Essays on Literature (Book)

Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’s work Edebiyat Üzerine Makaleler is a collection that reflects the author’s literary perspective, his views on Turkish literature, and his critical approach, compilation in nature. The book consists of articles originally published by Tanpınar in various journals and newspapers.

Edebiyat Üzerine Makaleler comprises articles in which Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, one of the prominent figures of Republican-era Turkish literature, articulates his views on literature, his literary understanding, and his critiques, written at different times and places. The first edition of this work was published in 1969 and was prepared for publication by Zeynep Kerman.

“This book brings together Tanpınar’s articles on literature published in various journals and newspapers, his contributions to the İslâm Ansiklopedisi, and his studies written for anthology introductions or collaborative volumes.”^【1】

Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’s interactions between West literature and Turkish literature, his assessments of the transformation of Turkish poetry and the development of literary genres, his evaluations of the evolution of Turkish literature after the Tanzimat period, his views on people and council literature, his independent thoughts on Western literature, his writings on significant literary figures of the Turkish and Western literary scenes of his time on, and numerous other assessments are all addressed in this work.

Edebiyat Üzerine Makaleler is composed of nine chapters. The chapter titles are as follows:

• On Poetry
• On the Novel
• On Criticism, Language, Translation, and Theater
• General Issues of Turkish Literature: Eras, Generations, and Movements
• Folk and Divan Literature
• From the Tanzimat to the Republic
• Yahya Kemal Beyatlı
• The Republican Era
• Western Literature