Namik Kemal

Born Dec. 21, 1840, in Tekirdag; died Dec. 2, 1888, in the city of Khios. Turkish writer and public figure.

Namik Kemal was a major writer of the Tanzimat period. He was one of the founders and leaders of the Young Ottomans. He published the newspapers Freedom (London, 1863–70) and Directions (Istanbul, 1872–73), which called for a constitutional form of government in Turkey. He took part in the writing of Turkey’s first constitution of 1876. Namik Kemal was an adherent of a European orientation in Turkish culture. After Ibrahim Sinasi emigrated, he edited the newspaper Tasviri efkâ r from 1865.

Namik Kemal laid the groundwork for the Turkish novel in his works The Adventures of Ali Bey (1876) and Cezmi (1880). His first drama, Fatherland, or Silistire (1873), reflects events in Turkey on the eve of the Crimean War of 1853–56. The success of the play was partly due to its antigovernmental tone, for which Namik Kemal was confined in a fortress on Cyprus for 38 months. While in prison he wrote the plays The Poor Child (1873), Âktf Bey (1874), and Gülnihal (1875). His drama Celáleddin Harzemşah (1885) deals with the Turkish struggle against the Mongol invasion.