Historian of literature (b. 1907,
İstanbul – d. 14 August 1974). After completing his secondary education in Vefa
and İstiklal High Schools he graduated from the Advanced Teacher Training
School, Department of Turkish Language and Literature (1927). He lectured in
various schools in Edirne and İstanbul and he was member of the academic staff
at the İstanbul Institute of Education (1947-69), at the Advanced Teacher
Training School (1950-62) and at İstanbul Higher Institute of Islam. He also
worked as the Director of the Advanced Teacher Training School. In 1969, he
retired.
Nihad Sami Banarlı was known for his
studies on the history of literature, especially with his work Resimli Türk Edebiyatı Tarihi (History
of Turkish Literature with Illustrations). He worked as a member of the
Commission of 1000 Fundamental Works,
as the Director of the Institute of İstanbul and he was a founder and the
Director of the Institute of Yahya Kemal. He prepared the works of Yahya Kemal
for publishing after Kemal’s death.
His poems and articles were published
firstly in the periodical Altıok,
which used to be published by Edirne Public House, and then in the reviews Orhun, Ötüken, Atsız, Meydan, Ülkü. His
work also featured in the review Yahya
Kemal Enstitüsü Mecmuası (Review of the Institute of Yahya Kemal), which he
supervised himself, and in the newspapers Hürriyet
(1948-63), Akşam and Yeni Sabah (under the pen name Emin Bayraktaroğlu). The literature
course books prepared by Banarlı for high schools are used even today. His play
in verse, Kızıl Çağlayan - Bir Yuvanın
Şarkısı (Red Waterfall-The Song of
a Home), was awarded a prize in the contest arranged by the Ministry of
National Education.
WORKS:
Kızıl
Çağlayan - Bir Yuvanın Şarkısı
(Red Waterfall-The Song of a Home,
1923), Dâsitân-ı Tevârih-i Mülûk-i Al-i
Osman (The Historical Epopee of
Ottoman Emperors, by Ahmedî; study edition, 1939), Edebî Bilgiler (Literary Knowledge, 1940), Resimli Türk Edebiyatı Tarihi (History of Turkish Literature with
Illustrations, 1948, in volumes, 1975), Metinlerle
Edebî Bilgiler (Literature
Knowledge With Texts, 1950), Metinlerle
Türk Edebiyatı (Turkish Literature
with Texts, 1955), Metinlerle Türk
ve Batı Edebiyatı (Turkish and
Western Literature with Texts, 1955), Yahya Kemal Yaşarken (When
Yahya Kemal was Alive, 1959), Yahya
Kemal'in Hatıraları (The Memoirs
of Yahya Kemal, 1960), Türkçe'nin
Sırları (The Secrets of the
Turkish Language, 1971), Şiir ve
Edebiyat Sohbetleri (Talking about
Poetry and Literature, 1982), Bir
Dağdan Bir Dağa (From One Mountain
to Another, 1984), Tarih ve
Tasavvuf Sohbetleri (Talking About
History and Mysticism, 1984), Devlet ve
Devlet Terbiyesi (State and State Education, 1985), Kültür Köprüsü (The
Bridge of Culture, 1985), İnanç ve
Yaşama Üslubu (Belief and
Lifestyle, 1986).
He also wrote plays such as Sular Kararırken (While Waters Become Dark), Yabancı (Foreign), Dumanlı Dağlar (Smoky Mountains), Son Vazife (The Last
Task), Bir Mabed Yıkıldı (A Temple was Destroyed), Istırap Yarışı (The Contest of Sorrow), and a novel
named Bir Güzelliğin Romanı (Novel of Beauty, published in the
newspaper Hürriyet as in serial.)
REFERENCE: Nermin Suner Pekin / Aziz Hocamız Nihad Sami Banarlı Kubbealtı Akademi Mecmuası (yıl: 3, sayı: 4, 1974), Kubbealtı Akademi Mecmuası-Nihâd Sâmi Banarlı özel sayısı (yıl: 3, sayı: 4, 1974), Reşat Ekrem Koçu / “Banarlı (Nihad Sâmi)” (İstanbul Ansiklopedisi, c. 4), 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 Bilim Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 2, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013), Şeyma Güngör / TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (c. 5, 1992, s. 51-53), Behçet Necatigil / Edebiyatımızda İsimler Sözlüğü (18. bas. 1999), TBE Ansiklopedisi (2001), Mehmet Nuri Yardım / Edebiyatımızın Güleryüzü (2002), TDOE-TDE Ansiklopedisi 2 (2002).
