Writer and
translator (b. 22 May 1895, İstanbul – d. 18 January 1960). After he finished Beşiktaş Secondary School,
he studied at Galasaray High School but discontinued his education. He graduated from the Sun Education High
School. He studied at Law School for
some time (1913) and then educated himself.
He lived abroad for eight years in Tiflis, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Rome
and Copenhagen (1915-28). He worked as a translator at the Ministry of
National Education. He translated and wrote columns for various newspapers and
journals beginning with Cumhuriyet. He
traveled around many cities in Anatolia.
He published his first story, Zeynep
la Courtisane (Zeynep the Courtesan), in the journal
Les Oeuvres Libres in Paris (1977).
He wrote
many works in almost all kinds of literature except poetry in the following
years. Generally, he was known for his stories, travel notes and research
related to literature and history. Selim
İleri, in his novel Cemil Şevket Bey Aynalı Dolaba İki El Rovelver (Cemil
Şevket Bey, the Mirrored Cupboard and Two Hand Guns), introduced
the character Cemil Şevket, inspired by the personality of Nahid Sırrı
Örik. His books were republished by
Oğlak Publications since 1994.
WORKS:
SHORT STORY: Kırmızı ve Siyah (Red and Black, 1929), Sanatkârlar (The Artists, 1932), Eski Resimler (Old Pictures, 1933), Eve Düşen Yıldırım (Lightning That Hit the House, 1934).
NOVEL: Colere de Sultan (Anger of the Sultan, in French, 1932), Kıskanmak (To Be Jealous, 1946), Sultan Hamit Düşerken (While Sutan Hamit
Fell, 1957, staged by Kemal Bekir with the name “The Fall”, 1976, adapted for
the cinema, 2003), Kıskanmak (Being
Jealous, 1995), Tersine Giden Yol
(The Road Going in the Opposite Direction, 1995).
TRAVEL
LITERATURE: Anadolu'da Yol Notları (Travel
Notes in Anatolia, 1939), Bir Edirne
Seyahatnamesi (A Travel Book of Edirne, 1941), Kayseri Kırşehir-Kastamonu (Kayseri
Kırşehir-Kastamonu, 1955).
PLAY: Sönmeyen Ateş (The Undying Fire, 1933), Muharrir (Writer, 1934), Oyuncular
(Players, 1938), Para Uğrunda (For
the Sake of Money, performed at İstanbul City Theaters, 1949), Alın Yazısı (The Fate, performed at the
State Theater, 1952).
ESSAY-RESEARCH: Edebiyat ve Sanat Bahisleri (Literature and Art Topics, 1932), Roman ve Hikâye (Novel and History,
1933), Tarihi Çehreler Etrafında
(Around Historical Faces, 1933), Hayat
ile Kitaplar (Life and Books, 1946), Yüzelli
Yılın Türk Meşhurları Ansiklopedisi (Encyclopedia of Famous Turkish People
of a Hundred and Fifty Years, 3 fascicles, 1953), Abdülhamid'in Haremi (The Harem of Abdülhamid,
1989), Bilinmeyen Yaşamlarıyla Saraylılar (People of the Palace and Their
Untold Lives, prepared for publishing by Alpay Kabacalı, 2002).
MEMOIR: Eski Zaman Kadınları Arasında (Among the Women of Old, 1958).
