My
Master, My Friend
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Turkish writer Orhan Kemal recounts three years in prison
with acclaimed poet, Nazim Hikmet
Published: Thursday 12 August 2010 Updated: Thursday 12
August 2010
In a dank bug-infested prison some 50 miles from Istanbul,
aspiring writer Orhan Kemal meets one of Turkey’s most
famous poets, Nazim Hikmet. For Orhan, this is the meeting
of his lifetime. For Nazim, this is an opportunity to shape
who was to become one of Turkey’s most “foremost writers.”
Orhan Kemal’s memoir, "In Jail with Nazim Hikmet," gives us
insight into the lives of ordinary Turkish people during the
long and painful period of nation building aggressively
imposed by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, leader of the new Turkish
republic. At the same time, we are drawn into prison life
and the close friendships that make it bearable.
In Jail with Nazim Hikmet
Orhan Kemal
Saqi Books 2010
£10.99
“Your master’s coming.”
“No,” Orhan said, “I don’t have a master—or anyone of the
kind.”
“Look at this, then. Nazim Hikmet. Isn’t he your master?”
Indeed, Nazim Hikmet, counted among the most acclaimed
Turkish poets of his day, would soon become Orhan’s master
and his friend, so much so that Nazim wrote in a letter
addressed to Orhan dated 1947, “Sometimes I feel the sadness
of separation from you very acutely; sometimes I feel the
joy of thinking of you all being very happy. Your pictures
and your photographs are all there at my bedside.”
Orhan looked at the name printed on the register, confirming
the arrival of Nazim to Bursa prison some weeks later.
Bursting with the joy of a child, Orhan couldn’t help but
spread the word of Nazim’s arrival to his fellow inmates.
Everyone, it seemed, had a story to tell; he was the kind of
man whose presence inspired action.
For most of us, the idea that we would have the chance to
meet our most revered and respected role model is impossible
to imagine. Immediately humbled in the presence of such a
person, one would feel it difficult to know just what to do.
Orhan was no different. When pressed by a friend about his
work on the first day of their meeting, the young writer
told Nazim that he had penned nothing more than “scribbles”
of poetry, when in fact he had written prolifically (but not
necessarily competently) prior to his conviction, and also
during his sentence, the first two years of which he had
already served.
It was not long before Nazim took it upon himself to
instruct Orhan with the goal of enhancing his education and
improving his writing, eventually convincing Orhan to give
up poetry in favor of prose. With one of the most prominent
poets in the country as his mentor, Orhan progressed
quickly, becoming, as Nazim had predicted, “… one of the
foremost writers of my country.” By the year of his death in
1970, he had published 28 novels, 18 short story
collections, two plays and two volumes of memoirs, as well
as a book of essays on the technique of writing film
scripts.
Orhan Kemal’s prison memoir, In Jail with Nazim Hikmet,
provides us with a valuable insight into the development of
Orhan as a writer, as well as the political and social
context in which the two men lived. Translated and
introduced by Bengisu Rona, Reader in Turkish at the School
of Oriental and African Studies, this book is a quick and
rewarding read. One need not be familiar with Turkish
literature to appreciate Orhan’s story. In addition to the
text itself—written chronologically—Rona provides us with a
lengthy introduction to the lives and works of Orhan Kemal
and Nazim Hikmet, who met as political prisoners of the
increasingly harsh Atatürkian state. At the end of the book
we have Orhan’s “Prison Notes,” from which Orhan constructs
his memoir, and “Letters from Nazim Hikmet to Orhan Kemal,”
through which we can witness further the deep bond between
the two men.
It is through this close and inspiring friendship, which
develops during their three years together in Bursa prison,
that we are introduced to the lives and characters that, in
a very real yet gradual way, played a role in the building
of Atatürk’s modern Turkish republic. At the time of their
meeting, Nazim, a well-known communist, was serving a
27-year sentence for allegedly instigating mutiny in the
navy. It was in prison that he gathered much of his material
from which to write his poetry. Like Nazim, Orhan was also
convicted of inciting mutiny, in addition to allegedly
producing propaganda on behalf of a foreign state (Russia),
for which he served five years.
The severity of their sentences and others like them can be
attributed to the state's fear of a communist threat coming
from Russia, which had begun to develop during the inter-
and post-war periods. Lacking in political and military
support after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the
nationalist leadership in Ankara looked to Russia, allying
itself with the Bolsheviks. However, as is characteristic of
expedient relationships, when Soviet assistance became less
dire, the voices supporting a communist takeover within the
country became more problematic. Political assassinations,
and massacres in some cases, became the norm, and it was
this policy that saw the imprisonment of Nazim Hikmet and
Orhan Kemal.
Among the many accomplishments of this book is its ability
to sell itself: Read it and you will want to read more.
Nazim and Orhan were not just outstanding writers, they were
outstanding people, who played an important part in the
birthing of their nation. The insight into the lives of
these two writers through Orhan’s own words is priceless.
Full of love and friendship, courage and perseverance, the
principles by which these men lived are noteworthy in both a
personal and historical context.
As the first writer to introduce the emergence of
industrialization into Turkish literature, Orhan’s
characters endured starvation, death and misery, however he
always remained loyal to Nazim’s assertion that “… a writer
who offers no hope has no right to be a writer.” And for
that, Orhan always offers us hope. |
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