Attilâ İlhan (15 June 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Turkish

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and

reviewer A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a rating to indi ...

Early life and education

Attilâ İlhan was born in

Menemen Menemen is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey and its central town. The district extends on a fertile plain formed by the alluvial soil carried by the Gediz River. Adjacent districts are, from east to west; Aliağa and Foça to the north and ...

İzmir Province İzmir Province ( tr, İzmir ili) is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey in western Anatolia, situated along the Aegean coast. Its capital is the city of İzmir, which is in itself composed of the province's central 11 distri ...

, Turkey on 15 June 1925. He received most of his primary education in

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban agglo ...

. However, because of his father's job, he completed his junior high school education in different cities. Aged 16 and enrolled in İzmir Atatürk High School, he got into trouble for sending a poem by

Nazım Hikmet A nazim Subahdar, also known as Nazim or in English as a "Subah", was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah (province) during the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, Mamluk dynasty (Delhi), Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, Mughal era ( of In ...

, a famous dissident communist Turkish poet, to a girl he was in love with. He was arrested and taken into custody for three weeks. He was also dismissed from school and jailed for two months. After his imprisonment, İlhan was forbidden from attending any schools in Turkey, thus interrupting his education. Following a favourable court decision in 1941, he received permission to continue his education again and enrolled in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Işık High School. During the last year of his high school education, his uncle sent one of his poems to CHP Poetry Competition without telling Attilâ. The poem, ''Cebbaroğlu Mehemmed'', won the second prize among many poems written by famous poets. He graduated from high school in 1942 and enrolled in

Istanbul University , image = Istanbul_University_logo.svg , image_size = 200px , latin_name = Universitas Istanbulensis , motto = tr, Tarihten Geleceğe Bilim Köprüsü , mottoeng = Science Bridge from Past to the Future , established = 1453 1846 1933 ...

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

. However, he left midway through his legal education to pursue his own endeavours and published his first poetry book, ''Duvar'' (''The Wall'').

Years in Paris

In his second year at

, he went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in order to take part in supporting Nazım Hikmet. His observations of the French and their culture were to influence many of his works. After returning to Turkey, he repeatedly ran into trouble with the police. Interrogations in ''Sansaryan Han'' influenced his works based on death, thriller, etc.

Istanbul–Paris–Izmir triangle

He returned to Paris again in 1951 because of an official investigation about an article in ''Gerçek'' newspaper. In this period he learned to speak French and studied

Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

philosophy. In the 1950s Attilâ İlhan spent his days along an Istanbul–Paris–İzmir triangle and during this period he became popular in Turkey. After returning to Turkey, he resumed studying law. However, in his last year at law school, he left university and took up a journalistic career. His relationship with the cinema also started in this year. He began writing movie reviews and critiques in ''Vatan'' newspaper.

Artistic versatility

After completing his military service in

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. The city uses the double-headed eagle as ...

in 1957, İlhan returned to Istanbul and concentrated on cinema. He wrote screenplays for nearly 15 movies under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Ali Kaptanoğlu. However, cinema didn't meet his expectations and he returned to Paris in 1960. During this period, he analyzed the development of socialism and television. The unexpected death of his father caused him to return to his hometown of İzmir, where he would remain for the next eight years. During this period, he served as the editorial writer and editor-in-chief of the ''Democratic İzmir'' newspaper. During the same years, he also wrote poetry books, ''Yasak Sevişmek'' and ''Bıçağın Ucu'' of the ''Aynanın İçindekiler'' series.

Political views

Attilâ İlhan was a

kemalist Kemalism ( tr, Kemalizm, also archaically ''Kamâlizm''), also known as Atatürkism ( tr, Atatürkçülük, Atatürkçü düşünce), or The Six Arrows ( tr, Altı Ok), is the founding official ideology of the Republic of Turkey.Eric J. Zurche ...

and

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

. In his later life, he appeared on television programs where he discussed literary and social issues. Although he was a devoted communist, he never espoused

Stalinism Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory ...

and he always took a

nationalistic Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: T ...

point of view within communism. He was also an

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...

figure in Turkey where his ideas influenced the public. In his series of books entitled ''Hangi …'', he questioned the imitative

intellectualism Intellectualism is the mental perspective that emphasizes the use, the development, and the exercise of the intellect; and also identifies the life of the mind of the intellectual person. (Definition) In the field of philosophy, the term ''intell ...

which dominated the cultural and political life of Turkey.

