Murat Belge
Encyclopedia
Murat Belge is an outspoken left-liberal Turkish intellectual, academic, translator, literary critic, columnist, civil rights activist, and occasional bull fighter.
, and was denounced by nationalists
as treacherous.
Belge's remarks led to his facing a ten-year jail sentence for criticizing the judicial ban; he was acquitted.
A leaked Turkish military memo, dated November 2006 (reported by Nokta
in March 2007, prior to being shut down), lists journalist deemed "trustworthy" and "untrustworthy" by the Turkish Armed Forces
. Murat Belge was listed as "untrustworthy."
Since 1996 he has been a professor of comparative literature
at Istanbul Bilgi University
.
Burhan Asaf Belge
, nephew of Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu
, and the grandson of a former governor of Bursa
. He received his PhD
from Istanbul University
in 1969 on leftist criticism in English literature
. From his student years in the 1960s, until the early 1980s, he had been an active participant of a close-knit left-wing group of scholars at Istanbul University's Department of English Language and Literature; he used to be a Marxist himself. His fellow scholars of those years included Berna Moran, Mina Urgan, Cevat Capan, Aksit Gokturk and Vahit Turhan. After the military coups of 1971 and 1980
, he was compelled to leave academic life and began publishing left-wing classics with Iletisim Press in Istanbul.
Since the early 80s, he has been guiding tours of Istanbul's yalı
s (waterfront mansions).
He is married to actress Hale Soygazi
.
, before shifting to Taraf
in June 2008.
Belge has translated works of James Joyce
, Charles Dickens
, D. H. Lawrence
, William Faulkner
and John Berger
into Turkish
. He is an active member of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly
.
Career
Belge was a member of the organizing committee for a two-day academic conference that started on September 24, 2005, held at Bilgi University in Istanbul, titled "Ottoman Armenians During the Decline of the Empire: Issues of Scientific Responsibility and Democracy". The conference offered an open dispute of the official Turkish account of the Armenian GenocideArmenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
, and was denounced by nationalists
Turkish nationalism
Turkish nationalism is a political ideology that promotes and glorifies the Turkish people, as either a national, ethnic or linguistic group and puts the interests of the state over other influences, including religious ones.-Pan-Turkism:...
as treacherous.
Belge's remarks led to his facing a ten-year jail sentence for criticizing the judicial ban; he was acquitted.
A leaked Turkish military memo, dated November 2006 (reported by Nokta
Nokta
Nokta was a Turkish weekly political news magazine launched by Ercan Arıklı on 1 March 1982 as Nokta ve İnsanlar. A year later it became Nokta, and continued thus until 2007 when it was closed under military pressure....
in March 2007, prior to being shut down), lists journalist deemed "trustworthy" and "untrustworthy" by the Turkish Armed Forces
Turkish Armed Forces
The Turkish Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. They consist of the Army, the Navy , and the Air Force...
. Murat Belge was listed as "untrustworthy."
Since 1996 he has been a professor of comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
at Istanbul Bilgi University
Istanbul Bilgi University
Istanbul Bilgi University is a private, non-profit university in Istanbul, Turkey. It was actually established in 1994 under the name ISIS , but its name was changed to Istanbul Bilgi University with the foundation of the school on June 7, 1996...
.
Personal life and education
He is the son of political journalistPolitical journalism
Political journalism is a broad branch of journalism that includes coverage of all aspects of politics and political science, although the term usually refers specifically to coverage of civil governments and political power....
Burhan Asaf Belge
Burhan Asaf Belge
Burhan Asaf Belge was a figure among the young intellectuals during the early periods of Republic of Turkey and served as the representative of Muğla province during the 11th term of Turkish National Assembly...
, nephew of Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu
Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoglu
Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu was a Turkish novelist, journalist, diplomat, and senator.-Early life:...
, and the grandson of a former governor of Bursa
Bursa, Turkey
Bursa is a city in northwestern Turkey and the seat of Bursa Province. The metropolitan area in the entire Bursa province had a population of 2.6 million as of 2010, making the city fourth most populous in Turkey. The city is equally one of the most industrialized metropolitan centers in the...
. He received his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Istanbul University
Istanbul University
Istanbul University is a Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.- Synopsis :A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. An institution of higher education named the...
in 1969 on leftist criticism in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
. From his student years in the 1960s, until the early 1980s, he had been an active participant of a close-knit left-wing group of scholars at Istanbul University's Department of English Language and Literature; he used to be a Marxist himself. His fellow scholars of those years included Berna Moran, Mina Urgan, Cevat Capan, Aksit Gokturk and Vahit Turhan. After the military coups of 1971 and 1980
Military coup in Turkey, 1980
The 12 September 1980 Turkish coup d'état, headed by Chief of the General Staff General Kenan Evren, was the third coup d'état in the history of the Republic after the 1960 coup and the 1971 "Coup by Memorandum"....
, he was compelled to leave academic life and began publishing left-wing classics with Iletisim Press in Istanbul.
Since the early 80s, he has been guiding tours of Istanbul's yalı
Yali (residence)
A yalı , literally "seashore, beach") is a house or mansion constructed at immediate waterside in Istanbul and usually built with an architectural concept that takes into account the characteristics of the coastal location...
s (waterfront mansions).
He is married to actress Hale Soygazi
Hale Soygazi
Hale Soygazi is a famous Turkish film actress of the 1970s and 1980s.- Biography :She was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1950. She studied French philology at the university. She was chosen as 'Miss Turkey' in 1973 and also did modeling for magazines. She made her film debut in a leading role in Kara...
.
Writing
For several years he wrote columns for the daily RadikalRadikal
Radikal is a daily Turkish language newspaper, published in Istanbul. It has been published since 1997 by Aydın Doğan's Doğan Media Group ....
, before shifting to Taraf
Taraf
- External links :*. Website of Taraf ....
in June 2008.
Belge has translated works of James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
, D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
, William Faulkner
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
and John Berger
John Berger
John Peter Berger is an English art critic, novelist, painter and author. His novel G. won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism Ways of Seeing, written as an accompaniment to a BBC series, is often used as a university text.-Education:Born in Hackney, London, England, Berger was...
into Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
. He is an active member of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly
Helsinki Citizens Assembly
The Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly is an organization of citizens dedicated to peace, democracy and human rights in Europe. It is a non-governmental organization, working on the notions of fundamental rights and freedoms, peace, democracy and pluralism....
.