Oğuz Tansel
Encyclopedia
Oğuz Tansel was a Turkish poet and folklorist.
. He took up teaching as a profession as early as 1938 while studying at the Department of the Turkish Language and Literature of the Faculty of Literature at the University of İstanbul and gave it up in 1969 when he retired for health reasons. He taught and held administrative positions in the junior high schools and high schools in Mardin
, Akhisar
, Eskişehir
(Çifteler Village Institute), Amasya
and Konya
. He was a member of the Turkish Writers’ Union and honorary member of the Literary Society
.
and his first article appeared in Halk Bilgisi Haberleri (1937). After 1940 he was seen to turn to free verse
and was noted among Turkish poets of the 1940s generation. He gained recognition with the poems and articles published in numerous literary periodicals such as Varlık, Aydınlık, Yelken, Yeditepe, Kaynak, Dost, Güney, Türk Sanatı, Kıyı, Türk Dili. In his poems where he treated themes of humanism, love, struggle for peace and freedom, equality and socialism he arrived at a plain style of poetry.
Alongside poetry, Tansel was the scholar of Turkish folk tales which he had recorded during 1942-1948 in the province of Amasya
. He made the highest contribution of over forty types of Turkish folk tales, to the Typen Türkischer Volksmarchen catalog prepared by professors Pertev Naili Boratav and Wolfram Eberhard
. With the mastery and meticulousness derived from his poetic skill, he formed his own unique, fluent narrative style in writing down those tales for children. He was the first author to receive the Children’s Literature Award in 1977 given by the Turkish Linguistics Society for his two volume collection of folk tale books titled “Al’lı ile Fırfırı”.
His poems were composed to music by the American composer Prof. Bruce Reiprich. And recorded live on a CD titled Salkım Söğüt, or The Weeping Willow. On the first anniversary of his death in 1995, his friends had a book The Mythical Bird with Three Wings: Oğuz Tansel (Üç Kanatlı Masal Kuşu: Oğuz Tansel) published for him.
in Ankara to give rise to the Oğuz Tansel- Kalbiye Tansel Library.
His family together with Ankara Aydınlığı Girişimi instituted a poetry award to commemorate him. His family together with Ankara Aydınlığı Girişimi, Folklor/ Edebiyat Dergisi and Troya Folklor Dernegi also instituted a folkore award to commemorate his achievements in folklore. These awards are given one year to a work of poetry and the following year to a work of folklore.
Early life and career
Tansel graduated from Davutpaşa junior high school and Pertevniyal high school in İstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. He took up teaching as a profession as early as 1938 while studying at the Department of the Turkish Language and Literature of the Faculty of Literature at the University of İstanbul and gave it up in 1969 when he retired for health reasons. He taught and held administrative positions in the junior high schools and high schools in Mardin
Mardin
Mardin is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for its Arabic-like architecture, and for its strategic location on a rocky mountain overlooking the plains of northern Syria.-History:...
, Akhisar
Akhisar
Akhisar is a county district and its town center in Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Western Turkey...
, 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...
(Çifteler Village Institute), Amasya
Amasya
- History :Its location in this steep valley makes the city a mountain stronghold, easy to defend, and thus Amasya has had a long and prominent history.-Antiquity:...
and Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
. He was a member of the Turkish Writers’ Union and honorary member of the Literary Society
Literary society
A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of literature or a specific writer. Modern literary societies typically promote research about their chosen author or genre, publish newsletters, and hold...
.
Writing career
His early poems employing rhyme and rhythm were published in the periodicals Servetifünun and VarlıkVarlik
Varlık is a Turkish literature and art magazine. Established by Yaşar Nabi Nayır in 1933, it often publishes poetry and works of famous Turkish poets and writers....
and his first article appeared in Halk Bilgisi Haberleri (1937). After 1940 he was seen to turn to free verse
Free verse
Free verse is a form of poetry that refrains from consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.Poets have explained that free verse, despite its freedom, is not free. Free Verse displays some elements of form...
and was noted among Turkish poets of the 1940s generation. He gained recognition with the poems and articles published in numerous literary periodicals such as Varlık, Aydınlık, Yelken, Yeditepe, Kaynak, Dost, Güney, Türk Sanatı, Kıyı, Türk Dili. In his poems where he treated themes of humanism, love, struggle for peace and freedom, equality and socialism he arrived at a plain style of poetry.
