Turkish

Literature
TURKISH LITERATURE
minstrel
Türk Edebiyatı
Introduction, Overview and
Background
Turkish belongs to the Altay
branch of the Ural-Altay linguistic
family. Through the span of history,
Turks have spread over a wide
geographical area, taking their
language with them. The advanced
style of writing suggests that there
were earlier developments of the
written language.
Turkish Literature through the ,
Ottoman Empire
Oral tradition was the prominent early
form of Turkish literature between the
9th and 11th centuries. The most popular
genre at that time was the epic, such as
the Book of the Dede Korkut of the
Oghuz Turks (details, below), one of the
cultural and linguistic ancestors of
modern Turks.
Folk Literature
Folk literature was rooted in the nomadic
lifestyle, primarily composed of oral
tradition, and was typically intended to be
sung. Sometimes performers would be
accompanied by an instrument such as a
saz (lute). Much of the oral tradition and
folklore were centered on storytelling.
Some of the primary genres that grew out
of folk literature were epics, legends,
folktales, fables, proverbs, anecdotes, and
to havemusic. The of
come out most prominent
Anatolia epic
was The
Book of Dede Korkut, (Dede means
Grandfather), written in Oghuz
Turkish. This epic was primarily
performed by Âşiks, Oghuz Turkish
poet-musicians. They were performers
who sang epics along with other poems
and lyrical songs. The Book of Dede
Korkut has survived through two 16th
century manuscripts. It was circulated
centuries prior to these manuscripts,
but the exact date of its origin is
unknown.
A very important character in
Turkish folk literature is Nasreddin
Hoca (pronounced “Hoja”), a folk
philosopher, comedian, and trickster.
He represents the “indomitable spirit
of the common people” (“Turkis
Language & Literature”). Little is
known about his life. However, he
probably lived in the 13th century. He
served as a religious teacher, preacher,
and judge. For centuries, he has
remained a prominent character in
both Muslim and non-Islamic
communities in the Middle East. His
wit transcended national and cultural
borders, as his stories have been
translated into many languages,
attesting to his universal appeal.
Folk Literature vs
Ottoman Literature
The literature created for the
consumption of the Ottoman Sultan and
nobility, or Ottoman literature forms the
basis of formal Turkish literary aesthetics.
Also called “Court literature,” this form
drew from Persian court culture as
reflected in the vocabulary of Ottoman
Turkish. Ottoman Turkish is quite
distinct from modern Turkish because it
incorporated many more Persian and
Arabic vocabularies. The Persian words
tended to relate to court life, poetry, and
fine arts.
Folk literature remained primarily
separate from Ottoman literature, as an
oral tradition. Ottoman literature, in
contrast to Folk literature was also a
written form throughout almost the entire
duration of the Ottoman Empire. This
was in part an expression of its formality.
It was written in the Arabic script, a mode
which Mustafa Kemal Atatürk did away
with under his modernizing reforms.
Another difference between the two is that
folk literature was primarily structurally
comprised of quatrains (lines of four
verses), while Ottoman literature was
composed of couplets (lines of two verses).
This systematic difference in writing and
delivery method between folk and
Ottoman literature in effect separated
people within the Empire into literate and
non-literate, upper and lower, classes. The
one thing that these two forms of
literature had in common, however, was
musical performance, which eventually
brought the two genres together just
before the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
During the 17th century, traveling
minstrel music, or the music of the âşik,
became a bridge between the court and
the people.
Sufi Poetry
Sufi poetry is another major cultural
influence on Turkish literature, dating
back to the 11th and 12th centuries. It
became a major branch of Turkish
literature in the 13th century. Sufi
mystics expressed their love and devotion
to God through their poetry. Âşık Paşa
and Yunus Emre were the most
prominent Sufi poets of the 13th and
14th centuries. Âşık Paşa wrote
Garībnāmeh (“The Book of the
Stranger”), which comprises 11,000
couplets and is known as one of the finest
mesnevîs (rhyming couplets that usually
have spiritual meaning related to
Sufism). Yunus Emre, born in Eskisehir,
is one of the most influential sufi poets in
Turkish literature. He wrote the
prominent, Risâletʿün nushiyye,
“Treatise of Counsel”. His poetry often
took the form of love poetry but with a
twist, the “Beloved” he mentioned was a
reference to God. The following sample
(Smith, 1993) demonstrates this way of
writing about love:
“O man of love, open your eyes; look at
the face of the earth. See how these lovely
flowers, bedecking themselves came and
the passed on.
