Fatma Nudiye Yalçı (born Nudiye Hüseyin 1904–1969) was a Turkish writer, translator and leftist party politician.
Early life
Fatma Nudiye was born in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, then the capital of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
engine officer
An engine officer or simply engineer, is a licensed mariner qualified and responsible for operating and maintaining the propulsion plants and support systems for a watercraft and its crew, passengers and cargo. Engineering officers are usually ...
in the
Ottoman Navy
The Ottoman Navy () or the Imperial Navy (), also known as the Ottoman Fleet, was the naval warfare arm of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after the Ottomans first reached the sea in 1323 by capturing Praenetos (later called Karamürsel ...
.
She was educated in philosophy at
Istanbul University
Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...
. After graduation, she met intelligentsia gathered around the magazine '' Resimli Ay'' (literally "Illustrated Month") published by Sabiha and Zekeriya Sertel.
Writer and translator
In March 1932, she married journalist and writer Nizamettin Nazif (later Tepedelenlioğlu). From 1933 on, she wrote columns under the pen name "Nudiye Hüseyin" for the weekly ''Yedigün'' (literally "Seven Days"). Under the pen name "Nudiye Nizamettin," she published the drama ''Beyoğlu 1931'', which popularized her as the first Turkish woman playwright having authored a play included in the repertoire by theatre historians.
After she divorced from her husband, she took a job as Turkish interpreter at the consulate of the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
in
Beyoğlu
Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...
, Istanbul. Following the
Surname Law
The Surname Law () of the Republic of Turkey is a law adopted on 21 June 1934, requiring all citizens of Turkey to adopt the use of fixed, hereditary surnames. Prior to 1934, Turkish families in the major urban centres had names by which they were ...
in 1934, her family took the surname "Yalçı".
Sometime between late 1933 and 1935, she met Turkish communist leader Hikmet Kıvılcımlı. From then on, they became comrade and partner, a personal and ideological relationship that lasted until the end of their life. Together with Kıvılcımlı, she was engaged in publishing and translation in the "Bibliotheca Marxism", "Laborer's Library" and "Kıvılcımlı's Library". She translated the books ''Address of the
International Workingmen's Association
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA; 1864–1876), often called the First International, was a political international which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, social democratic, communist, and anarchist g ...
's Opening'' by
Karl Marx
Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...
, ''
Principles of Communism
''Principles of Communism'' (German: ''Grundsätze des Kommunismus'') is a brief 1847 work written by Friedrich Engels, the co-founder of Marxism. It is structured as a catechism, containing 25 questions about communism for which answers are pr ...
'' by
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels ( ;"Engels" ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''.
Politician
She was arrested following the 1938 Navy Trial ("Donanma Davası"), along with poet
Nazım Hikmet
A nazim is the coordinator of a city or town in Pakistan.
Nazim or variant spellings may also refer to:
* Nazim (given name), including a list of people with the given name
** Nirmala Devi, born Nazim, Indian actress and singer
* Nazim (surname), ...
, Hikmet Kıvılcımlı, novelist
Kemal Tahir
Kemal Tahir (March 13, 1910 – April 21, 1973) was a prominent Turkish novelist and intellectual. Tahir spent 13 years of his life imprisoned for political reasons and wrote some of his best known novels during this time.
His most important n ...
and Abdülkerim Korcan. After serving ten years in
Sinop Fortress Prison
Sinop Fortress Prison () was a state prison situated in the inside of the Sinop Fortress in Sinop, Turkey. As one of the oldest prisons of Turkey, it was established in 1887 within the inner fortress of the centuries-old fortification located on ...
, she was released in 1948. She was among the founders of the left-wing nationalist political party
Patriotic Party
The Patriotic Party (), also known as the Patriot Party or, in English, as the Reform Party, was a political movement in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the period of the Four-Year Sejm (Great Sejm) of 1788–1792, whose chief achieveme ...
(Vatan Partisi) in 1954, and chaired its Honor Board. In the Patriotic Party Trial, she was arrested on 30 December 1957, and was imprisoned until 7 October 1959.
Emigration and death
In 1965, she was diagnosed with goitrous problems. On 27 November 1967, she departed from
Sirkeci railway station
Sirkeci railway station (), listed on maps as Istanbul railway station (), is a railway terminal in Istanbul, Turkey. The terminal is located in Sirkeci, on the tip of Istanbul's historic peninsula, right next to the Golden Horn and just nor ...
to Bulgaria. She wanted to be treated in Romania, however, the journey went to
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
in
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
. She returned to
Sofia
Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
, Bulgaria. After she completed her retirement process, she moved to
Varna, Bulgaria
Varna (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, third-largest city in Bulgaria and the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and in the Northern Bulgaria region. Situated strategically in the Gulf of Varna, t ...
. By July 1969, she died in Varna. Her personal belongings were later sent to her nephew Beklan Algan.
Legacy
Bilgesu Erenus wrote Yalçı's life history in a book titled ''Yaftalı Tabut'' (literally "Labeled Coffin", where label indicates the document containing personal and criminal information which is attached to a person sentenced to death during the execution). In 2018, the book was adapted as a play to be staged for
International Women's Day
International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...
.
Bibliography
* ''Sosyete ve Teknik'' (1935) Marksizm Bibliyoteği
* ''Enternasyonal İşçiler Cemiyeti Açış Hitabesi'' by Karl Marx (1935) Marksizm Bibliyoteği (translation)
* ''Komünizmin Prensipleri'' by Friedrich Engels (1935) Marksizm Bibliyoteği (translation)
* ''Güneşin Çocuğu Gölgenin Çocuğu'' (1936) Emekçi Kütüphanesi