We just learnt this morning the sad news that Turkish most famous writer, Yashar Kemal is hospitalized and in critical condition. Author of 2 of our translated books, Ince Memed(Anatolia Kahani) and Ortadirek (Boey Gul) is currently fighting for his life. TRT news reported today: Accomplished author of Turkish literature Yaşar Kemal was taken into intensive care unit after suffering from a cardiac arrhythmia and experiencing difficulty breathing. The first Turkish author who was named a candidate for Nobel prize for literature, Yaşar Kemal is 92 years old. Born Kemal Sadık Gökçeli, Yaşar Kemal won Varlık Prize for İnce Memed in 1956. His Iron Earth, Copper Sky was selected Best Novel of the Year by Union of French Literary Critics in 1977. He was also rewarded the Commander rank of Legion of Honour by the French government in 1984. The initial point of Yaşar Kemals works was Adana, where he was born and raised, Taurus Mountains, Çukurova Plain and the toil of the people in the area. Anadolu Agency reported: Yasar Kemal: Turkeys father of literature fights for life... ISTANBUL One of Turkey’s most famous living writers, the countrys first candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature and an outspoken intellectual, Yasar Kemal, is critically ill. The 92-year-old author, whose works have been published in dozens of languages, was hospitalized on Wednesday in Istanbul due to respiratory problems. Kemal, who wrote more than 20 novels and nearly 10 experimental works, besides short stories, is also famous for recreating Turkish as a literary language.... No matter what we say to describe Yasar Kemal, it will be not enough. He is the matchless writer of Turkish literature, said Semih Gumus, one prominent literary critic. Kemal first worked as letter-writer for illiterate citizens in small villages, then became a journalist and finally a novelist, always believing in human beings and nature, defining his art as being at the proletariats service. I am against those who oppress and exploit the people; it does not matter whether oppression comes from feudalism or the bourgeoisie. Whoever is preventing the happiness of the public, I am against it with my art and with my whole life, Kemal said in a 1971 newspaper interview. I do not want my art to diverge from the public like flesh and bone. I do not believe in an art which is separated from the public, he added. The theme of art for peoples sake dominated Kemals literary studies and he merged this theme with his political thought. Think about ‘Ince Memed’ [Memed My Hawk – Kemal’s most prominent work] which has already sold more than one million copies over 60 years and is still being sold today just like a brand new novel, Gumus says. Receiving international acclaim for Ince Memed (Memed My Hawk) which was firstly published in 1955, Kemal used a mythological hero – the eponymously named Ince Memed – to criticize society and its values. In the novel, Memed runs away to the mountains due to the oppression of the Agha (landowner). Published in 40 languages, Ince Memed was also based on the lives and sufferings of Anatolian people. According to Gumus, the main issue for Yasar Kemal in his works is the nature of human beings, the corruption created by social factors and the effects of this corruption on the inner world of people. Including the Cino del Duca World Prize in 1982 and the Legion dHonneur in 1984, Kemal was awarded with many international and domestic prizes. Kemal was not only a successful novelist but a sensitive citizen and activist. He always took a firm stand against fascism and reaction. To understand how Yasar Kemal is a kind and honest person, you need to know him closely, Gumus says. In 2013, Armenia’s Culture Ministry also awarded Kemal with the Grigor Narekatsi Medal. Hurriyet Daily News reported: ....Kemal was unconscious and his condition was still life-threatening. “Due to his advanced age and other chronic diseases, the treatment is linked to a series of other factors. This is why he needs very close monitoring...” Kemal, the first Turkish writer designated as a candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature, has written dozens of books over the course of decades, and his epic novel “Memed, My Hawk” is considered one of the cornerstones of modern Turkish literature. A monument to health and vigor, Yaşar Kemal has remained involved in a number of civic initiatives despite his advanced age. A journalist by profession, his collection of interviews with street children, “Children are Human,” is one of the most important social research pieces of Turkey’s recent history, with Kemal saying he “wouldn’t have loved it as much as I do even if I had written a great novel.” Born into a Kurdish family in the southern province of Osmaniye, Kemal has also endeavored to improve the rights of the Kurdish minority in Turkey. Cumhuriyet (jumhooriyet) newspaper published a picture which shows members of the Çapa Tıp Fakültesi (Chapa Medical Faculty) holding a banner which says : # Resist Ince Memed! We too, Jumhoori Publications family, we say : # RESIST Ince Memed! praying for your quick recovery.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 04:42:11 +0000
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