Sait Faik Abasıyanık

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Sait Faik Abasıyanık (18 November 1906 - 11 May 1954) was one of the greatest Turkish writers of short stories and poetry. Born in Adapazarı, he was educated at the Istanbul Erkek Lisesi. He enrolled in the Turcology Department of Istanbul University in 1928, but under pressure from his father went to Switzerland to study economics in 1930. He left school and lived for three years in Grenoble, France - an experience which made a deep impact on his art and character. After returning to Turkey he taught Turkish in Halıcıoğlu Armenian School for Orphans, and tried to follow his father's wishes and go into business but was unsuccessful. He devoted his life to writing after 1934. He created a brand new language and brought new life to Turkish short story writing with his harsh but humanistic portrayals of labourers, fishermen, children, the unemployed, the poor. A major theme was always the sea and he spent most of his time in Burgaz Ada (one of the Princes' Islands in the Marmara Sea). He was an honorary member of the International Mark Twain Society of St. Louis, Missouri.

Sait Faik mostly published under the name Sait Faik, other pen names being Adalı ("Island dweller"), Sait Faik Adalı, and S. F..

[edit] Short Stories

Semaver (The Tea Urn) 1936, Sarnıç (The Fountain) 1939, Şahmerdan (The Serpent) 1940, Lüzumsuz Adam (The Unnecessary Man) 1948, Mahalle Kahvesi (The Café House) 1950, Havada Bulut (Cloud in the Sky) 1951, Kumpanya (The Circus) 1951, Havuz Başı (The Poolside) 1952, Son Kuşlar (The Last Birds), Alemdağ'da Var Bir Yılan (There is a Snake in Alemdağ) 1953, Az Şekerli (Just a Bit of Sugar) 1954

[edit] Novels

Bir Takım Insanlar (A Set of People) 1944, Kayıp Aranıyor (Wanted) 1953

[edit] Poetry

Şimdi Sevişme Vakti (Now, It is Time for Love) 1953

Sait Faik left his wealth to the Darüşşafaka School for orphans. The Sait Faik foundation is still run by Darüşşafaka School, maintaining his Burgaz House as the Sait Faik Museum and since 1954 giving the annual Sait Faik Literature Prize to the best collection of short stories. The first Sait Faik Short Story prize winner was "Gazoz Ağacı" by Sabahattin Kudret Aksal and this most prestigious literary prize has been given so far to some of the best Turkish authors including Pınar Kür, Tomris Uyar, Füruzan and Nazlı Eray.

[edit] Selected Sait Faik Short Story Prize Winner Authors

1955– Sabahattin Kudret Aksal (Gazoz Ağacı) (Soda pop tree)
             Haldun Taner (On İkiye Bir Var) (One minute to twelve)
1958– Orhan Kemal (Kardeş Payı) (Fair share)
1964– Mehmet Seyda (Başgöz Etme Zamanı) (Time for marriage)
1965– Kamuran Şipal (Elbiseciler Çarşısı) (Cloth sellers market')
             Mahmut Özay (Yorgo)(Giorgio)
1969– Orhan Kemal (Önce Ekmek) (Bread first)
             Faik Baysal (Sancı Meydanı) (Arena of anguish)
1968– Muzaffer Buyrukçu (Kavga) (Fight)
1966– Cengiz Yörük (Çölde Bir Deve) (A camel in the desert)
1971– Bekir Yıldız (Kaçakçı Şahan) (Şahan the smuggler)
1973– Demirtaş Ceyhun (Çamasan) (Çamasan)
1974– Fakir Baykurt (Can Parası) (Life money)
1975– Adalet Ağaoğlu (Yüksek Gerilim) (High tension)
1976– Selim İleri (Dostlukların son Günü) (Last day of friendships)
1978– Adnan Özyalçıner (Gözleri Bağlı Adam) (Blindfolded man)
             Selçuk Baran (Anaların Hakkı) (Mothers' right)
1979– Ferit Edgü (Bir Gemide) (On a ship)
1984– Pınar Kür (Ona Sevdiğimi Söyle) (Tell him that I love him)
1988– Gülderen Bilgili (Bir Gece Yolculuğu) (Night journey)
1989– Demir Özlü (Stockholm Öyküleri) (Stockholm stories)
1990– Nezihe Meriç (Bir Kara Derin Kuyu) (A dark deep well)
1994– Osman Şahin (Selam Ateşleri) (Greeting fires)

[edit] External links

Translation of "Semaver" (The Samovar) into German by H. Ozkan
Translation of "Dülger Balığının Ölümü" (Death of the Carpenter Fish) into English by H. Hacıhabiboğlu