Poet and writer
(b. 1914, Trabzon - d. 18 April 1988, İstanbul). He was the son of the poet and
linguist Samih Rifat, who was also the governor of Trabzon. He attended Ankara
High School for Boys (1932) and graduated from Ankara University, Faculty of
Law (1936). He studied for three years at the University of Paris, Faculty of
Political Sciences aided by the Ministry of Finance; however, he did not have
the opportunity to complete his studies. He worked at the General Directorate
of Press and Publishing (1943). He worked as a legal practitioner in Ankara and
İstanbul. He retired when he was still a legal adviser at Turkish State
Railways, İstanbul Directorate Head Office (1961-73).
His first poems
were published in the review Varlık (1936-44),
and he came to be known for his poems published in the reviews Aile (1947), Yaprak (1949-50) and Yeditepe
(1951-57). He became one of the pioneers of the movement called “New Poetry”,
or “Strange”, with his poems published in the book Garip (Strange), which he published in collaboration with Orhan
Veli Kanık and Melih Cevdet Anday in 1941. He focused on social issues in his
poems, in which he employed the features of folk poetry and thus reinvented
himself. He followed the vogue of the surrealistic understanding of poetry like
the other poets of the Second New movement.
Besides poetry,
he wrote plays and translated works from French. He collected the Yeditepe
Poetry Prize in 1955 with Karga ile Tilki
(The Crow and the Fox) and the Turkish Language Association Poetry Award in
1970 with his book Şiirler (Poems).
His play Yağmur Sıkıntısı (Oppressive
Air) was selected as the Best Play of the Year by the Ankara Art Lovers
Association and won the achievement award at the Turkish Radio and Television
Art Awards Contest in 1970. He also won the Sedat Simavi Foundation Award in
1980 with his book Bir Cigara İçimi
(Smoking a Cigarette), the Madarali Novel Award in 1981 with Danaburnu (Calf Nose) and the Necatigil
Poetry Award in 1984 with Dilsiz ve
Çıplak (Mute and Naked). All his works were published by Adam Publications
with the title Bütün Şiirleri (All
Poems).
WORKS:
POETRY: Garip (Strange, in collaboration with
Orhan Veli and Melih Cevdet, 1941), Güzelleme
(Folk Song of Praise, 1945), Yaşayıp
Ölmek, Aşk ve Avarelik Üzerine Şiirler (Poems on Living and Dying, Love and
Idleness, 1946), Aşağı Yukarı (More
or Less, 1952), Karga ile Tilki (The
Crow and the Fox, 1954), Perçemli Sokak
(Perçemli Street, 1956), Aşk Merdiveni (Love
Stairs, 1958), İkilik (Double; second
edition of Aşağı Yukarı – More or Less and Karga ile Tilki – The
Crow and the Fox, 1963), Elleri Var
Özgürlüğün (Freedom Has Hands, 1966), Şiirler
(Poems, 1969), Yeni Şiirler (New
Poems, 1973), Çobanıl Şiirler (Shepherd-like
Poems, 1976), Bir Cigara İçimi (Smoking
a Cigarette, 1979), Elifli (Cherry,
1980), Denize Doğru Konuşma (Speech
Toward the Sea, 1982), Dilsiz ve Çıplak
(Mute and Naked, 1984), Koca Bir Yaz (A
Whole Summer, 1987), Bütün Şiirleri
(All Poems, 1991).
PLAY: Kadınlar Arasında (Among Women, staged
in 1948, published in 1966), Oyun İçinde
Oyun (Play in a Play, 1949 -50), Bir
Takım İnsanlar (Some People, staged in 1960, published in 1961), Atlar ve Filler (Horses and Elephants,
1962), Çil Horoz (Speckled Rooster,
1964), Zabit Fatma'nın Kuzusu (Lamb
of the Officer Fatma, 1965), Yağmur Sıkıntısı
(Opressive Air, 1969 / 70, five plays published in one, 1988), Dirlik Düzenlik (Peace and Quiet, 1975).
NOVEL: Bir Kadının Penceresinden (Through a
Woman’s Window, 1976), Danaburnu
(Calf Nose, 1980), Bay Lear (Mr.
Lear, 1982).
Besides these,
he did translations about Greek anthlogy and translations from Latin poets.