Alongside poetry, Tansel was the scholar of Turkish folk tales which he had recorded during 1942-1948 in the province of Amasya
Amasya
- History :Its location in this steep valley makes the city a mountain stronghold, easy to defend, and thus Amasya has had a long and prominent history.-Antiquity:...
. He made the highest contribution of over forty types of Turkish folk tales, to the Typen Türkischer Volksmarchen catalog prepared by professors Pertev Naili Boratav and Wolfram Eberhard
Wolfram Eberhard
Wolfram Eberhard was a professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley focused on Western, Central and Eastern Asian societies.-Biography:...
. With the mastery and meticulousness derived from his poetic skill, he formed his own unique, fluent narrative style in writing down those tales for children. He was the first author to receive the Children’s Literature Award in 1977 given by the Turkish Linguistics Society for his two volume collection of folk tale books titled “Al’lı ile Fırfırı”.
His poems were composed to music by the American composer Prof. Bruce Reiprich. And recorded live on a CD titled Salkım Söğüt, or The Weeping Willow. On the first anniversary of his death in 1995, his friends had a book The Mythical Bird with Three Wings: Oğuz Tansel (Üç Kanatlı Masal Kuşu: Oğuz Tansel) published for him.
Death and after
Following his death, his family donated Tansel’s library to the Department of Turkish Language of the Middle East Technical UniversityMiddle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
in Ankara to give rise to the Oğuz Tansel- Kalbiye Tansel Library.
His family together with Ankara Aydınlığı Girişimi instituted a poetry award to commemorate him. His family together with Ankara Aydınlığı Girişimi, Folklor/ Edebiyat Dergisi and Troya Folklor Dernegi also instituted a folkore award to commemorate his achievements in folklore. These awards are given one year to a work of poetry and the following year to a work of folklore.
Poetry
- Savrulmayı Bekleyen Harman (1953)
- Gözünü Sevdiğim (1962, published by Dost Yayınları)
- Sarıkız Yolu (Complete Poems, 1986, published by Yaz Yayınları)
- Bektaşi Dedikleri (Bektashi Gems) (with Metin Eloğlu. Drawings by Abidin Dino. Published by: İş Bankası Kültür yayınları 1970; *Sander Yayınları 1977; Miyatro Yayınları 1983; Adam Yayınları 2004; Evrensel Basım Yayın 2007)
- Dağı Öpmeler (ed. Aysıt Tansel, published by Yapı Kredi Yayınları 1999 and 2006)
- Mutluluk Peşinde (In Pursuit of Happiness) (Selected poems published by Evrensel Basım Yayın, 2005)
Folk Tales
- Altı Kardeşler (Six Siblings) (published by Dost Yayınları in 1959; Ministry of Education in 2003)
- Yedi Devler (Seven Giants) (1962; Ministry of Education 2003)
- Üç Kızlar (Three Girls) (Dernek Yayınları, 1963; Ministry of Education 2003)
- Mavi Gelin (Blue Bride) (Yaz Yayınları 1966; Ministry of Education 2003)
- Al’lı ile Fırfırı (2 volumes; 1976; was given the Children’s Literature Award by the Turkish Linguistics Society in 1977; published again by Elips Kitap in 2009)
- Bir de Varmış İki de Varmış (A collection of Tales by Oğuz Tansel, A. Özyalçıner and others, published by Boyut Yayın in 1979 and 2006)
- Çobanla Bey Kızı (The Shepherd and the Chief’s Daughter) (1985)
- Konuşan Balıkla Yalnız Kız (Talking Fish and the Lonely Girl) (1985)