Yahya Kemal Beyatlı
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Yahya Kemal Beyatlı (born Ahmet Âgâh; 2 December 1884 – 1 November 1958), known by the pen name ''Yahya Kemal'', was a Turkish poet, author, politician and diplomat.


Early life and education

Yahya Kemal was born Ahmet Âgâh on 2 December 1884, in
Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...
, then in the Kosovo Vilayet 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 ...
into an ethnic Turkish family originally from
Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
. He wrote under
pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
s such as Agâh Kemal, Esrar, Mehmet Agâh, and Süleyman Sadi. He came from a prominent family, whose roots could be traced back to the Ottoman court, and he was educated at various private schools. He was a graduate of Vefa High School, Istanbul. As he was about to start his higher education, severe disagreements between his parents kept him away from school for some time. When he tried to return to school, he was turned away because it was too late into the semester. His absence from school coincided with the oppressive regime of Abdülhamit II (reigned 1876–1909), and Yahya Kemal got involved in various anti-regime movements. To avoid getting arrested, he went to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in 1903. During his time abroad, he met other exiled Turkish intellectuals, politicians and writers. He traveled extensively in Europe, and was exposed to various cultures.


Literary career

While in Paris, Yahya Kemal developed a fondness for literature and was influenced by the French romantic movement. He eventually decided that he wanted to write poetry, and he first studied the historical works of the French Parnasse poets. Consequently, he sought out a way to revitalize Turkish Divan poetry in order to create smooth and pure poetic lines. Yahya Kemal's poetry is influenced by music, because he composed with concepts borrowed from Turkish music. While explaining the inner rhythm of the poetic language, he used musical terms such as Tınnet, which denoted the musical value of the sounds or words that pace a line of poetry. For Yahya Kemal this was the only method for creating internal harmony. He states, "Poetry is akin to music. Poetry is not made of couplets, but poetry is melody." For the most part, he was consistent and practiced what he preached; in his poetry, music and meaning go hand-in-hand. The central thought that runs through his poems and prose is that the Turkish nation is fashioned with the sweat and tears of the heartland. Even his love poems featured stylized historical and cultural values. Another peculiarity that can be perceived in Yahya Kemal's poetry is the almost feminine sensibility that he displayed towards
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
. His explanation for this is that his father spent very little time with him, and that his first lessons in religion came from long hours spent talking with his mother. Yahya Kemal grew up in a household where hymns and chants were sung, where values of the past were kept alive, hence in his poems he used religion and esthetics together. Writing about the loss of Ottoman lands like
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
,
Bitola Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...
,
Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...
and
Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...
he wrote:
When I pass my youth in Balkan towns I felt a yearning with every breath I took. Byron's sad melancholy rules my heart then. In youth's daydreams I roamed the mountains Breathed the free air of Rakofça's fields. I felt the passion of my raiding ancestors Every summer, for centuries, a run to the North That has left a thundering echo in my breast. While the army was in defeat, the whole country in mourning A conqueror's thought entered my dreams every night Feelings of melancholy, a sad remnant of the flight."
When he returned to Istanbul in 1912, Yahya Kemal was already known as a master poet, and the change of regime in the country provided him with opportunities in various high-level governmental positions. By 1915, he came to know
Halide Edib Adıvar Halide Edip Adıvar ( , sometimes spelled Halidé Edib in English; 11 June 1884 – 9 January 1964) was a Turkish people, Turkish novelist, teacher, and a nationalist and Feminism, feminist intellectual. She was best known for her novels criticiz ...
as well as Yusuf Akçura, both renowned Turkish authors. In the same year, he also worked closely together with Ziya Gökalp at the
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 ...
, where he was nominated a professor for the History of Western Literature upon the recommendation of Gökalp. Yahya Kemal founded a literary magazine, '' Dergâh'', in 1921 together with another significant figure Ahmet Haşim.


Political career

After the foundation of Turkey, Yahya Kemal became a member of parliament for the provinces of
Urfa Urfa, officially called Şanlıurfa (), is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. The city was known as Edessa from Hellenistic period, Hellenistic times and into Christian times. Urfa is situated on a plain abo ...
(1923–1926),
Yozgat Yozgat is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Yozgat Province and Yozgat District.Tekirdağ Tekirdağ () is a city in northwestern Turkey. It is located on the north coast of the Sea of Marmara, in the region of East Thrace. The city forms the urban part of the Süleymanpaşa district, with a population of 186,421 in 2022. Tekirdağ ...
and Istanbul (1943). After 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 ...
came into effect in 1934, he adopted the surname "Beyatlı". In 1926, he was appointed ambassador to
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, where he remained until 1929. He was ambassador to
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
between 1930 and 1932, also acting as
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...
in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
. In 1947, he was appointed as the first Turkish ambassador to
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
.


Illness and death

While in Pakistan, Yahya Kemal's health got progressively worse, and he returned to Turkey in 1949. His medical condition was never properly diagnosed and his health was never fully restored. He died on 1 November 1958, in Istanbul, and was buried in the Aşiyan Asri Cemetery.


Works

;Prose: * ''Aziz İstanbul'' (1964) * ''Eğil Dağlar'' (1966) * ''Siyasi Hikayeler'' (1968) * ''Siyasi ve Edebi Portreler'' (1968) * ''Edebiyata Dair'' (1971) * ''Tarih Müsahabeleri'' (1975) * ''Bitmemiş Şiirler'' (1976) ;Memoirs: * ''Çocukluğum, Gençliğim, Siyasi ve Edebi Hatıralarım'' (1973) ;Translations into English: * ''Selected Poems of Yahya Kemal.'' Trans. S. Behlül Toygar. Istanbul, 1962 (2nd ed., 1965).


See also

* List of contemporary Turkish poets * '' The Silent Ship''


References


External links


Yahya Kemal Beyatlı - ''On his life and poetry''
* Who is who database
''Biography of Yahya Kemal Beyatlı''
* Biyografi.net
''Biography of Yahya Kemal Beyatlı''
* Tanzimat’tan Bugüne Edebiyatçılar Ansiklopedisi {{DEFAULTSORT:Beyatli, Yahya Kemal 1884 births 1958 deaths Writers from Skopje People from Kosovo vilayet Macedonian Turks Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians Deputies of Şanlıurfa Deputies of Yozgat Deputies of Tekirdağ Deputies of Istanbul 20th-century poets from the Ottoman Empire 20th-century Turkish poets Ambassadors of Turkey to Spain Ambassadors of Turkey to Pakistan Vefa High School alumni Burials at Aşiyan Asri Cemetery Male poets from the Ottoman Empire Turkish male poets Turkish magazine founders Pan-Turkists