Personal life

He married in 1968 and remained so for 15 years. He was the brother of famous Turkish actress

Çolpan İlhan Çolpan İlhan (8 August 1936 – 25 July 2014) was a Turkish cinema and theatre actress. In 1998 she was awarded the title of State Artist of Turkey. She acted in more than 300 films and theater plays. First years İlhan received her sec ...

, wife of the late

Sadri Alışık Sadri Alışık (born Mehmet Sadrettin Alışık; 5 April 1925 – 18 March 1995) was a Turkish stage and movie actor, and one of the most loved comedians in Turkey. He was the husband of Çolpan İlhan. Biography He was a prolific actor, ap ...

, himself a famous actor.

Death

Attilâ İlhan died of a heart-attack in

on 10 October 2005. Attilâ İlhan was buried at

Aşiyan Asri Cemetery The Aşiyan Asri Cemetery ( tr, Aşiyan Asri Mezarlığı) is a burial ground situated on Aşiyan between the Bebek, Istanbul, Bebek and Rumelihisarı neighborhoods of the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. Many renowned intellectuals, writers an ...

.Attila İlhan’a veda (Farewell to Attila Ilhan) NTV-MSNBC 2005-10-24

List of works

Poems

* Duvar (The Wall) * Sisler Bulvarı (Boulevard of Mists) * Yağmur Kaçağı (Escapee from Rain) * Ben Sana Mecburum (Compelled to You) * Bela Çiçeği (Trouble Flower) * Yasak Sevişmek ( Forbidden Love) * Tutuklunun Günlüğü (A Prisoner's Diary) * Böyle Bir Sevmek (Loving Like This) * Elde Var Hüzün (Grief Remains) * Korkunun Krallığı (Kingdom of Fear) * Ayrılık Sevdaya Dahil (Parting is in Love) * Allende Allende * Pia

Novels

* Sokaktaki Adam (The Man on the Street) * Zenciler Birbirine Benzemez (Black Men Don't Look Alike) * Kurtlar Sofrası (Feast of Wolves) * Bıçağın Ucu (Tip of the Knife) * Sırtlan Payı (Hyena's Share) * Yaraya Tuz Basmak (Salting the Wound) * Dersaadet'te Sabah Ezanları (Morning Adhans in the Abode of Felicity ''(Istanbul)'') * O Karanlıkta Biz (Us in That Darkness) * Fena Halde Leman (Desperately Leman) * Haco Hanım Vay (Haco Hanım Wow) * Allah'ın Süngüleri "Reis Paşa" (Bayonets of God "Reis Pasha")

Essays

* Abbas Yolcu * Yanlış Kadınlar Yanlış Erkekler (Wrong Women Wrong Men) * Hangi Sol (Which Left) * Hangi Sağ (Which Right) * Hangi Batı (Which West) * Hangi Seks (Which Sex) * Hangi Atatürk (Which Atatürk) * Hangi Edebiyat (Which Literature) * Hangi Laiklik (Which Laisism) * Hangi Küreselleşme (Which Globalization) * Gerçekçilik Savaşı (War of Reality) * İkinci Yeni Savaşı (War of the Second New) * Faşizmin Ayak Sesleri (Footsteps of Fascism) * Batının Deli Gömleği (The Straitjacket of the West) * Sağım Solum Sobe (My Right my Left, Sobe!) * Ulusal Kültür Savaşı (National Culture War) * Sosyalizm Asıl Şimdi (Socialism Now) * Aydınlar Savaşı (War of Intellectuals) * Kadınlar Savaşı (War of Women) * Bir Sap Kırmızı Karanfil (A Red Carnation Stalk) * Ufkun Arkasını Görebilmek (To See Beyond the Horizon)

Short stories

* Yengecin Kıskacı (Crab's Pincer)

Translations

* "''Kanton'da İsyan''" (''The Conquerors'' by

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( , ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (Man's Fate) (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed by P ...

) * "''Umut''" (''Man's Hope'' by André Malraux) * "''Basel'in Çanları''" (''The Bells of

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

'' by

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (, , 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littérature''. He wa ...

)

References

"Ecevit and Can Yucel Used to Make Fun of Me"
by Rahime Sezgin (1 November 2005), ''Zaman Daily Newspaper''

External links

Şiirleri - Poems
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilhan, Attila 1925 births 2005 deaths Burials at Aşiyan Asri Cemetery Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni Balıkesir Lisesi alumni People from Menemen State Artists of Turkey Turkish journalists Turkish novelists Turkish poets Turkish prisoners and detainees Turkish socialists Turkish nationalists 20th-century poets 20th-century novelists 20th-century journalists