Nazım Hikmet

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Portrait of Nazim Hikmet
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Portrait of Nazim Hikmet

Nazım Hikmet Ran (November 20, 1901June 3, 1963) was a Turkish poet and dramatist, who is widely regarded as the best-known Turkish poet in the West and his works have been translated into several languages.

He was born in Salonica in the Ottoman Empire (now Thessaloniki, Greece). Although he was actually born two months earlier, his birth was registered on January 15, 1902, and this was recognized as his date of birth.

Despite writing his first poems in syllabic meter, Nazim Hikmet distantiated from the "syllabic poets" in concept. With the development of his poetic conception, the narrow forms of the syllabic meter began not to satisfy his needs and he set out to seek new forms for his poems. During the first years (1922-1925) of living in the Soviet Union, this search for form reached the peak.

Breaking the boundaries of the syllabic meter, he changed his form and preferred writing in free verse which harmonised with the rich vocal properties of the Turkish language. He was affected by Mayakovski and the young Soviet poets who advocated Futurism.

Some of his best known works are:

  • Seyh Bedrettin Destani
  • Memleketimden Insan Manzaralari
  • Kafatasi
  • Unutulan Adam
  • Taranta Babu'ya Mektuplar
  • Ferhad ile Sirin
  • Kurtulus Savasi Destani

He died of a heart attack in Moscow.

External links

  • Nâzım Hikmet; a fine collection of poems, reflections, photographs, etc. In Turkish and English.
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