Sevgi Soysal (born Sevgi Yenen; September 30, 1936 – November 22, 1976) was a Turkish writer.

Personal life

She 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, ...

on September 30, 1936 as the third child of six to Mithat Yenen, an architect-civil servant, and his German wife Anneliese Rupp , who took later the Turkish name Aliye. After completing high school in Ankara, Soysal studied archaeology at

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 ...

, but left without graduating. She obtained her degree in the late 1960s. In 1956, she married poet and translator Özdemir Nutku. She followed her husband to Germany, where she attended lectures on archaeology and theatre at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

. She then returned home. In 1958, she gave birth to a son named Korkut. Between 1960 and 1961 she worked at the Cultural Center of the German Embassy and

Ankara Radio Ankara Radio ( tr, Ankara Radyosu) is a nationwide radio network broadcasting from Ankara. Its first broadcast was on 6 November 1927, by a 5 kW longwave AM transmitter over 1554 meters. See also * Radyo 2 Radyo 2, also known as TRT FM, i ...

. She acted in a solo role in the theatre play ''Zafer Madalyası'' (Turkish version of ''Bad Day at Black Rock'') staged at Ankara Meydan Theatre and directed by

Haldun Dormen Ahmet Haldun Dormen (born 5 April 1928) is a Turkish theater, movie and TV series actor and film director. Dormen is of Turkish Cypriot descent. Biography His father Sait Ömer Bey was a Cypriot businessman, while his mother Nimet Rüştü Ha ...

. In 1965, she married Başar Sabuncu, whom she met during her acting career. After the military coup on March 12, 1971, she was accused of belonging to a left-wing organization and put in prison. During her detention in Ankara's Mamak Prison, she met

Mümtaz Soysal Osman Mümtaz Soysal (15 September 1929 – 11 November 2019) was a Turkish professor of constitutional law, political scientist, politician, human rights activist, ex-prisoner of conscience, senior advisor, columnist, and author. Soysal served ...

, a professor of

Constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a State (polity), state, namely, the executive (government), executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as th ...

who was also detained for making communist propaganda. They married in the prison. She gave birth to daughter Defna in December 1973 and to daughter Funda in March 1975. Sevgi Soysal was arrested again for political reasons. She spent eight months in prison, and two and half months in exile in

Adana Adana (; ; ) is a major city in southern Turkey. It is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The administrative seat of Adana Province, Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million. Adana lies in the heart ...

. Sevgi Soysal was diagnosed with breast cancer, and lost one of her breasts in late 1975. She underwent another breast cancer surgery in September 1976, and went with her husband to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for medical treatment. Returning home, she died in Istanbul on November 22, 1976, at age forty. She was laid to rest in the

Zincirlikuyu Cemetery __NOTOC__ The Zincirlikuyu Cemetery ( tr, Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı) is a modern burial ground residing on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from the world of polit ...

in Istanbul.

Writing career

In 1962, she published a collection of short stories, ''Tutkulu Perçem'' ("Passionate Bangs"). In the same year, she began to work with the

Turkish Radio and Television Corporation The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish : ) is the national public broadcaster of Turkey, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only television and radio provider in Turkey. Before the introduction of commercial radio i ...

(TRT). Her 1970 novel ''Yürümek'' ("Walking") received the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation Achievement Award but was banned for obscenity. She wrote under the pen names: * Sevgi Nutku while she was married to Özdemir Nutku * Sevgi Sabuncu while she was married to

Başar Sabuncu Başar Sabuncu (September 9, 1943 – June 17, 2015) was a Turkish film director, screenwriter, cinematographer and occasional actor. Early life Sabuncu started acting when he was a student at the St. Joseph High School. Filmography Refe ...

* Sevgi Soysal while she was married to

Selected works

Her notable works are: * ''Tante Rosa'', novel (1968) * ''Yürümek'', novel (1970) * ''Yenişehir'de Bir Öğle Vakti'' (Noontime in Yenişehir), novel (1973), received the ''

Orhan Kemal Orhan Kemal (15 September 1914 – 2 June 1970) is the pen name of Turkish novelist Mehmet Raşit Öğütçü. He is known for his realist novels that describe the life of the poor in Turkey. Biography Orhan Kemal was born in Ceyhan, Adana, ...

Award'' in 1974 * ''Şafak'' (Dawn), novel (1975) * ''Yıldırım Bölge Kadınlar Koğuşu'' (Yıldırım Area Women's Ward), memoir (1976) * ''Barış Adlı Çocuk'' (A Child Named Peace), short stories (1976) * ''Hoşgeldin Ölüm'' (Welcome, Death!), unfinished novel

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soysal, Sevgi 1936 births 1976 deaths Turkish novelists Turkish women short story writers Ankara University alumni University of Göttingen alumni Writers from Istanbul Deaths from cancer in Turkey Deaths from breast cancer Turkish people of German descent Burials at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery 20th-century novelists 20th-century Turkish women writers 20th-century Turkish writers Turkish socialists 20th-century Turkish short story writers