Çetin Altan
| Çetin Altan | |
|---|---|
| Born |
22 June 1927 Istanbul, Turkey |
| Died | 22 October 2015 (aged 88) Istanbul, Turkey |
| Resting place | Zincirlikuyu Cemetery |
| Education |
Galatasaray High School Ankara University (Law) |
| Occupation | Writer, lead columnist |
| Political party | Workers Party of Turkey (1965–1969) |
| Spouse(s) | Kerime Altan (died 1991), Solmaz Kamuran |
| Children | Ahmet Altan, Mehmet Altan (sons), Zeynep Bakan (daughter) |
Çetin Altan (22 June 1927 – 22 October 2015) was a Turkish writer, journalist, and a member of parliament. He was considered one of the finest writers in the modern Turkish language of the late 20th century.
Çetin Altan was born on 22 June 1927 to lawyer Halit Bey of Crimean Tatar descent and his wife Nurhayat. Until age seven, he was called Altan. With the adoption of the Surname Law in Turkey in 1934, the family chose the name Altan as their surname, and the son was renamed Çetin.
At age eight, he was schooled in the elite Galatasaray High School as a boarding pupil, where he suffered from loneliness. After graduating from the high school, he received a degree from the Ankara University, Law School.
He chose a writing career instead of pursuing a diplomatic career contrary to his father's will as he related once in an interview "to escape the loneliness".
Çetin Altan grew up in the family mansion at Göztepe, Istanbul. He married Kerime, whom he met at Radio Ankara, where she worked as the director secretary of his father. She was brought to Ankara from Iraq by her sister's husband, an Ottoman officer, along with her mother and sister when she was only forty days old.
Kerime Altan gave birth to two sons, Ahmet in 1950, Mehmet in 1953 and a daughter, Zeynep. She died in 1991. The Altan family believed that Kerime was of Arab descent. Following her death, they learnt that she was a relative of Iraqi Kurdish politician Fuad Masum.
In 1996 at age 69, Çetin Altan made his second marriage with 41-year old Solmaz Kamuran, who also had a marriage before. They had known each other for a long time. Solmaz Kamuran was a dentist before she began editing Çetin's writings. In the final months of Altan's life, the couple separated.
He published his poems and stories in such magazines as Çınaraltı, Varlık, İstanbul and Kaynak. His first book Üçüncü Mevki was published in 1946. He entered journalism as a reporter in the newspaper Ulus. After writing columns in Hürses, Altan continued as a columnist in various newspapers including Halkçı, Tan, Akşam, Milliyet, Yeni Ortam, Hürriyet, Güneş and the magazine Çarşaf.
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Wikipedia