Metin Toker (1924 – 18 July 2002) was a Turkish journalist and writer.

Life

He was born 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, ...

. After finishing

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School ( tr, Galatasaray Lisesi, french: Lycée de Galatasaray), established in what was then Constantinople and is now Istanbul, in 1481, is the oldest high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational in ...

, he studied French philology at

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 ...

graduating in 1948. He then went to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

to study

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

s. In 1955 after returning home, he married Özden İnönü, the daughter of

İsmet İnönü Mustafa İsmet İnönü (; 24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish army officer and statesman of Kurdish descent, who served as the second President of Turkey from 11 November 1938 to 22 May 1950, and its Prime Minister three tim ...

, the second president of Turkey (in office 1938–1950) and the leader of the

Republican People's Party The Republican People's Party ( tr, Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, , acronymized as CHP ) is a Kemalist and social-democratic political party in Turkey which currently stands as the main opposition party. It is also the oldest political party ...

. Metin Toker died on 18 July 2002 in Ibni Sina Hospital of

Ankara University Ankara University ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi) is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the republic in 1923. The university has 40 vocat ...

. He was laid to rest at the Cebeci Asri Cemetery in Ankara. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, Gülsün Bilgehan, Nurperi Özlen, a son Güçlü, and his grandchild named Maya.

Career

While still in France, he began writing for the newspaper ''

Cumhuriyet ''Cumhuriyet'' (; English: " Republic") is the oldest up-market Turkish daily newspaper. It has been described as "the most important independent public interest newspaper in contemporary Turkey". The newspaper was awarded the ''Freedom of Pres ...

'' and made a name in journalism. Between 1954 and 1968, Toker published a political magazine named '' Akis'' ("Echo"). But during this time, he was tried and sentenced in a number of cases for his articles published. He continued publishing the periodical until 1968. After 1968, he became a columnist in the daily ''

Milliyet ''Milliyet'' ( Turkish for "''nationality''") is a Turkish daily newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey. History and profile ''Milliyet'' came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 ...

''. According to

Turkish constitution The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Anayasası), also known as the Constitution of 1982, is Turkey's fundamental law. It establishes the organization of the government and sets out the principles and rules of ...

between 1961 and 1980, the presidents had the power of appointing 15 senators in addition to elected members of the Turkish Senate. Between 1977 and 1980, Metin Toker served as senator appointed by President

Fahri Korutürk Fahri Sabit Korutürk (3 August 1903 – 12 October 1987) was a Turkish admiral, diplomat and politician who was the 6th president of Turkey from 1973 to 1980. Before his presidency, he served as the 3rd commander of the Turkish Naval Forces fr ...

. Following the dissolution of the parliament as a result of

1980 Turkish coup d'état The 1980 Turkish coup d'état ( tr, 12 Eylül Darbesi), headed by Chief of the General Staff General Kenan Evren, was the third coup d'état in the history of the Republic of Turkey, the previous having been the 1960 coup and the 1971 coup by ...

, he returned to journalism.

Books

Metin Toker translated

Richard Llewellyn Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd (; 8 December 1906 – 30 November 1983), known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn ( , ), was an English-born novelist of Welsh descent, who is best remembered for his 1939 novel ''How Green Was My Valle ...

's novel ''

How Green Was My Valley ''How Green Was My Valley'' is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, narrated by Huw Morgan, the main character, about his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed that he based the book on his own persona ...

'' into Turkish with the title "''Vadim O kadar Yeşildi ki''" . His other books are documentaries and memoirs about the near history of Turkey.Metin Toker:''İsmet Paşanın Son Yılları'', Bilgi yayınevi, 1993, * ''Bir Diktatörün İktidar Yolu'' * ''İsmet Paşayla On Yıl'' (7 volumes) * ''Rus geldi Aşka, Rusun Aşkı başka'' * ''Şeyh Sait İsyanı'' * ''Avrupa Birşeyler Arıyor'' * ''Dört Buhranlı Yıl'' * ''Tek Partiden Çok Partiye'' * ''Türkiye Üzerinde 1945 Kabusu'' * ''Solda ve Sağda Vuruşanlar'' * ''Orak ile Çekiç arasında kalanlar'' * ''Not Defterinden'' * ''İsmet Paşa'nın Son Yılları'' (1993) Bilgi yayınevi

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toker, Metin 2002 deaths 1924 births Turkish journalists Turkish political people Writers from Istanbul Galatasaray High School alumni Istanbul University alumni Turkish non-fiction writers Burials at Cebeci Asri Cemetery Cumhuriyet people Milliyet people Members of the Senate of the Republic (Turkey) Turkish columnists 20th-century journalists Turkish magazine founders