These, bedecking themselves in this way,
stretching out toward the Beloved – ask
them, Brother, where are they going.
Every flower, with a thousand coquettish
airs, praises God with supplications.” (p.
12)\
His writings today remain central to the
dhikr, or chanting, practiced by tarikas,
or Sunni brotherhoods, and to the ayîn-i
cem ritual of the Alevî Bektashi, an
order of tribal Shīʿite Sufis.
of tribal Shīʿite Sufis.
Divan Poetry and Classic Turkish
Literature
As mentioned, Ottoman literature was
primarily produced in the written form
with a great deal of influence from both
Arabic and Persian. Divan poetry is a
significant example of this form of
Ottoman literature (Mesnevi and Qasida)
was the most prominent form of Ottoman
literature. Mesnevi and Qasidas were most
prominent in early Ottoman history, but in
later Ottoman literature new genres came
to the forefront such as biographical
dictionaries (tezkires), urban song (şarkı),
and tâze-gûʾî (“fresh speech”).
Qasida ( or Kaside) are praises, either of
God or a leader (like the Prophet
Mohammad, the Sultan, or a military
leader). These were long and comprised of
various sections. Gazel poetry was often
sung and accompanied by instruments.
The poetry was composed of couplets and
the theme was usually love.
Ottoman poetry of the 15th and 16th
centuries represent a fusion of the three
major Islamic languages—Turkish,
Persian, and Arabic. In the 17th century,
Mesnevis were on the decline. Some
prominent names from Ottoman literature
include (in addition to the Sufi poets
mentioned) Hayali Bey, Mahmud
Abdülbâkî (also known as Bâkî), Cevri
and Neşatî (the leaders in the form of
“fresh speech”), Nâbî (whose most
prominent work is the mesnevi), Hayrîyye,
Âşik Ömer (a prominent âşik of the later
17th century), and Şeyh Galib (1782;
mesnevî Hüsn ü aşk translates to “Beauty
and Love” , was one of the most prominent
works of late Ottoman Literature). Beauty
and love were prominent themes
Periods of Turkish Literature
The history of Turkish Literature may be
divided into three periods, reflecting the
history of Turkish civilization as follows:
the period up to the adoption of Islam, the
Islamic period and the period under
western influence.
Turkish Literature Prior to the
Adoption of Islam
Turkish literature was the joint product of
the Turkish clans and was mostly oral. The
oldest known examples of Turkish writings
are on obelisks dating from the late 7th and
early 8th centuries. The Orhun
monumental inscriptions written in 720 for
Tonyukuk, in 732 for Kültigin and in 735
for Bilge Kagan are masterpieces of
Turkish literature with their subject matter
and perfect style. Turkish epics dating from
those times include the Yaratilis, Saka,
Oguz-Kagan, Göktürk, Uygur and Manas.
The "Book of Dede Korkut", put down in
writing in the 14th century, is an extremely
valuable work that preserves the memory
of that epic era in beautiful language.
Turkish Literature after the
Adoption of Islam
Following Turkish migrations into Anatolia
in the wake of the Malazgirt victory in
1071, the establishment of various Beyliks
in Anatolia and the eventual founding of
the Seljuk and Ottoman Empires set the
scene for Turkish literature to develop
along two distinct lines, with "divan" or
classical literature drawing its inspiration
from the Arabic and Persian languages and
Turkish folk literature still remaining
deeply rooted in Central Asian traditions.
Divan poets did not have independent
philosophies; they were content to express
the same ideas in different ways. The
magnificence of the poet came from his
artistry in finding original and beautiful
forms of expression. The most famous of
the Divan poets were Baki, Fuzuli, Nedim
and Nef'i.
Initially based on two foreign literary
traditions, Arab and Persian, literature
gradually stopped being merely imitative
and took on Ottoman national
characteristics.
To a certain extent, the Turkish folk
literature which has survived till our day,
reflects the influence of Islam and the new
life style and form of the traditional
literature of Central Asia after the
adoption of Islam. Turkish folk literature
comprised anonymous works of bard
poems and Tekke (mystical religious
retreats) literature. Yunus Emre who lived
in the second half of the 13th and early
14th centuries was an epoch making poet
and sufi (mystical philosopher) expert in
all three areas of folk literature as well as
divan poetry. Important figures of poetic
literature were Karacaoglan, Atik Ömer,
Erzurumlu Emrah and Kayserili Seyrani.
