The poet who carried Anatolia into his verses: Ceyhun Atuf Kansu

Writer Ceyhun Atuf Kansu was born in Istanbul on December 7, 1919, as the son of the master man of letters Nafi Atuf Bey and educator Müfdale Hanım. After losing his mother when he was only 2 years old, his family settled in Ankara the same year.

Kansu graduated from Ankara Necatibey Primary School in 1932 and Ankara Gazi High School in 1938. His first poems were published in the school magazine titled "Filiz," which he produced with his friends in high school.

Graduating from the Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine in 1944, the writer worked as a pediatric specialist at Ankara Numune Hospital.

While working at the hospital, he also provided healthcare services to children in shantytown neighborhoods at a polyclinic he opened in the Altındağ district.

Kansu wrote and published his first poetry books, "Bir Çocuk Bahçesi'nde" (In a Children's Garden) and "Bağbozumu Sofrası" (Vintage Table), while studying at the university. In his early books, he addressed the love of nature, children, and the homeland.

Kansu, who served as a pediatrician for more than 10 years at the Turhal Sugar Factory, published his books "Yanık Hava" (Burnt Air), "Haziran Defteri" (June Notebook), and "Yurdumdan" (From My Homeland) during these years.

While he won the 1965-1966 Yeditepe Poetry Award with his work "Bağımsızlık Gülü" (Rose of Independence), he also received the 1970-1971 Behçet Kemal Çağlar Award for his book "Sakarya Meydan Savaşı" (The Battle of Sakarya).

Writer Kansu began giving talks on Ankara Radio in 1959. His speeches on topics such as the War of Independence, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and the Turkish language attracted great interest from listeners.

HE SERVED AT THE TURKISH LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION

Following the transformation of the People's Houses (Halkevleri) into the Turkish Culture Association after the May 27, 1960 coup, Kansu served as the Deputy Chairman of the association and was elected to the Board of Directors of the Turkish Language Association in 1969.

The master man of letters, who described topics such as Turkish history, the settlement of Anatolia, children, villages, education, and nature in his poems with an enthusiastic language, adopted the syllabic meter and folk poetry style in his early poems.

Kansu later focused on free verse, influenced by the poet Orhan Veli Kanık.

In the final years of his life, Kansu began working on interpreting Atatürk's Nutuk (The Speech), but he could not complete his work titled "Söylevi Okurken" (While Reading the Speech), which he had started within this scope.

Ceyhun Atuf Kansu, who passed away on March 17, 1978, due to heart failure while serving at the Etimesgut Sugar Factory, was laid to rest at Cebeci Asri Cemetery in Ankara.

WORKS

Poetry: "Bir Çocuk Bahçesinde", "Bağbozumu Sofrası", "Çocuklar Gemisi", "Yanık Hava", "Haziran Defteri", "Yurdumdan", "Bağımsızlık Gülü", "Sakarya Meydan Savaşı", "Buğday, Kadın, Gül ve Gökyüzü", "Devrimcinin Takvimi"

Prose: "Ya Bağımsızlık Ya Ölüm", "Köy Öğretmenine Mektuplar", "Tonguç'un Kitapları", "Atatürkçü Olmak", "Atatürk ve Kurtuluş Savaşı", "Balım Kız Dalım Oğul", "Halk Önderi Atatürk", "Cumhuriyet Ağacı", "Sevgi Elması", "Cumhuriyet Bayrağı Altında"

Books on medicine: "Turhal Dolaylarında Çocuk Bakımı", "Anneler Soruyorlar", "Kasabalar ve Köylerde Çocuk Bakımı"

Children's books: "İyi İnsan Mehmet Ali" and "Üvey Ana"

News Source: AA