Orhan Kemal
Encyclopedia
Orhan Kemal is the pen name
of Turkish
novelist Mehmet Raşit Öğütçü. He is known for his realist
novels that tells the stories of the poor in Turkey
.
He is the son of Abdülkadir Kemali Bey, who was a Member of Parliament and Minister, and Azime Hanım, who was an intellectual secondary school graduate.
, Bulgaria
due to intracranial hemorrhage
. He is interred in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery
, Istanbul
.
Kemal's father was obliged to flee Turkey to Syria where Kemal remained with him for a year before returning to Adana in 1932. Kemal worked as a labourer, a weaver and as a clerk in a cotton mill. While doing his military service in 1938 his political opinions led to his being sentenced to a 5 year term of imprisonment. The charges included "reading the works of Maxim Gorky
and Nazim Hikmet
" and "propagandising for foreign regimes and encouring revolt". While in prison in Bursa he met Hikmet, who was his major literary influence. After being released from prison in 1943 he returned to Adana, working as a labourer, and beginning to publish his writings. Although he started as a writer of poetry he soon began to publish stories, from 1943 under the adopted name Orhan Kemal.
Following the birth of his third child (of four) Kemal moved his family to Istanbul in 1951 where he worked again as a labourer and then from 1951 as a clerk at the Tuberculosis Foundation, living with little money and all the time writing.
He was arrested again in 1966 for "forming a communist propagandist cell" but was released two months later after the charges could not be substantiated.
Orhan Kemal died in hospital in 1970 while visiting Bulgaria upon the invitation of the Bulgarian Writers Union.
A museum and bookshop dedicated to Kemal and his work is to be found in the modest flat in which he lived at 30 Akarsu Caddesi, Cihangir, Istanbul. After his death a literary award was established in his name, the Orhan Kemal Novel Prize (1972).
In 1942 he adopted the name Orhan Kemal when writing stories and poems in Yürüyüş. He found fame through stories in Varlık in 1944, his first collection of short stories “Ekmek Kavgası”, and first novel “Baba Evi”, was published in 1949. Early works depicted characters form the immigrant quarters of Adana Kemal described the social structure, worker employer relationships and the daily struggles of petty people from industrialised Turkey. He aimed to present an optimistic view through the heroes of his stories. He never changed his simple exposition and thus became one of the most skilful names of Turkish stories and novels. He also wrote film scripts and plays including “İspinozlar” and “Kardeş Payı”. Dramatisations have been made of his novels and stories including “Murtaza”, “Eskici Dükkanı”. His play about life in prison in the 1940s “72.Koğuş” (Cell 72) has been made as a feature film twice, most recently in 2011, starring well-known actors Hülya Avşar
and Yavuz Bingöl
. He also wrote a story named "Hanimin Ciftligi" (english, Lady's farm) which took a major success in Turkish history of soap operas.
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
of Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
novelist Mehmet Raşit Öğütçü. He is known for his realist
Literary realism
Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." In the spirit of...
novels that tells the stories of the poor in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
He is the son of Abdülkadir Kemali Bey, who was a Member of Parliament and Minister, and Azime Hanım, who was an intellectual secondary school graduate.
Biography
Orhan Kemal was born in Adana, Ceyhan, on 15 September 1914 and died on June 2, 1970 in a hospital in SofiaSofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
due to intracranial hemorrhage
Intracranial hemorrhage
An intracranial hemorrhage is a hemorrhage, or bleeding, within the skull.-Causes:Intracranial bleeding occurs when a blood vessel within the skull is ruptured or leaks. It can result from physical trauma or nontraumatic causes such as a ruptured aneurysm...
. He is interred in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery
Zincirlikuyu Cemetery
The Zincirlikuyu Cemetery is a modern burial ground at the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from the world of politics, business, sports and arts rest here....
, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
Kemal's father was obliged to flee Turkey to Syria where Kemal remained with him for a year before returning to Adana in 1932. Kemal worked as a labourer, a weaver and as a clerk in a cotton mill. While doing his military service in 1938 his political opinions led to his being sentenced to a 5 year term of imprisonment. The charges included "reading the works of Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
and Nazim Hikmet
Nazim Hikmet
Nâzım Hikmet Ran , commonly known as Nâzım Hikmet , was a Turkish poet, playwright, novelist and memoirist. He was acclaimed for the "lyrical flow of his statements"...
" and "propagandising for foreign regimes and encouring revolt". While in prison in Bursa he met Hikmet, who was his major literary influence. After being released from prison in 1943 he returned to Adana, working as a labourer, and beginning to publish his writings. Although he started as a writer of poetry he soon began to publish stories, from 1943 under the adopted name Orhan Kemal.
Following the birth of his third child (of four) Kemal moved his family to Istanbul in 1951 where he worked again as a labourer and then from 1951 as a clerk at the Tuberculosis Foundation, living with little money and all the time writing.
He was arrested again in 1966 for "forming a communist propagandist cell" but was released two months later after the charges could not be substantiated.
Orhan Kemal died in hospital in 1970 while visiting Bulgaria upon the invitation of the Bulgarian Writers Union.
A museum and bookshop dedicated to Kemal and his work is to be found in the modest flat in which he lived at 30 Akarsu Caddesi, Cihangir, Istanbul. After his death a literary award was established in his name, the Orhan Kemal Novel Prize (1972).
Works
Orhan Kemal's stories and novels generally depict the lives of ordinary working people trying to hold on to their dignity in conditions of poverty or deprivation. His first poem was published in Yedigün under the name of Raşit Kemal (Duvarlar 25.04.1939) Further poems written under the same pen name are Yedigün and Yeni Mecmua 1940. On meeting Nazım Hikmet, Kemal wrote under the name of “Orhan Raşit” (Yeni Edebiyat 1941) Impressed by Nazım Hikmet, Kemal concentrated on stories as opposed to poems. His first story, “Bir Yılbaşı Macerası”, being published in 1941.In 1942 he adopted the name Orhan Kemal when writing stories and poems in Yürüyüş. He found fame through stories in Varlık in 1944, his first collection of short stories “Ekmek Kavgası”, and first novel “Baba Evi”, was published in 1949. Early works depicted characters form the immigrant quarters of Adana Kemal described the social structure, worker employer relationships and the daily struggles of petty people from industrialised Turkey. He aimed to present an optimistic view through the heroes of his stories. He never changed his simple exposition and thus became one of the most skilful names of Turkish stories and novels. He also wrote film scripts and plays including “İspinozlar” and “Kardeş Payı”. Dramatisations have been made of his novels and stories including “Murtaza”, “Eskici Dükkanı”. His play about life in prison in the 1940s “72.Koğuş” (Cell 72) has been made as a feature film twice, most recently in 2011, starring well-known actors Hülya Avşar
Hülya Avsar
Hülya Avşar is a Turkish actress, talk show host, and pop folk singer. Her father is Kurdish and her mother is Turkish.-Career:...
and Yavuz Bingöl
Yavuz Bingöl
Yavuz Bingöl is in the folk realm of Turkish music and is also an actor.He was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1964.He was in several miniseries on Turkish TV, including Bayanlar Baylar, Ah Be İstanbul and Yanık Koza. He also did the romance series Zerda and the sitcom Esref Saati...
. He also wrote a story named "Hanimin Ciftligi" (english, Lady's farm) which took a major success in Turkish history of soap operas.