Reşat Nuri Güntekin
Reşat Nuri Güntekin (Istanbul, 25 November 1889 - London, 13 December 1956) was a Turkish novelist, storywriter and playwright. His novel, Çalıkuşu ("The Wren", 1922) is about the destiny of a young Turkish female teacher in Anatolia; the movie was filmed on this book in 1966, and remade as TV series in 1986. His narrative has a detailed and precise style, with a realistic tone. His other significant novels include Yeşil Gece ("Green Night") and Yaprak Dökümü ("The Fall Of Leaves")
Biography
His father was a major in the army. Reşat Nuri attended primary school in Çanakkale, the Çanakkale Secondary School and the İzmir School of Freres. He graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Literature in 1912. He worked as a teacher and administrator at high schools in Bursa and Istanbul, then as an inspector at the Ministry of National Education (1931). He served as the deputy of Çanakkale between 1933 and 1943 in the Turkish Parliament, the chief inspector at the Ministry of National Education (1947), and a cultural attaché to Paris (1950), when he was also the Turkish representative to UNESCO.
After his retirement, he served at the literary board of the Istanbul Municipal Theatres. He died in London, where he had gone to be treated for his lung cancer. He is buried at the Karacaahmet Cemetery in İstanbul.
“Zehra, artık kendini zaptedemedi.-Baba...Benim zavallı babam... diye feryat etti.Yüzünü yere kapadı, gözlerinden sel gibi yaşlar akarak bir ibadet istiğrakı içinde babasının ayaklarını öptü:-Baba... Zavallı babam... Affet beni...”
“Cocuktan, evlattan saadet beklemek cok bos bir hayalmis.”
“Tada verkė tik mano akys, šiandien pravirko mano siela.”
“Sušalti? Ar galima sušalti, kai tavo širdyje liepsnoja saulė? Tą vakarą dangus man atrodė kaip didelis medis, išskleidęs savo šakas nuo vakarų iki rytų, kaip didžiulis jazmino medis, kuris ramiai ošdamas barstė ant mūsų savo baltus žiedus.”
“Както светлината причинява страдание на болните очи, така и щастието причинява болка на наранената душа. Както за болните очи, така и за наранените души няма по-добър лек от тъмнината.”