Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar
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| Born | 23 June 1901 Istanbul, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 24 January 1962 (aged 60) Istanbul, Turkey |
| Resting place | Aşiyan Asri Cemetery |
| Occupation | Writer, poet, scholar |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Alma mater | Istanbul University |
| Period | 1921–1961 |
| Literary movement | Modernism |
| Notable works | A Mind at Peace The Time Regulation Institute |
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar (born June 23, 1901 – died January 24, 1962) was a famous Turkish writer. He was a poet, wrote novels, and studied literature. Many people see him as a key figure in modern Turkish writing. Besides his writing and teaching, Tanpınar was also a member of the Turkish Parliament for a few years.
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Growing Up and School
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar was born in Istanbul on June 23, 1901. He was the youngest of three children. His father, Hüseyin Fikri Efendi, worked as a judge. His family came from Georgian roots.
Because his father moved often for his job, Tanpınar went to school in many different cities. These included Istanbul, Sinop, Siirt, Kirkuk, and Antalya. When he was thirteen, his mother, Nesime Bahriye Hanım, sadly passed away.
After trying veterinary college, he decided to study literature. He joined the Faculty of Literature at Istanbul University. He finished his studies there in 1923. During his time at the university, a famous writer named Yahya Kemal was his teacher. Yahya Kemal greatly influenced Tanpınar's ideas about art, literature, and Turkish history.
Between 1921 and 1923, Tanpınar published 11 poems. These poems appeared in a literary magazine called Dergâh. Yahya Kemal had started this magazine. Tanpınar graduated from Istanbul University in 1923. His final project was about a 15th-century poem called Hüsrev ü Şirin.
Life as a Writer and Teacher
After graduating, Tanpınar started teaching. He taught at high schools in different cities. These included Erzurum, Konya, Ankara, and Istanbul. He also taught at the Educational Institute of Gazi and the Fine Arts Academy. At the Fine Arts Academy, he taught literature, art history, and mythology.
In the 1930s, Tanpınar caused some discussion. He suggested that older Turkish literature, from before the Tanzimat period, should not be taught in schools.
In 1939, he became a professor at Istanbul University. He taught about 19th-Century Turkish Literature. He was asked to write a history of Turkish literature after the Tanzimat period. He published this important study in 1949. It was called XIX. Asır Türk Edebiyatı Tarihi. He also wrote for several publications, like Yedigün.
The 1940s were a very busy time for Tanpınar. He published his first novel, Mahur Beste, in 1944. Then came Beş Şehir (Five Cities) in 1946. This book was a collection of essays about five important Turkish cities: Erzurum, Konya, Istanbul, Bursa, and Ankara.
His novel Huzur (which means A Mind at Peace in English) came out in 1949. In 1950, he published Sahnenin Dışındakiler (Those Who Stand Outside the Stage). These three novels are often seen as a set, or a trilogy. In 1953, he traveled for six months across Europe. He visited countries like France, England, Spain, and Italy.
In 1954, Tanpınar published Saatleri Ayarlama Enstitüsü. This book is known as The Time Regulation Institute in English. It uses humor and symbols to explore Turkey's journey to become a modern country. It also looks at how old values sometimes get lost along the way. In 1961, a year before he passed away, he published Şiirler (Poems). This book had 37 of his poems.
Political Life
From 1944 to 1946, Tanpınar was a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. This is like the Turkish Parliament. He represented the city of Kahramanmaraş. At that time, his party, the Republican People's Party, was the only one with seats in parliament.
Death and What He Left Behind
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar died on January 24, 1962, in Istanbul. He was 60 years old and passed away from a heart attack. He is buried in the Aşiyan Cemetery in Istanbul. His grave is near his old teacher, Yahya Kemal.
On his tombstone, you can read the first two lines from his poem Ne İçindeyim Zamanın:
Ne içindeyim zamanın
Ne de büsbütün dışında
This means: ('Neither am I within time
Nor completely out of it')
Many of Tanpınar's writings were published after he died. Even though he didn't write many novels, his stories and essays have been studied a lot by Turkish literary experts.
Today, there is an event called the Istanbul Tanpınar Literature Festival (ITEF). It is named after him and happens every year since 2009. Also, the Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar Literature Museum Library opened in 2011. This museum in Istanbul is dedicated to Turkish literature.
