Bursa prison, mid-winter 1940. Two prisoners meet, both writers, both serving long sentences for allegedly inciting Turkish soldiers to mutiny. One is Turkey’s most famous poet and communist, Nazım Hikmet; the other a young, aspiring poet, Orhan Kemal, who now shares a cell with the man whose work he has long admired. In this prison memoir, Orhan Kemal reminisces on the time he shared with the remarkable poet and describes how Nazım inspired him to become one of Turkey’s most popular and successful novelists. A fascinating account of one of the most poignant friendships in Turkish letters, this volume includes Orhan Kemal’s diary entries and Nazım’s letters to him after Orhan’s release from prison in 1943. ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S) Orhan Kemal (1914–1970) was one of Turkey’s best-loved novelists. He served a prison sentence from 1938 to 1943. From 1951 he made his living entirely by writing novels – often with radical, anti-authoritarian content. His prison memoir, Nazım Hikmet’le Üç Buçuk Yıl (Three and a Half Years with Nazım Hikmet) was first published in Turkey in 1965. ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR Bengisu Rona is Reader in Turkish at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Author
Orhan Kemal, (Mehmet Raşit Öğütçü) writer of short stories and novels was born in Adana in 1914 and died in Sofia in 1970. His father, Abdülkadir Kemali, was an MP from Kastamonu during the first term parliament of the Turkish Republic. Abdülkadir Kemali, a lawyer by profession, established The Ahali Party which was dissolved causing its founder to have to flee to Syria. In order to accompany his father, Orhan Kemal had to miss his final year of secondary school. Orhan Kemal stayed in Syria for a year, returning to Adana in 1932. He worked as a laborer, weaver and clerk in cotton gin mills. During his military service he was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for his political opinions. Bursa prison became a turning point in his life and art work as he met Nazım Hikmet who greatly influenced him. On his release in 1943, Orhan Kemal, moved to Istanbul (1951), where he worked as a labourer, a vegetable transporter and then as a clerk for the Tuberculosis Foundation.From 1950 onwards he tried to live upon the income gained from writing. Orhan Kemal died in Bulgaria. His body was returned to Turkey and buried in Zincirlikuyu cemetery. Kemal’s first poem was published in Yedigün under the name of Raşit Kemal (Duvarlar 25.04.1939) Further poems written under the same pen name are Yedigün and Yeni Mecmua 1940. On meeting Nazım Hikmet, Kemal wrote under the name of “Orhan Raşit” (Yeni Edebiyat 1941) Impressed by Nazım Hikmet, Kemal concentrated on stories as opposed to poems. His first story, “Bir Yılbaşı Macerası”, being published in 1941. In 1942 he adopted the name Orhan Kemal when writing stories and poems in Yürüyüş. He found fame through stories in Varlık in 1944, his first collection of short stories “Ekmek Kavgası”, and first novel “Baba Evi”, was published in 1949. Early works depicted characters form the immigrant quarters of Adana Kemal described the social structure, worker employer relationships and the daily struggles of petty people from industrialised Turkey. He aimed to present an optimistic view through the heros of his stories. He never changed his simple exposition and thus became one of the most skilful names of Turkish stories and novels. He also wrote film scripts and a play called “İspinozlar”. Dramatisations have been made of “72.Koğuş”, “Murtaza”, “Eskici Dükkanı”, “Kardeş Payı”. After his death a novel award was arranged in his name (1971).
