Irfan Orga
Encyclopedia
İrfan Orga was a Turkish
fighter pilot, staff officer, and author
, writing in English. He published books on many areas of Turkish life, cookery, and history
, as well as a life of Atatürk, and a universally admired autobiography
(Portrait of a Turkish Family, 1950). He also wrote two educational books for children.
Educated at Kuleli Military High School
, Harbiye Staff College, and Eskişehir
Air College (1919-1933), Orga was born into a wealthy Ottoman Turkish family in Istanbul. Soon, with the outbreak of World War I
, his life was changed forever. His father Hüsnü died on the way to the Dardanelles
, his uncle Ahmet in Syria
. Orga witnessed at first hand not only the hardships of war, but also the Allied Occupation of Constantinople, the end of Ottoman Empire
, and the birth of the modern Turkish republic.
Orga opens his iconic memoirs with images of his childhood. He tells of his wealthy bourgeois family in Istanbul, Turkey, in the early 1900s. His mother, Şevkiye (1895-1940), is a young Balkan/Turkish beauty (aged fifteen at his birth). His father runs his own business. He describes his autocratic grandmother as an eccentric socialite
.
Orga tells his stories with multiple layers of complexity. He quickly makes clear his changing environment, with the death of his grandfather, the main provider of two generations of his family and their servants. His father, being a worldly man, understands that war is imminent. He proposes that his family sell their hereditary home in Istanbul, and move to another less expensive place, outside the city. However, reluctance is voiced. Orga captures the fear that a man can be suddenly in charge of a large group of people who depend on him for their survival.
Orga was well-travelled, and wrote about his experiences. The Caravan Moves On (1958, Book Society Recommendation) is a story about the Yoruk
nomad
s of the Taurus mountains
in southeastern Turkey. An earlier title, Cooking with Yogurt. was the first book in post-war Britain to specifically promote yogurt and its properties.
In 1942/43, while he was in the UK on a three-year diplomatic posting from the Turkish Air Force, he met a young married Norman
-Irish
woman, Margaret Veronica Gainsboro née D'Arcy-Wright (?1918-1974).
Since living with a foreigner was then a military offence in Turkey, Orga, having resigned his commission in early 1947, eventually fled the country for the UK, arriving in London just before the Christmas of that year (in absentia, he was convicted and fined in an Ankara court in September 1949). He never returned.
After Margaret’s divorce had been finalised in January 1948, they married. Orga sought various menial jobs, unsuccessfully, turning eventually to writing in 1949. Portrait of a Turkish Family received exceptional reviews from critics including John Betjeman
, Harold Nicolson
, Arthur Anderson
, Barbara Worsley-Gough and Peter Quennell
. His wife joined the publishers Secker & Warburg in 1957.
Ateş Orga, the writer and record producer, sums up his father as "a gentle and kind person, a man of wisdom and sensitivity, of psychology and perception, a man of honour [...] a dreamer, a questioner, a lover of life's spirit [...] the fortress of our existence [...] a good human being".
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
fighter pilot, staff officer, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, writing in English. He published books on many areas of Turkish life, cookery, and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, as well as a life of Atatürk, and a universally admired autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
(Portrait of a Turkish Family, 1950). He also wrote two educational books for children.
Educated at Kuleli Military High School
Kuleli Military High School
Kuleli Military High School is the first military high school in Turkey, located in Çengelköy, Istanbul. It was founded on September 21, 1845 by Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I.-History:...
, Harbiye Staff College, and Eskişehir
Eskisehir
Eskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby...
Air College (1919-1933), Orga was born into a wealthy Ottoman Turkish family in Istanbul. Soon, with the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, his life was changed forever. His father Hüsnü died on the way to the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
, his uncle Ahmet in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. Orga witnessed at first hand not only the hardships of war, but also the Allied Occupation of Constantinople, the end of Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, and the birth of the modern Turkish republic.
Orga opens his iconic memoirs with images of his childhood. He tells of his wealthy bourgeois family in Istanbul, Turkey, in the early 1900s. His mother, Şevkiye (1895-1940), is a young Balkan/Turkish beauty (aged fifteen at his birth). His father runs his own business. He describes his autocratic grandmother as an eccentric socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
.
Orga tells his stories with multiple layers of complexity. He quickly makes clear his changing environment, with the death of his grandfather, the main provider of two generations of his family and their servants. His father, being a worldly man, understands that war is imminent. He proposes that his family sell their hereditary home in Istanbul, and move to another less expensive place, outside the city. However, reluctance is voiced. Orga captures the fear that a man can be suddenly in charge of a large group of people who depend on him for their survival.
