Necati Cumalı (13 January 1921 – 10 January 2001) was a Turkish writer of novels, short-stories, essays and poetry. He was born in Florina, Greece to a Turkish family who had settled in Urla near

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

in the framework of the 1923 agreement for the population exchange between Greece and Turkey.

Biography

He grew up in Urla and did his studied in İzmir. He started his law education at İstanbul University then completed it in the Law School of the University of Ankara. He started writing poetry while he was still a student and his poems were published as of early 1940s in such prominent Turkish literary periodicals as Varlık and Servet-i Fünun. Toward the end of that decade, while he was doing his military service, he also started writing short stories in which the profound influence of another important Turkish writer, Sabahattin Ali, could be felt. This, and the themes of social consciousness obvious in his works could be the reason for which he was sometimes cited in the same title as other "writers of the left", although he never actively engaged in political issues. His vivid portrayal of women in his works was particularly noted. Author of about 15 books of poetry, and that many books of short-stories and novels, as well as plays, Necati Cumalı died of liver cancer on 10 January 2001 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 ...

three days before his 80th birthday. His valuable collection of books was donated to Koç University after his death. In 2002 a

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

of Necati Cumali by the sculptor

Gürdal Duyar Gürdal Duyar (20 August 1935 – 18 April 2004) was a Turkish sculptor who is known for his monuments to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Atatürk and his Bust (sculpture), busts of famous people. His art is characterized as having a Modern sculpture, ...

was erected in the Şairler Sofası Park, a park in the Vişnezade neighborhood of Beşiktaş,

Works

One of his best known works is the short-novel, "Dry Summer" (''Susuz Yaz''), adapted by the film director Metin Erksan to cinema in 1964, starring Hülya Koçyiğit and Erol Taş, and which won the Golden Bear award in Berlin Film Festival that year. Another famous novel by Necati Cumalı is "Devastated Hills: Macedonia 1900" (''Viran Dağlar: Makedonya 1900''), where he relates the history of his own family which descended from a long line of Turkish Beys (''Cuma Beyleri'', "the Beys of Djuma"), with the turmoil in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

providing the background. This novel has been adapted (not very faithfully) for the television by Michel Favart in 2001 as a multinational ARTE production under the title "Le dernier Seigneur des Balkans". His poetry was translated into French by Tahsin Saraç. German Translations:Ö ''Der Mann aus Akhisar'', Kitab-Verlag Klagenfurt, 2007 ''Des Balkans letzter Bey'' (Viran Daglar), Kitab-Verlag Klagenfurt, 2009

Bibliography

* ''Sea rose: a play in three acts'', Ankara: Ministry of Culture, 1991. , *''Çalıkuşu; oyun 3 bölüm, Reşat Nuri Güntekin'in romanından oyunlaştıran Necati Cumali.'' İstanbul, İnkılâp ve Aka Kitabevleri, 1963. *''Yalnız kadın: hikâyeler'', İstanbul: Sander Yayınları, 1976. *''Aşk da gezer: roman'', İstanbul: Çağdaş Yayınları, 1998. , *''Ay büyürken uyuyamam'', İstanbul: Cumhuriyet, 2004. ,

Gallery

File:Necati Cumalı Anı ve Kültür Evi 20220325.jpg, Necati Cumalı Memorial House located in Urla /

File:Necati Cumalı Anı ve Kültür Evi 2 20220325.jpg, Front of the Necati Cumalı Memorial House

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cumali, Necati 1921 births 2001 deaths People from Florina Macedonian Turks Turkish novelists Turkish poets Ankara University Faculty of Law alumni Deaths from liver cancer in Turkey 20th-century Turkish poets 20th-century Turkish novelists Burials at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery Greek emigrants to Turkey