Influence of Western Literature on
Turkish Literature
Turkish Literature was influenced by the
Western Literature. Changes in social,
economic and political life were reflected
in the literature of the time and the quest
for change continued till the proclamation
of the Republic. The distinguishing
characteristic of the era in literature was
the concern with intellectual content
rather than esthetic values or perfection of
style
The latest period in literature, which is known
as the Turkish Literature of the Republican
period, came to be influenced by the following
literary schools after Divan literary styles had
been abandoned: Tanzimat (reforms), Servet-i
Fünun (scientific wealth), Fecr-i Ati (dawn of
the new age) and Ulusal Edebiyat (national
literature).
Leading figures in the first period (1860- 1880)
in Tanzimat literature were Sinasi, Ziya Pasa,
Namik Kemal, and Ahmet Mithat Efendi.
Leading figures during the second period
(1880-1896) were Recaizade Mahmut Ekrem,
Abdülhak Hamit, Sami Pasazade Sezai, and
Nabizade Nazim.
Tevfik Fikret, Cenap Sahabettin, Süleyman
Nazif, Halit Ziya Usakligil, Mehmet Rauf,
Hüseyin Cahit Yalçin and Ahmet Hikmet
Müftüoglu are the important representatives of
this trend. Others who adopted the western
approach, but who were outside the group,
were Ahmet Rasim and Hüseyin Rahmi
Gürpinar who supported the new Turkish
literature.
The most interesting Fecr-i Ati poet was Ahmet
Hasim. Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoglu and
Refik Halit Karay who initially were in the
Fecr-i Ati at the start of their careers, attained
their true literary identities later in the
National Literature Movement.
Mehmet Akif Ersoy and Yahya Kemal Beyatli
initially followed independent courses and later
joined the National Literature movement. The
Tanzimat, Servet-i Fünun and Fecr-i Ati
groups who came together to create a modern
Turkish literature made great strides towards
this aim, but their works stopped short of being
a national literature with distinctive
characteristics. In spirit, it was French-
oriented, in language and style it was
traditional and Ottoman.
National Literature was created
between the years 1911 and 1923. The
leading literary figures of the period
were Ziya Gokalp, Ömer Seyfettin,
Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, Yusuf Ziya
Ortaç, Faruk Nafiz Camlibel, Enis
Behiç Koryürek, Kemalletin Kamu,
Aka Gündüz, Yakup Kadri
Karaosmanoglu, Halide Edip Adivar,
Halit Karay, Resat Nuri Güntekin,
Ahmet Hikmet Müftüoglu, Necip Fazil
Kisakürek, Halide Nusret Zorlutuna,
Sükufe Nihal, Peyami Safa, and
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar.
Feast of the Dead ByCevdet Kudret
Feast
Dursun Agha was a carrier who barely made
both ends meet with a wife and two sons in
their small two-story house. Gulnaz, his wife,
helps Dursun by doing laundry in the
neighborhood and with the limited
opportunities in her work she tries to help her
husband by cheating, using up a little extra
water so his husband can earn a few more
kurush.
Dursun Agha died when he slipped in the
OF THE
water that hardened overnight that he hit his
s that something must happen. They felt
head on a stone bowl. Upon hearing the news
of Gulnaz, she froze. Is this the punishment for
her little tricks? All that Dursan had left was
only his two cans and a pole.
Dead
Gulnaz doesn't know what to do, she's left
alone with two children, one 9years old and
the other 6 years old. How can she support her
children by washing clothes only twice or
thrice a week? It is a Muslim tradition that
neighbors send food to the bereaved household
for a day or two. The first meal came to
Gulnaz from the wealthy businessman, Raif
Efendi, from the white house at the corner. At
noon when Dursan died, the maid from the
white house sent Gulnaz a tray of noodles
cooked in chicken broth, some meat with good
rich oil, cheese rolls and sweets. It was the best
meal they ever had even before Dursan was
alive. The leftover lunch was for their dinner.
For the next day, another neighbor sent them
CEVAT KUDRET
food, and this went on for three or four days.
None of them was as good and as generous as
the one from the white house, but they were all
better than any that was cooked in Gulnaz'
pot. When the tray stopped coming, when they
could no longer buy the coal, they began to
realize that their pain was unbearable.
On the first day the food stopped coming,
they kept their hopes up until noon,
running to the door in hopes to see a tray
covered in white cloth. They find it difficult
to readjust into eating the potatoes Gulnaz
cooks with hardly a trace of butter. They
were not really hungry for about three or
four days, until they used up all their
staples. They ran out of batter, flour and
potatoes. Then they ran out of whatever
they could find in their house. Another day,
it was afternoon when the young boy
started crying saying it hurt inside.
