (Bâbıâlide Sabah, 1968; Sütün-I içinde 1969), Ebubekir Eroğlu / İşaret Çocukları ve Sonrası (Yönelişler, Eylül 1981), Cahit Zarifoğlu Özel Sayısı (Yedi İklim, Temmuz-Ağustos 1987), Cahit Zarifoğlu Özel Sayısı (Mavera, Eylül 1987), İsmet Özel / Şair Öldüren Rejim (Millî Gazete, 10.6.1987), 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 (2007) – Ünlü Edebiyatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 2, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013), Cemal Süreya / 999. Gün (1991), Nurettin Durman / Şair-i Maderzad: Cahit Zarifoğlu (Yedi İklim, Ağustos 2000), Osman Dindar / İşaret Çocukları Birinci Merhale: Estetik (Yedi İklim, Haziran 2003), Ali Haydar Haksal / Zarif Şair Cahit Zarifoğlu, Mehmet Erdoğan / Eleştiri Denemeleri (2014).