Yaşar Kemal
6 October 1923 – 28 February 2015
Yaşar Kemal (1923–2015) was a Turkish novelist of Kurdish origin, widely regarded as one of Turkey's leading twentieth-century writers. His novel İnce Memed (Memed, My Hawk), published in 1955, was translated into dozens of languages, and he was repeatedly prosecuted for his writing on Kurdish and political issues.
Lived at the same time
Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Yaşar Kemal.
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Life events
Born Kemal Sadık Gökçeli in the village of Hemite, now Gökçedam, in the Çukurova region of southern Turkey.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgEnded his formal education early and worked as a farm labourer, cotton picker, clerk and other jobs while collecting folk poetry.
Was detained on charges of communist propaganda and held for several months before being released.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSettled in Istanbul, where he worked as a reporter for Cumhuriyet and adopted the pen name Yaşar Kemal.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgMarried Thilda Serrero, who translated many of his works into English; she died in 2001.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHis first novel, about a bandit in the Taurus Mountains, won the Varlık Prize and brought him international recognition.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBecame a member of the socialist Workers Party of Turkey and served on its central committee.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgReceived the German book trade's peace prize at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgMarried for a second time, the year after the death of his first wife.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgDied in hospital in Istanbul at the age of 91 after suffering from respiratory failure.
Source: en.wikipedia.org