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Literature |
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| The very first and important examples of the oral literature tradition in Turks are the epics. Foremost among these are the “Alp Er Tunga Epic”, which tells how the Saka Khan Alp Er Tunga, who supposedly lived in the 7th century, prevailed over the Iranian armies; the “Bozkurt (Grey Wolf) Epic”, which relates how the Göktürks sprung from a she-wolf, and the “Ergenekon Epic” telling how the same Göktürks in the previous epic left Ergenekon by melting down an iron mountain. The first known written examples of Turkish literature are the Orkhun Inscriptions, written in the Göktürk alphabet in the 8th century. The most prominent of these inscriptions, of which the translations of the Turkish sections were published in various languages, are on the monuments erected in the name of Tonyukuk, Kül Tegin and Bilge Khan. These inscriptions are significant because they illustrate that the Turks had an advanced written language in that period and a richness of expression. |
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 Conversion to Islam and Turkish Literature: The “Kutadgu Bilig”, authored by Yusuf Has Hacib (11th century) and being the first work of Turkish literature, bears the characteristics of an uninflected and unadulterated Turkish language. The work contains views and advice on matters such as religion, the state, politics and education. |
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| Another prominent work of Turkish literature influenced by Islam is the Dîvanü Lűgati’t Türk (Dictionary of Turkish Languages), written by Kaţgarlý Mahmut. Both of these works were written in Hakaniye Turkish, a south-western dialect. Another important development in Turkish language, which would also directly influence the Turkish literature, occurred in the southwestern dialect spoken by the Oghuz-Turcoman tribes as of the 11th century. Eventually, the clans which settled in Azerbaijan and a section of Iran developed the Azerbaijani Turkish, while those who had settled in Anatolia developed Turkey’s Turkish. |
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| Court (Divan) Literature: Divan literature, which emerged during the Ottoman era, is largely an adaptation of Arabic and Persian literature. In general terms it was not embraced by the people and remained as a court literature. The language used in this literature comprised Turkish, Arabic and Persian, and would later be named Ottoman. |
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Dehhani, Kadý Burhaneddin, Nesimi and Ahmedi were the first masters of Divan poetry in the 14th century. As of the 15th century, all characteristics of Persian poetry started to flow into Turkish Divan poetry. Some of the most renowned poets of that period were Ţeyhi, Ahmet Pasha and Necati who wrote non-religious subjects, and Süleyman Çelebi known for his religious poem, the “Mevlid”, which is regarded the most outstanding work of that period. |
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In the 16th century, many artists living in Anatolia, the Balkans and the Middle East started to flock to Ýstanbul. This milieu, besides providing an opportunity for the nurturing of great masters in literature, also transformed the Turkish language into the Ottoman language, abounding in foreign elements and difficult to understand. Fuzuli, the most prevailing poet both in fame and effect in Turkish Divan poetry; Baki, known for his fluent language and smooth style, and also Zati, Nev’i and Ruhi of Baghdad were some of the other leading poets of the period. Nef’î, known for his kasides (ode) and satires in the 17th century, had a strong technique, flowery style, and bold manner. In the 18th century, Nabî wrote didactic poems and critiqued states, society and social life in his works.
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With the 18th century Divan poetry, which is identified with Nedim, there was a tendency to adopt the vernacular. In this period, the influence of folk poetry over Divan poetry became an issue; the language became uninflected to some extent and local issues were taken up as themes in poems. Eventually with Nedim, the understanding of “magnifi-cence in poetry” was replaced by the “delicate and sensitive poem”.
This trend, led by Nedim, continued with Sheik Galip later in that century. Most prose authors of Divan |
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