In Memoriam | Gülten Akın (1933-2015)

Turkey’s ‘greatest living poet’ Gulten Akin dies at 82 on November 4, 2015No Comment - Gulten Akin was one of the most influential poets in Turkey, with many of her poems translated into other languages, and over 40 made into songs

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Mavi Boncuk | 

Gülten Akın (23 January 1933 – 4 November 2015) was a Turkish poet. Her poetry is considered culturally significant to Turkey.

She was born in 1933 in Yozgat, Turkey. She attended Beşiktaş Atatürk Anatolian High School and graduated from Ankara University Law School in 1955. She married her husband Yaşar Cankoçak in 1956, with whom she had five children. Because of her husband's position as the governor of various provincial districts in Turkey, she moved around several provinces of Turkey, working as a lawyer, assistant lawyer, and teacher in many of them. In 1972, Akın and her family settled in Ankara, where she worked at the Turkish Language Association, the regulatory body of the Turkish language, and became a member of the Editorial Team at the Ministry of Culture. She worked for the reestablishment of free and democratic non-governmental organizations. She served as a founder and/or manager at several such Turkish organizations, such as the Human Rights Association, Halkevleri (community centers), and the Language Association (Dil Derneği).

Akın's first published poem appeared in the newspaper Son Haber in 1951. She subsequently appeared in several magazines, such as Hisar (magazine) (tr), Varlık, Yeditepe (magazine) (tr), Turk Dili, and Mülkiye. While her early poems were about nature, love, separation, and yearning, her later poems were dominated by social issues.

Her poems are inspired by a great deal by folklore. In the compilation book of her analytical writings on poetry, "Şiiri Düzde Kuşatmak", Akın expressed her desire to get down to the level of the general populace in her poems, saying that she wanted to "put into words and writing the already-existing essence and form that exists among the people, and while promoting the poem, promoting the improvement of the lives and lifestyles of the people." Her poems have been translated into many languages, and more than 40 of her poems have been composed into songs. One of these songs is the 1993 "Deli Kızın Türküsü" (English: Crazy Girl's Ballad)[1] by Sezen Aksu, which was also the title of the album it appeared on.

1955 Varlık Poetry Award
1965 Türk Dil Kurumu Poetry Award
1970 TRT Sanat Ödülleri Yarışması Award
1977 Yeditepe Poetry Award
1991 Halil Kocagöz Award
1992 Sedat Simavi Literary Award
1998 6.Truva Folklor Araştırmaları Derneği Poetry Award
1999 Akdeniz Altın Portakal Poetry Award


Akın Poetry Books: Rüzgâr Saati (1956), Kestim Kara Saçlarımı (1960), Sığda (1964), Kırmızı Karanfil (1971), Maraş'ın ve Ökkeş'in Destanı (1972), Ağıtlar ve Türküler (1976), Seyran Destanı (1979), İlahiler (1983), Sevda Kalıcıdır (1991), Sonra İşte Yaşlandım (1995), Sessiz Arka Bahçeler (1998), Uzak Bir Kıyıda (2003), Beni Sorarsan (2013).

[1] DELİ KIZIN TÜRKÜSÜ

III

Sana büyük caddelerin birinde rastlasam 
Elimi uzatsam tutsam götürsem 
Gözlerine baksam gözlerine konuşmasak 
Anlasan 

Elimi uzatsam tutamasam 
Olanca sevgimi yalnızlığımı 
Düşünsem hayır düşünmesem 
Senin hiç haberin olmasa 
Senin hiç haberin olmaz ki 
Başlar biter kendi kendine o türkü 

Yağmur yağar akasyalar ıslanır 
Bulutlar uçuşur geceleyin 
Ben yağmura deli buluta deli 
Bir büyük oyun yaşamak dediğin 
Beni ya sevmeli ya öldürmeli 

Yitirmeli büyük yolların birinde ne varsa 
Böcekler gibi başlamalı yeniden 
Bu Allahsız bu yağmur işlemez karanlıkta 
Yan garipliğine yürek yan 
Gitti giden


Gülten  AKIN