Mehmet Yardımcı

Poet and writer (b. 8 August 1945, Zile / Tokat). He completed his primary and elementary education in Zile, Ankara and Tokat. He graduated from Trabzon Fatih Institute of Education, Department of Turkish (1970) and Malatya İnönü University, Department of Turkish Language and Literature (1986). He completed his postgraduate education at the Institute of Social Sciences at the same university with his master’s thesis on “Malatya Masalları” (Malatya Tales) and received his PhD at Fırat University, Institute of Social Sciences with the thesis “Âşıklık Geleneği ve Âşık Esirî” (Minstrel Tradition and Minstrel Slaves). He worked as a teacher of Turkish and literature and director at primary and elementary schools in Malatya, Zile, Artova and Turhal. Afterwards, he worked as a lecturer of Turkish Language and Literature (1983-85) at Cumhuriyet University, Faculty of Agriculture, Chairman of the Personnel Department at İnönü University (1985-88), lecturer of Folk Literature at İnönü University, Faculty of Education and has continued his career as a lecturer at Dokuz Eylül University, Buca Faculty of Education, Department of Turkish since 1997.

His articles and poetry were published in the reviews such as Tercüman İnci Eki (1962), Hisar (1967-82), Zile Postası (1975-87), Çağıltı (1974-77), Sanat (1970-75), Kıyı (1968-70), Varlık (1975), Erciyes (1986-89), Millî Folklor (1989), İçel Kültürü (1989), Türk Dili (1975-89), Ozanca, Halk Kültürü, Tarla, Tokat Kültür Sanat, Ozanca, Türk Folkloru, İnönü Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler, Millî Folklor, Tokat, İş Bankası Kültür Sanat Dergisi, Türk Dünyası and in gift books such as Prof. Dr. O. Nedim Tuna Armağanı (Gift to Prof. Dr. O. Nedim Tuna, 1989), Prof. Dr. Saim Sakaoglu 55.Yıl Armağanı (55^th Anniversary Gift to Prof. Dr. Saim Sakaoğlu, 1994) and 50. Kültür ve Sanat Yılında Dr. Mehmet Önder'e Armağan (50^th Culture and Art Anniversary Gift to Dr. Mehmet Önder, 1998). He has also participated in national and international symposiums in his field and has presented many papers. He is a member of the Professional Association of Scientific and Literary Work Owners of Turkey, the Turkish Authors Association, the Turkish Folklore Research Center and the Cyprus Balkans Eurasia Turkish Literature Institution.

He came first at the Tokat People’s House Short Story Writing Competition in 1966, second at the Ministry of Public Education Poetry Award on the subject of “Teacher” (no one came first at this competition) in 1982 and the Tercüman Newspaper Grand Poetry competition in 1985. He came third at the Stories of the Songs Writing Competition (Mersin), came second at the Sabri Akay Poetry Competition (Zonguldak) in 1986 and first at the Yunus Emre Poetry Competition (Eskişehir) in 1988. He won the İhsan Hınçer Award for Contributions to Turkish Folklore in 1990, received an honorable mention at the Institution of Hatay Folklore Research Poetry Awards in 1992 and the "Anniversary Festival of Humanist International" Special Jury Poetry Award (Sweden) in 1993. In 1994, he came first at the İznik Poetry Awards and the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation’s Diyarbakır Radio Teachers Day Poetry Awards and came third at the Turkish Grand National Assembly 75^th Year National Sovereignty Epic Poem Award in 1995.

WORKS:

POETRY: Sevgi Eylemi (Action of Love, 1974), Görünüm (Appearance, 1975), Kurtuluş Savaşı Destanı (The War of Independence, 1983), Sevda Çiçeği (Love Flower, 1989), Kerem İçimde Yandı (Kerem Burnt Inside Me, 1993), Yunuslama (As Yunus, 2002).

SELECTIONS FROM STUDIES-COLLECTIONS: Yüzyıllar Boyu Zileli Halk Ozanları (Minstrels from Zile Through Centuries, 1983), Zileli Fedai (Zileli Fedai, with H. İvgin, 1983), Zileli Âşık Sefil Necmi (Âşık Sefil of Zile, with H. İvgin, 1988), Efsanelerimiz (Our Legends, with Prof. Dr. C. Kavcar, 1988), Zileli Âşık Tâlibi (Zileli Âşık Tâlibi, 1989), Malatya İli Folklor Bibliyografyası (Folklore Bibliography of Malatya Province, 1990), Halkbilim ve Edebiyat Yazıları (Folklore and Literature Articles, 1993), Türkçe'de Seslerle İlgili Kurallar ve Noktalama İşaretleri (Phonetic and Punctuation Rules in Turkish, 1996), Yaşayan Malatya Masalları (The Living Tales of Malatya, 1996), Türk Kültürü Araştırmaları (Turkish Culture Research, Mehmet Önder gift book, 1997), Başlangıcından Günümüze Halk Şiiri-Âşık Şiiri-Tekke Şiiri (Folk Poetry –Minstrel Poetry- Dervish Poetry From Past To Present, 1998), Halkbilimi ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları (Folklore and Literature Research, 1998), Destanlar (Legends, 2000), Hekimhanlı Esirî (Hekimhanlı Esirî, 2000), Malatya Mutfak Kültürü (Malatya Cuisine Culture, commission, 2001), Destanlar (Legends, 2002), Başlangıcından Günümüze Türk Edebiyatı (Turkish Literature From Its Beginning, 2003), Türk Halk Edebiyatında Nesir (Prose in Turkish Folk Literature, 2004), Başlangıcından Günümüze Türk Halk Şiiri (Turkish Folk Poetry From Its Beginning, 2004), 16. Yüzyıldan Günümüze İz Bırakan Zileli Şairler (Famous Poets of Zile from the 16^th Century to the Present, 2004).