Orga was well-travelled, and wrote about his experiences. The Caravan Moves On (1958, Book Society Recommendation) is a story about the Yoruk
Yörük
The Yorouks, also Yuruks or Yörüks are immigrants, ultimately of Thracian descent,some of whom are still nomadic, primarily inhabiting the mountains of Anatolia and partly Balkan peninsula...
nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
s of the Taurus mountains
Taurus Mountains
Taurus Mountains are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, dividing the Mediterranean coastal region of southern Turkey from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the east...
in southeastern Turkey. An earlier title, Cooking with Yogurt. was the first book in post-war Britain to specifically promote yogurt and its properties.
In 1942/43, while he was in the UK on a three-year diplomatic posting from the Turkish Air Force, he met a young married Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
-Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
woman, Margaret Veronica Gainsboro née D'Arcy-Wright (?1918-1974).
Since living with a foreigner was then a military offence in Turkey, Orga, having resigned his commission in early 1947, eventually fled the country for the UK, arriving in London just before the Christmas of that year (in absentia, he was convicted and fined in an Ankara court in September 1949). He never returned.
After Margaret’s divorce had been finalised in January 1948, they married. Orga sought various menial jobs, unsuccessfully, turning eventually to writing in 1949. Portrait of a Turkish Family received exceptional reviews from critics including John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
, Harold Nicolson
Harold Nicolson
Sir Harold George Nicolson KCVO CMG was an English diplomat, author, diarist and politician. He was the husband of writer Vita Sackville-West, their unusual relationship being described in their son's book, Portrait of a Marriage.-Early life:Nicolson was born in Tehran, Persia, the younger son of...
, Arthur Anderson
Arthur Anderson
Arthur Anderson may refer to:*Arthur Anderson , Scottish businessman and co-founder of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company *Arthur E. Andersen , founder of Chicago-based accounting firm...
, Barbara Worsley-Gough and Peter Quennell
Peter Quennell
Sir Peter Courtney Quennell CBE was an English biographer, literary historian, editor, essayist, poet, and critic....
. His wife joined the publishers Secker & Warburg in 1957.
Ateş Orga, the writer and record producer, sums up his father as "a gentle and kind person, a man of wisdom and sensitivity, of psychology and perception, a man of honour [...] a dreamer, a questioner, a lover of life's spirit [...] the fortress of our existence [...] a good human being".
Books by Irfan Orga
- Portrait of a Turkish Family London 1950; New York 1950, 1957; London 1988, 1993, 2006, afterword Ateş Orga; Istanbul 1994, 2009, prefaces Talât Sait Halman, Ayşe KulinAyse KulinAyşe Kulin is a Turkish contemporary novelist and columnist.- Biography :Kulin graduated in literature from the American College for Girls in Arnavutköy. She released a collection of short stories titled Güneşe Dön Yüzünü in 1984...
, rev afterword Ateş Orga; Athens 2000; Barcelona 2001; Amsterdam/Antwerp 2002, 2005; Florence 2007; Zürich/Hamburg 2009, rev afterword; Paris 2010, rev afterword - Cooking With Yogurt London 1956, 1975, 1981
- The Young Traveller in Turkey London 1957; Amsterdam nd
- The Caravan Moves On London 1958, Book Society Recommendation; Munich 1960; London 2002 abridged, afterword Ateş Orga; Florence 2008
- The Land and People of Turkey London 1958 [under the pseudonym Ali Riza]
- Phoenix Ascendant London 1958
- Turkish Cooking London 1958, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1975; London 1999, foreword Jennifer PatersonJennifer PatersonJennifer Mary Paterson was a British celebrity chef, actress and television personality who appeared on the television programme Two Fat Ladies with Clarissa Dickson Wright....
, introduction Ateş Orga - Atatürk London 1962 [jointly with Margarete Orga]
- Cooking the Middle East Way London 1962
Further Reading
- Ateş Orga (2000/01) ‘Return of the Native’, Cornucopia 22 http://www.cornucopia.net/atesorga.html
- Ateş Orga (2005) 'Irfan Orga: Flight, Flame, Farewell', Meetings with Remarkable Muslims ed Barnaby Rogerson & Rose Baring. Eland BooksEland BooksEland Books is a publishing house, established in 1982, by John Hatt, a former travel editor at Harpers & Queen, that aims to revive the great travel books that have fallen out of print over time. Although the list has diversified out into biography and fiction, the overwhelming majority of the...
. London. ISBN 0-907871-64-X - Ateş Orga (2008) ‘Irfan Orga’s Portrait of a Turkish Family: Genesis of a Literary Masterpiece’, Turkish Area Studies Review No 12
External links
- http://www.travelbooks.co.uk/book_detail.asp?id=26Biography of Irfan Orga (Eland BooksEland BooksEland Books is a publishing house, established in 1982, by John Hatt, a former travel editor at Harpers & Queen, that aims to revive the great travel books that have fallen out of print over time. Although the list has diversified out into biography and fiction, the overwhelming majority of the...
)] - A review of Portrait of a Turkish Family
- Portrait of a Turkish Family Afterword (1993 version, unauthorised format)