His publisher remembers Hanri Benazus: “He met Atatürk at age 7 and ate his chickpeas...”

Şenol ÇARIK - 12punto

A devoted lover of our Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and known for his collection of over 20,000 Atatürk photographs, author, businessman, and collector Hanri Benazus has passed away at the age of 94.

D. Ali Gültekin, General Publishing Director of Bizim Kitaplar Publishing, who served as Benazus’s publisher for many years, co-produced the Atatürk Photographs Album, organized exhibitions, and attended book signings with him, told 12punto: “He was a true lover of Atatürk, a complete patriot who would shout ‘I am a Turk.’ He made it his principle to touch people’s lives and help them. The schools and nursing homes he had built during his business career, the scholarships he provided—there was no end to them... Most importantly, he never did any of this for publicity; he didn’t even want his name mentioned. The news of his death deeply saddened us all, but he will live forever through his deeds and the works he left behind.”

Stating that he knew Hanri Benazus from his days as a businessman, Gültekin added:
“Around 2004, while I was working as an executive at a publishing house, Hanri Benazus and his wife came to visit me. Benazus had retired and had started writing. We had met again after many years. We had a very pleasant conversation, and afterwards, we decided as a publishing house to publish two of his books. I left the publishing house where I was working, and in 2006, a friend and I founded Bizim Kitaplar Publishing. Hanri Benazus called, and after wishing us well, he said, ‘I am with you, don’t worry, from now on my works are yours.’
We were very happy, and first, we published his book titled ‘The Light Illuminating Beyond the Ages: The Philosophy of Mevlana.’ Then came his other books...”

“I HAVE A DEBT OF GRATITUDE TO ATATÜRK”

Stating that Hanri Benazus was a true lover of Atatürk, publisher Gültekin said, “He met Atatürk at age 7 and ate his chickpeas. He used to say, ‘I have a debt of gratitude to Atatürk.’ Throughout his life, he collected Atatürk photographs. He wrote books about Atatürk. We published his books. We didn’t just publish them; we co-produced the Atatürk Photographs Album, organized exhibitions, and attended book signings together. Above all, he was a very good friend,” he said.

Continuing his tribute to Hanri Benazus, D. Ali Gültekin concluded his words by saying, “He was a complete patriot who would shout ‘I am a Turk.’ He made it his principle to touch people’s lives and help them. The schools and nursing homes he had built during his business career, the scholarships he provided—there was no end to them. Most importantly, he never did any of this for publicity; he didn’t even want his name mentioned. The news of his death deeply saddened us all, but he will live forever through his deeds and the works he left behind.”

News Source: 12punto