Mahmut Makal (January 1, 1930, in
Gülağaç,
Aksaray
Aksaray () is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Aksaray Province and Aksaray District. – August 10, 2018, in
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
,
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
) was a
Turkish writer, poet and teacher who initiated the "Village Literature" movement in 1950 with the publication of his book ‘''Bizim Köy''’ (''Our Village'').
This was translated into English as 'A Village in Anatolia' and published in 1954.
Early life
Mahmut Makal was born in the hamlet of Demirci in the Gülağaç district of
Aksaray
Aksaray () is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Aksaray Province and Aksaray District. on January 1, 1930. In 1943, he began studying literature and poetry at the Ivriz Village Institute. His poems were first published in 1945 in the magazine "Türk'e Doğru (Right for a Turk)" and in 1946 in the "Köy Enstitüsü (Village Institute)" magazine. He also attracted wider notice with his ''Village Notes'' in
Varlık (Wealth) magazine.
After graduating from the Ivriz Village Institute in 1947, he worked as a village teacher in
Nurgöz,
Aksaray
Aksaray () is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Aksaray Province and Aksaray District. , for 6 years. In 1950. At the time he was only seventeen and found himself trying to teach in only the most rudimentary of school buildings at a time when many villagers still thought their imams could provide all the education needed by their children.
Makal's observations from these early years of teaching in a village in Central Anatolia were published in a book called ‘''Bizim Köy''’ (''Our Village''), the first work of the village literature movement. In the foreword to the English edition, Lewis V Thomas wrote that his book was "probably the first book that any ''bona fide'' Turkish peasant ever published" while its editor, Paul Stirling wrote that "Mahmud Makal is the first genuine villager...to describe the village from within". Written at a time of drought, famine and rationing after the Second World War, the book presented a warts and all portrait of grinding poverty and rampant superstition that did not find favour with the reform-minded authorities. It aroused strong reactions across Turkey, and Makal was arrested and imprisoned for a while.
Later years
He enrolled at the
Ankara Gazi Institute in 1953 and also visited France to undertake research at the European Sociology Center. In the 1965 elections he stood as a candidate in Istanbul for the
Workers' Party of Turkey. He then worked as an inspector of primary schools in the
Antalya
Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...
,
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
and
Adana
Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...
regions. In 1971, he left this job and started teaching Turkish at the İstanbul School for the Deaf and Dumb. Between 1971 and 1972 he managed Bizim Köy Publishing and in 1972 he taught Turkish Language and Literature at the
University of Venice
Ca' Foscari University of Venice (), or simply Ca' Foscari, is a public research university and business school in Venice, Italy. Since its foundation in 1868, it has been housed in the Venetian Gothic palace of Ca' Foscari, from which it takes ...
. In 1976 he retired from a position at the Karadeniz Copper Works. Aside from English, his books were translated into many languages including German, Russian, French, Italian, Hebrew, Hungarian and Bulgarian. In 1967
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
nominated Makal as an example for young people.
In 2018 Makal died in the Hacettepe Teaching and Research Hospital in
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
.
''A Village in Anatolia''
In 1954 two of Makal's early books on village life in Demirci and Nürgöz - ''Bizim Köy'' (Our Village) and ''Köyümden'' (From My Village - were translated into English by
Sir Wyndham Deedes and published together as ''A Village in Anatolia''. A short book, it mainly consists of episodic descriptions of different aspects of village life such as "Ploughing With a Donkey" and "Where the Money is Kept".
Most modern readers would probably find the editorial footnotes irritating since they are often critical of what Makal is saying based on his personal experience both growing up in and then teaching in a part of Anatolia very far from big-city life.
Works
(source
)
See also
*
Fakir Baykurt
Fakir Baykurt or born Tahir Baykurt (15 June 1929 – 11 October 1999) was a Turkish author and trade unionist.
Early life
Fakir Baykurt was born Tahir on 15 June 1929, son of Elif and Veli Baykurt, in Akçaköy which is a district of Burdu ...
*
Mevlüt Kaplan
Mevlüt Kaplan (born 1930) is a Turkish writer.
Early life
Mevlüt Kaplan was born in 1930 in the village of Ökes in Akşehir province. When he was nine years old his mother died, as did two of his brothers soon after. His father worked in constr ...
References
External links
BBC programmes from the 1960s created by Makal
{{Authority control
1930 births
2018 deaths
20th-century Turkish writers
People from Aksaray