Namık Kemal
| Namık Kemal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
21 December 1840 Tekirdağ, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 2 December 1888 (aged 47) Chios, Ottoman Empire |
| Resting place | Bolayır, Gelibolu |
| Occupation | Poet, novelist, journalist, playwright |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Period | 1871–1888 |
| Literary movement | Romanticism |
| Notable works |
Vatan Yahut Silistre Intibah Cezmi Gülnihal |
Namık Kemal (21 December 1840 – 2 December 1888) was an Ottoman writer, intellectual, reformer, journalist, playwright, and political activist who was influential in the formation of the Young Ottomans and their struggle for governmental reform in the Ottoman Empire during the 19th century, which would lead to the First Constitutional Era in the Empire in 1876. Kemal was particularly significant for championing the notions of freedom and fatherland in his numerous plays and poems, and his works would have a powerful impact on the establishment of and future reform movements in Turkey, as well as other former Ottoman lands.
Namık Kemal was born in Tekirdağ (then part of the Ottoman Empire, today in Turkey) on 21 December 1840, to Fatma Zehra and Mustafa Asım Bey, the latter of whom was chief astrologer in the Sultan’s Palace. Since surnames or family names were not in use during the Ottoman Empire, "Kemal" was not his surname, but part of his first name. During his youth, Kemal traveled throughout the Ottoman Empire, staying in Istanbul, Kars, and Sofia, and studied a number of subjects, including poetry. In 1857, at the age of 17, Kemal worked in the Tercüme Odası ("The Translation Office") of the government. However, as a result of the political nature of his writings, Kemal was forced to leave this job by Grand Vizier Mehmed Emin Aali Pasha and so joined his friend and fellow Young Ottoman, İbrahim Şinasi, on his newspaper Tasvir-i Efkar ("Herald of Ideas"). Kemal worked on Tasvir-i Efkar until his exile and flight to Paris in 1867.
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