Oktay Rıfat Horozcu facts for kids

Oktay Rifat (born June 10, 1914 – died April 18, 1988) was a famous Turkish writer and playwright. He was one of the most important poets in modern Turkish poetry starting from the late 1930s. He also helped start a new poetry style called the Garip movement, along with his friends Orhan Veli and Melih Cevdet.

Oktay Rifat greatly changed Turkish poetry. He didn't follow old rules for writing poems. Instead, he created new and exciting ways to write, which made a big impact.

Growing Up

Oktay Rifat was born on June 10, 1914, in the city of Trabzon. His father, Samih Rifat, was also a poet and linguist, and he was the governor of Trabzon.

Oktay Rifat grew up in a family full of artists and writers. His great-grandfather, Macar Hurşid Bey, was a composer who knew both Turkish and Western music. His grandfather, Colonel Hasan Rıfat Bey, loved poetry.

Education and Early Career

Oktay Rifat finished high school at Ankara Erkek Lisesi in 1932. While he was a student there, he wrote his first poems. One of his teachers was the famous writer Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar.

He later studied law at the University of Ankara. Even though he was studying law, he never stopped loving literature and writing. In 1937, the government sent him to Paris, France, to study for his PhD. However, he came back after three years without finishing his degree because World War II started.

He moved to Istanbul in 1955. In 1961, he started working as a legal adviser for the Turkish State Railways. He retired in 1973 and passed away in Istanbul on April 18, 1988. He was buried in Karacaahmet Cemetery in the Üsküdar area of Istanbul.

His Work

Oktay Rifat began writing poems when he was in high school. His first poems were published between 1936 and 1944 in a literature magazine called Varlık (which means "Existence").

The Garip Movement

In 1941, Oktay Rifat and his friends Orhan Veli Kanık and Melih Cevdet Anday published a famous book called Garip. This book was the first example of the Garip, or 'Strange' movement in poetry. This movement aimed to make poetry simpler and closer to everyday language.

Famous Poems and Books

Oktay Rifat used all the richness of the Turkish language in his poems. One of his well-known poems is Karga ile Tilki (The Crow and the Fox). He won the Yeditepe Poetry Prize for this poem in 1955. His work moved away from old, complicated poetry styles and focused on simplicity and new rhythms.

Besides poetry, Oktay Rifat also wrote novels. Some of his novels include Bir Kadının Penceresinden (Through a Woman’s Window) and Danaburnu (Calf Nose). He also wrote plays for the theater, like Kadınlar Arasında (Among Women), which was first performed in 1948. He even translated old works from Latin and Greek into Turkish.

Awards and Recognition

Oktay Rifat received many awards for his amazing work:

• 1954: Yeditepe Poetry Award for his poem Karga ile Tilki.
• 1970: Turkish Language Institute Poetry Award for his book Şiirler (Poems).
• 1970: Ankara ArtLovers Foundation Best Play of the Year and TRT Art Awards Competition Best Talent Award for his play Yağmur Sıkıntısı (Oppressive Air).
• 1980: Sedat Simavi Foundation Award for the poetry in his book Bir Cigara İçimi (Smoking a Cigarette).
• 1984: Necatigil Poetry Award for his book Dilsiz ve Çıplak (Mute and Naked).
• 1980: Madaralı Roman Award for his novel Danaburnu.

In 1998, monuments were built in Istanbul to honor him. These include a statue made by Namık Denizhan and a sculpture by Gürdal Duyar called Şairler Sofası (Poets' Sofa). Both artworks are in the Şairler Sofası Park in Istanbul and were opened in 1998 when the park first opened.