Oğuz Tansel
Oğuz Tansel was a Turkish poet and folklorist.
Early life and career
Tansel graduated from Davutpaşa junior high school and Pertevniyal high school in Istanbul. He took up teaching as a profession as early as 1938 while studying at the Department of the Turkish Language and Literature of the Faculty of Literature at the Istanbul University and gave it up in 1969 when he retired for health reasons. He taught and held administrative positions in the junior high schools and high schools in Mardin, Akhisar, Eskişehir, Amasya and Konya. He was a member of the Turkish Writers’ Union and honorary member of the Literary Society.Writing career
His early poems employing rhyme and rhythm were published in the periodicals Servetifünun and Varlık and his first article appeared in Halk Bilgisi Haberleri. After 1940 he was seen to turn to free verse and was noted among Turkish poets of the 1940s generation. He gained recognition with the poems and articles published in numerous literary periodicals such as Varlık, Aydınlık, Yelken, Yeditepe, Kaynak, Dost, Güney, Türk Sanatı, Kıyı, Türk Dili. In his poems where he treated themes of humanism, love, struggle for peace and freedom, equality and socialism he arrived at a plain style of poetry.Alongside poetry, Tansel was the scholar of Turkish folk tales which he had recorded during 1942-1948 in the province of Amasya. He made the highest contribution of over forty types of Turkish folk tales, to the Typen Türkischer Volksmarchen catalog prepared by professors Pertev Naili Boratav and Wolfram Eberhard. With the mastery and meticulousness derived from his poetic skill, he formed his own unique, fluent narrative style in writing down those tales for children. He was the first author to receive the Children’s Literature Award in 1977 given by the Turkish Linguistics Society for his two volume collection of folk tale books titled “Al’lı ile Fırfırı”.
His poems were composed to music by the American composer Prof. Bruce Reiprich. And recorded live on a CD titled Salkım Söğüt, or The Weeping Willow. On the first anniversary of his death in 1995, his friends had a book The Mythical Bird with Three Wings: Oğuz Tansel '' published for him.
Death and after
Oğuz Tansel Turkish Literature center is established with an Oğuz Tansel Research Library at Bilkent University.His family together with Ankara Aydınlığı Girişimi instituted a poetry award to commemorate him. His family together with Ankara Aydınlığı Girişimi, Folklor/ Edebiyat Dergisi and Troya Folklor Dernegi also instituted a folklore award to commemorate his achievements. These awards are given one year to a work of poetry and the following year to a work of folklore and the following year to a work of children's Literature.
Works
Poetry
Tansel, Oğuz Savrulmayı Bekleyen Harman, İstanbul: Yeni Matbaa.Tansel, Oğuz Gözünü Sevdiğim, Ankara: Dost Yayınları.
Tansel, Oğuz Sarıkız Yolu, Ankara: Yaz Yayınları.
Tansel, Oğuz Bektaşi Dedikleri İstanbul: İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları, 1977: İstanbul: Sander Yayınları, 1983: İstanbul: Miyatro Yayınları, 1995: İstanbul: Adam Yayınları, 2004 ve 2008: İstanbul: Evrensel Basım Yayın.
Tansel, Oğuz Dağı Öpmeler İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları.
Tansel, Oğuz Mutluluk Peşinde, İstanbul: Evrensel Basım Yayın.
Tansel, Oğuz Zakkum Çiçeği Tan Yerinde-At the Dawn of Oleander Blossoms, Antalya: Suna-İnan Kıraç Akdeniz Medeniyetleri Araştırma Enstitüsü.
Tansel, Oğuz Masal Dünyası-World of Tales, Ankara: Elips Kitap.
Tansel, Oğuz Gökdeniz-Das Meer am Himmel, Wassenberg, Almanya: Schulbuchverlag Anadolu.
Tansel, Oğuz Dervish Bektashi Gems Istanbul: Libra Kitap.
Folk Tales
Tansel, Oğuz Altı Kardeşler, Ankara: Dost yayınları, Ankara: MEB Yayınları. İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları.Tansel, Oğuz Yedi Devler, İstanbul: Kutulmuş Matbaası Yayınevi Ankara: MEB Yayınları, İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları.
Tansel, Oğuz Üç Kızlar, Ankara: Dernek Yayınları, Ankara: MEB Yayınları, İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları.
Tansel, Oğuz Mavi Gelin, Ankara: Yaz Yayınları, Ankara: MEB Yayınları, İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları.
Tansel, Oğuz Al’lı ile Fırfırı, 2 Cilt,, İstanbul: Yaz yayınları, Ankara: Elips Kitap.
Tansel, Oğuz, A. Özyalçıner ve diğerleri Bir de Varmış İki de Varmış, İstanbul: Boyut Yayın, İstanbul: Boyut Yayın.
Tansel, Oğuz Çobanla Bey Kızı, Ankara: Yaz Yayınları.
Tansel, Oğuz Konuşan Balıkla Yalnız Kız, Ankara: Yaz Yayınları.
Tansel, Oğuz Al’lı ile Fırfırı Kırım: Tarpan Yayınevi.
Tansel, Oğuz Masallar, İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları.
Tansel, Oğuz Altı Kardeşler, Kırım: Tarpan Yayınevi.
Tansel, Oğuz Yedi Devler Kırım: Tarpan Yayınevi.
Books About Him
Turan, Metin Üç Kanatlı Masal Kuşu: Oğuz Tansel, Ankara: Ürün Yayınları. Genişletilmiş İkinci Basım, Genişletilmiş Üçüncü Basım ve Genişletilmiş Dördüncü Basım, Ankara: Ürün Yayınları.Eloğlu, Metin Canım Oğuzcuğum: Oğuz Tansel’e Mektuplar, İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları.
Atlı, Ferda Şiirin Mavi Dili, Ankara: Sonçağ Akademi Yayınları..