Suna Tanaltay (22 April 1933 – 5 March 2021) was a Turkish writer, teacher, poet and psychologist.

Life

Suna Merze was born to Sami and Macide in

Mersin Mersin () is a large city and port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of Mediterranean Region, Turkey, southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of the Mersin Province (formerly İçel). It is made up of four district governorates ...

, Turkey, on 22 April 1933. Her mother, Macide, was also a

wet nurse A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeding, breastfeeds and cares for another's child. Wet nurses are employed if the mother dies, if she is unable to nurse the child herself sufficiently or chooses not to do so. Wet-nursed children may be known a ...

Nevit Kodallı Nevit Kodallı (12 December 1924, Mersin – 1 September 2009, Mersin) was a Turkish composer of western-influenced classical music including operas and ballets. In 1948 he travelled to Paris where he studied with Arthur Honegger and Nadia Boulan ...

, the famous Turkish composer. She finished the Tevfik Sırrı Gür High School in Mersin and then graduated from the School of Psychology of

Istanbul University Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...

. She also obtained certificates in History of Philosophy, Old and New

Turkish literature Turkish literature () comprises oral compositions and written texts in the Turkish language. The Ottoman form of Turkish, which forms the basis of much of the written corpus, was highly influenced by Persian and Arabic literature,Bertold Sp ...

. She served as a teacher in the Kandilli Girls' High School and the

Kabataş High School Kabataş may refer to: * Kabataş, Beyoğlu, a quarter in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey ** Kabataş (Istanbul Metro), a funicular railway station * Kabataş, Çine, a village in Aydın Province, Turkey * Kabataş, Kemaliye, a village in Erz ...

both in Istanbul. Between 1958 and 1979, she served as a psychologist in the School of Medicine of

. She was married to Dr. Erdoğan Tanaltay. The couple toured throughout Turkey to give lectures. She lived in Mersin. She was a member of the Turkish Writers' Union, Turkish Litterateurs Association, Turkish Neuropsychology Association and Mersin Poets' Association.Biography page
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Writing career

She began her career in literature when she was only fifteen. Her first short story ''İncir Ağacı'' ("Fig Tree") appeared in ''

Akşam ''Akşam'' (''Evening'') is a Turkish newspaper founded in 1918, owned by Zeki Yeşildağ's Türk Medya Grup (T Medya Yatırım San. ve Tic. AŞ.) since 2013. In 2013 it had a circulation of around 100,000. History ''Akşams founders in 1918 inc ...

'' newspaper. Later, her essays and poems were published in various periodicals and newspapers. For 26 years, she made weekly radio programs. She also appeared in television channels such as

Turkish Radio and Television Corporation The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish: ) is the national public broadcasting, public broadcaster of Turkey, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only television and radio broadcaster in Turkey. Before the introductio ...

(TRT), Star TV, Kanal 6, Kanal 9 and HBB.

Legacy

Suna Tanaltay and her husband received a

Certificate of Merit The Certificate of Merit Medal was a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military decoration of the United States Army that was issued between the years of 1905 and 1918. The Certificate of Merit Medal replaced the much older Cer ...

from the commander of the 23rd Division of the

Turkish army The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...

stationed in

Şırnak Şırnak () is a city in Şırnak District and the capital of Şırnak Province in Turkey. The Ibrahim Khalil border crossing with Iraq is one of the main links of Turkey to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is mainly populated by Kurds o ...

, southeastern Turkey. In

Dikili Dikili is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 534 km2, and its population is 47,360 (2022). The district is quite picturesque both along its Aegean shoreline and in its inland parts, and is a popular summer r ...

ilçe The Provinces of Turkey, 81 provinces of Turkey are divided into 973 districts (''ilçeler''; sing. ''ilçe''). In the Ottoman Empire and in the early Turkish Republic, the corresponding unit was the ''qadaa, kaza''. Most provinces bear the s ...

(district) of

İzmir Province İzmir Province () is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey in western Anatolia, situated along the Aegean coast. Its capital is the city of İzmir, which is in itself composed of the province's central 11 districts out of 30 in to ...

and in

Akçakoca Akçakoca is a town in Düzce Province, in the West Black Sea Region of Turkey, located about 200 km east of Istanbul. It is the seat of Akçakoca District.Düzce Province Düzce Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province in northwestern Turkey. The province is on the coastline of the Black Sea and is traversed by the main highway between Istanbul and Ankara. The primary town is Düzce, located in the center of t ...

, the couple received the "

Honorary citizen Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honor usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...

" title. In Dikili and in

Balıkesir Balıkesir () is a city in the Marmara Region, Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Balıkesir Province, which is also a Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality. As of 2022, the population of Balıkesir Province ...

, a street is named after them.People page
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Books

Books written by Tanaltay are the following:
/ref> *''Çocukluğumdan Bana Kalan'' ("What Remains to me from My Childhood") *''Çocuklar Ağlamasın'' ("Don't Let the Children Cry") *''İskambil Evler'' ("Houses Made of Playing Cards") *''Sevdalar Çocuk Kalır'' ("Love Stays Like a Child") *''Sonsuz Paylaşanlar'' ("Infinite Sharers") *''Yaşam Nehri'' ("The River of Life") *''Gençlik Sevgidir'' ("The Youth is Love") *''Ben Sevgiyim'' ("I am The Love") *''Şakayık Sokak'' ("Peony Street") *''Düş Sevginin Peşine'' ("Follow the Love") *''Gül Kokusu'' ("Smell of Rose") *''Sevdikçe'' ("As I love") *''Önce Sevgi Vardı'' ("In the Beginning, There Was Love") *''Kapıda Bir Gül Açtı'' ("A Rose Blossomed at the Door") *''Seviyorum Öylese Varım'' ("I Love so I Exist")

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanaltay, Suna 2021 deaths 1933 births People from Mersin Istanbul University alumni Turkish psychologists Turkish schoolteachers Turkish radio presenters Turkish women radio presenters Turkish television presenters Turkish women television presenters Turkish women poets 20th-century Turkish women writers 20th-century Turkish writers Turkish women psychologists