Orhan Kemal facts for kids

Orhan Kemal (born Mehmet Reşit Öğütçü, September 15, 1914 – June 2, 1970) was a famous Turkish writer. He used the pen name Orhan Kemal. He is well-known for his realistic novels. These books showed the lives of poor people in Turkey. He wrote about their daily struggles and how they tried to keep their dignity.

Orhan Kemal's Early Life

Orhan Kemal was born in Ceyhan, Adana, on September 15, 1914. His father, Abdülkadir Kemali Bey, was a Member of Parliament and a government Minister. His mother, Azime Hanım, was an educated woman.

In 1930, Kemal's father had to leave Turkey for Syria. This was because his political party was suspected of being involved in a revolt. Orhan Kemal stayed with his father for a year. He then returned to Adana in 1932.

Working and Writing

After returning to Adana, Kemal worked many different jobs. He was a laborer, a weaver, and a clerk in a cotton factory. These experiences helped him understand the lives of working people. This understanding later became a big part of his stories.

Time in Prison and Literary Growth

In 1938, while doing his military service, Orhan Kemal faced problems because of his political views. He was sentenced to five years in prison. The reasons included reading books by famous writers like Maxim Gorky and Nazim Hikmet. He was also accused of supporting other countries' ideas.

Meeting Nazim Hikmet

While in prison in Bursa, Orhan Kemal shared a cell with Nazim Hikmet. Hikmet was a very important Turkish poet. Before meeting Hikmet, Kemal mostly wrote poems. But Hikmet encouraged him to try writing stories instead. This meeting changed Orhan Kemal's writing path. He started to focus on short stories and novels.

After Prison

Orhan Kemal was released from prison in 1943. He went back to Adana and continued working as a laborer. He also began to publish his writings. From 1943, he started using the name Orhan Kemal for his stories. He also wrote for a literary magazine called Adımlar between 1943 and 1944.

Moving to Istanbul and Later Life

In 1951, after his third child was born, Orhan Kemal moved his family to Istanbul. He worked as a laborer again. Later, from 1951, he became a clerk at the Tuberculosis Foundation. Even though he had little money, he kept writing all the time.

In 1966, he was briefly arrested again. He was accused of forming a group to spread communist ideas. However, he was released two months later. The police could not find enough proof against him.

Orhan Kemal passed away on June 2, 1970. He was in a hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria, due to a brain bleed. He was visiting Bulgaria at the invitation of their writers' union. He is buried in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery in Istanbul.

Orhan Kemal's Works and Themes

Orhan Kemal's stories and novels often show the lives of ordinary working people. He wrote about how they tried to keep their self-respect even when they were poor. His first poem was published in 1939. His first story, Bir Yılbaşı Macerası, came out in 1941.

Developing His Style

In 1942, he officially started using the name Orhan Kemal for his stories and poems. He became well-known after his stories appeared in the magazine Varlık in 1944. His first collection of short stories, Ekmek Kavgası, and his first novel, Baba Evi, were published in 1949.

His early books described people from the immigrant areas of Adana. He wrote about how society was structured. He also showed the relationships between workers and their bosses. He focused on the daily struggles of regular people in Turkey's industrial cities. Orhan Kemal always tried to present a hopeful view through the heroes in his stories.

Simple and Skillful Writing

Orhan Kemal never changed his simple and clear writing style. This made him one of the most skilled Turkish storytellers and novelists. He also wrote scripts for movies and plays. Some of his plays include İspinozlar and Kardeş Payı.

Many of his novels and stories have been turned into plays or movies. For example, Murtaza and Eskici Dükkanı were adapted. His play 72.Koğuş (Cell 72), which is about prison life in the 1940s, was made into a movie twice. The most recent film was in 2011. He also wrote a story called Hanimin Ciftligi (Lady's Farm). This story became a very successful TV show in Turkey.

Honoring Orhan Kemal

There is a special place called the Orhan Kemal Literature Museum and library. It is dedicated to Kemal and his writings. You can find it in the small apartment where he used to live in Istanbul.

After he passed away, a literary award was created in his name. It is called the Orhan Kemal Novel Prize. This award has been given to writers every year since 1972.

In 2014, people celebrated the 100th anniversary of his birth. On January 7, 2015, a cultural center in his hometown of Adana was renamed the Orhan Kemal Cultural Centre to honor him.