Hüsnü A. Göksel (1919–2002) was a Turkish physician and a leftist political figure. He is known for his newspaper articles, books and his contributions to the establishment of the Atatürkist Thought Association.

Early years and education

Göksel was born in

Bandırma Bandırma ()Greek: Panormos(Πανορμος)is a municipality and district of Balıkesir Province, northwestern Turkey. Its area is 755 km2, and its population is 167,363 (2024). Bandırma is located in the south of the Marmara Sea, in the ...

on 16 April 1919. His father, Aziz Ethem Göksel (1871–1946), was a military physician. He had a brother, Fuat Aziz, who was also a physician and a sister, Müzeyyen Berker, who was a jurist and sociologist. After graduating from a high school in Ankara in 1937 Hüsnü Göksel received a degree in medicine from

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 ...

in 1943. He obtained his surgical training at Gülhane Military Medical Academy and graduated from the program as a general surgeon in 1944. Between 1956 and 1960 he was trained in cancer surgery and surgery pathology at the

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Cancer Research Institute The Cancer Research Institute (CRI) is a US non-profit organization funding cancer research and based in New York City. They were founded in 1953 to develop immunologically-based treatments for cancer, and despite their name are a funding body fo ...

, USA.

Career

Following his graduation Göksel worked at the hospital of

Ankara University Ankara University () is a public university, public research university in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the History of the Republic of Turkey, formation of the Turkish republ ...

. He became an associate professor in 1956 and a full professor in 1965 at

Hacettepe University Hacettepe University () is a public research university in Ankara, Turkey. It was established on 8 July 1967. It is ranked first among the Turkish universities by University Ranking by Academic Performance in 2021. The university has two main c ...

. He was a breast cancer specialist. After his retirement in 1986 he joined

Başkent University Başkent University () is a private university in Ankara, Turkey. The university was founded on 13 January 1994 by Professor Dr. Mehmet Haberal. The university center is located in Ankara and also has medical and research centers and dialysis ...

as a faculty member. In addition to his medical career, Göksel was a writer and contributor to several publications from 1955. During his studies in the USA he worked as a correspondent of ''

Ulus Ulus may refer to: Places * Ulus, Bartın, a district in Bartin Province, Turkey * Ulus, Beşiktaş, neighborhood in Beşiktaş, Istanbul Province, Turkey *Ulus, Ankara, an important quarter in central Ankara, Turkey ** Ulus (Ankara Metro), an und ...

'' newspaper. He was a regular contributor of ''Ulus'' (1961–1963) and ''

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 Press ...

'' newspapers (1969–2002). He was among the founder of the Turkish Writers' Union. He also established the Atatürkist Thought Association along with Muammer Aksoy and Hıfzı Veldet Velidedeoğlu.

Books

Göksel published various books in different

genres Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other form ...

. His poetry books included ''Memnu Meyva'' (1955) and ''Bunca Yağmurların Söndüremediği'' (1992). The collection of his essays was published under the titles of ''Deneme: Barışa Özlem'' (1986) and ''Bu Dağların Arkasında Başka Dağlar Var'' (1993). His story books are as follows: ''Ben Bu Menekşeleri Senin İçin Topladım'' (1991) and ''Lacivert Mayolu Kız'' (1996). He also published a novel entitled ''Ayışığı Sonatı'' (''Moonlight Sonata''; 1994).

Trials

In the aftermath of the 1980 military coup led by

Kenan Evren Ahmet Kenan Evren (17 July 1917 – 9 May 2015) was a Turkish military officer and dictator who served as the seventh president of Turkey from 1980 to 1989. He assumed the post by leading the 1980 military coup. On 18 June 2014, a Turkish cou ...

, Turkish intelligentsia faced heavy oppression. They issued the ''Petition of Intellectuals'' (Turkish: Aydınlar Dilekçesi) which was submitted to the

Presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

and the

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. Göksel was among the signatories of this document, and he was arrested and tried due to his involvement in the incident with others. Göksel was also tried due to his article entitled Ölüm Cezası Üzerine (Turkish: On death penalty) published in ''Cumhuriyet'' in 1986.

Personal life and death

Göksel married Selma Ertegün (died 20 October 2020), daughter of

Münir Ertegün Munir Ertegun ( Turkish spelling: Münir Ertegün; 1883 – 11 November 1944) was a Turkish legal counsel in international law to the "Sublime Porte" (imperial government) of the late Ottoman Empire and a diplomat of the Republic of Turkey dur ...

and sister of

Ahmet Ahmad () is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other English language, English spellings of the name include Ahmed. It is also used as a surname. Etymology The word derives from the root (Ḥ-M-D, ḥ-m-d), f ...

and

Nesuhi Ertegün Nesuhi Ertegun ( Turkish spelling: Nesuhi Ertegün; November 26, 1917 – July 15, 1989) was a Turkish-American record producer and executive of Atlantic Records and WEA International. Early life Born in Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire, Nesuhi ...

. They had two children, a daughter, Aslı, and a son, Aziz (died April 2019). Göksel died of

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...

in Ankara on 30 August 2002. A funeral prayer for him was performed at Silivri Piri Paşa Mosque, Istanbul, and he was buried in the Silivri cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goksel, Husnu A. 20th-century Turkish journalists 20th-century Turkish male writers 20th-century Turkish non-fiction writers 20th-century Turkish physicians 1919 births 2002 deaths People from Bandırma Deaths from bone cancer in Turkey Deaths from multiple myeloma Academic staff of Hacettepe University Turkish medical researchers Turkish male non-fiction writers Ulus (newspaper) people Cumhuriyet people Istanbul University alumni Academic staff of Başkent University Academic staff of Ankara University