TEVFIK FIKRET (1867 - 1915)

We was born and died in Istanbul. He was educated in the famous Mekteb-i Sultani (Galatasaray High School). He took several governmental positions and taught Turkish in the Mekteb-i Sultani (1894-1895). In 1895, his son -the subject of many of his poems- was born. He became the editor-in-chief of the Servet-i Funun journal in 1896 and was later appointed to the faculty at Robert College. He was the most important poet of the Servet-i Funun literary movement (1896-1901) and his poetry marked a revolutionary beginning for modern Turkish literature. His efforts to "Westernize" Turkish poetry and make it a powerful vehicle for socio-historical and political commentary have influenced many later poets. His early works were centered around personal and thus more limited subjects and exhibit a heavily romantic sentiment but, after 1901, the direction of his poetry underwent a dramatic change, focusing particularly on the social and political problems of the country. These poems, with their didactic and patriotic tone, came to be the "battle cry" for the enlightenment and secularism movements in Turkey. This explains in part why Tevfik Fikret was one of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's favorite poets.

WORKS:
Rubab-i Sikeste (1900), Haluk'un Defteri (1911), Sermin (1914). There are a number of works published on Fikret's poetry and philosophy, including Mehmet Kaplan's Tevfik Fikret ve Siiri (1946), and Kenan Akyuz's Tevfik Fikret (1947).

Source:
An Anthology of Turkish Literature, edited by Kemal Silay. Indiana University Turkish Studies & Turkish Ministry of Culture Joint Series, XV. (1996)