Gulnaz said to the boy to be patient and
dizzy and it is best to lie down. Gulnaz was
hoping that there must be someone who
needed a charwoman but her neighbors
thought it could be considerate to call
Gulnaz to do laundry, all they can say is,
"poor woman." One morning, her children
were imagining food, and Gulnaz listened to
their murmurs and bit her lips to stop
herself from crying.
There came a bread man, and Gulnaz
decided to ask for two loaves of bread on
credit. But before she could ask, the
breadman already shouted giddy-yap to his
horse, losing Gulnaz the courage to speak.
She went to her room, not daring to look in
her children's eyes. She could not find a
place to hide her empty hands. It was as if
she was ashamed of having hands. The
younger boy, once again broke the silence,
telling his mother that he can't stand it
anymore and there is something happening
in his insides.Gulnaz comforted his son to
not worry, it is his intestines moving.
Gulnaz then asked the Elder boy to go to The mother then shivered as if touched
Bodoz, the grocer to ask for some rice, by a cold wind on her skin. She looked at
flour, and potatoes and they will pay him her son with frightened eyes and replied,
for a few days. "Why do you ask that?" The young boy
In his shabby coat that was not heavy paused for a while and leaned close The
enough to keep him out of the cold, the young boy paused for a while and leaned
elder boy went to Bodoz'. He had no close "because, then food will come from
strength in his legs, he had to steady himself the white house."
on the walls. When he finally arrived, he let
others take his turn, in the hopes of talking
with the grocer in private. After everyone
had gone, he ordered a pound of flour, a
pound of rice, and a pound of potatoes. He
put his hands in his pocket as if reaching for
his money, and then pretending that he had
left his money at home. Bodoz knew the
trick and said someone who has money at
home doesn't get so thin. Bodoz then put the
boy's order on the side and told him to
bring the money first. Embarrassed that he
was caught lying he said "alright, I'll bring
it."
He quickly walked to his house with teeth
chattering from the cold. And did say
anything to his mother and brother then
went straight to his room. He took off his
clothes that have not yet lost it's warmth
but he said he's cold. Gulnaz piled on him
whatever she could find with fearful eyes.
His body trembling lasted for an hour and
then a half an hour or so. Then came the
fever and exhaustion. The boy's fever went
up. Gulnaz sat motionless. The younger boy
was not asleep, from hunger. The sick boy
tossed around, not finding comfort, his
cheeks burning and he talked in delirium.
The younger boy watched him closely, and
he then sat up on his bed and in a low, soft
audible voice only to his mother asked,
“Mother, will my brother die?”
Characters in Feast of the Dead
 Dursun Agha- is a sturdy man with
round black beard. He was a water
fetcher and the husband of Gulnaz.
 Gulnaz - is a charwoman who has
limited opportunities to find a
decent work and wife of Dursun.
Two sons of Dursun and Gulnaz.
 Raif Efendi- a business man who
lives in the white house in the
corner. He gave the first meal to
Gulnaz and her children. Bodos
 Agha- the grocer
literature. His books evaluating Turkish
literature in various aspects are regarded
as Significant studies in this field. After
1952, he wrote course books and
supplementary books for secondary
education. For some of his work, he
wrote under the pen names
Abdurrahman Nisari, Nevzat Yesirgil,
Cevdet Baykara and Suat Hizarcı. He
also wrote course books under the name
A. Nisari. He won the Turkish Language
Association’s 1974 Science Award with
his Monograph called Ortaoyunu* . In
1989, he was awarded the Language
Society Language Honor Award. In 1992,
he was awarded the Turkish Authors
Association Honor Award

Background of the Author

CEVDET KUDRET
Born: 7 February 1907, İstanbul, Turkey
Died: 10 July 1992, İstanbul, Turkey
Poet and writer. His surname was Solok
but wrote under the pen name Cevdet
Kudret. He attended Nümune-i İrfan
Primary School, Davutpaşa Secondary
School and graduated from İstiklâl High
School (1930) and İstanbul University,
Faculty of Law (1933). He worked as a
literature teacher at various high schools in
Ankara and at Ankara State Conservatoire
(1934-45). He also worked as a secretary at
The Conservatoire 1948 and 1950. During
the period of the Democratic Party, he was
appointed as a Turkish teacher at Bitlis
Secondary School. He was then
commissioned to work on the Encyclopedia
of Turkey (1945-50).
By: C