Onat Kutlar

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

Mehmet Arif Onat Kutlar (January 25, 1936 – January 11, 1995), also known as Onat Kutlar, was a prominent Turkish writer and poet, founder of the Turkish Sinematek and one of the founders of the Istanbul International Film Festival.

Biography

Onat Kutlar was born in Alanya, Turkey in 1936. He was the grandson of Arif Pasha, an Ottoman governor of the Taif district and the son of Ali Riza Bey, a penal judge of the young Turkish Republic and later a farmer, and Meliha Hanim. He grew up in the city of Gaziantep. He studied law at Istanbul University and philosophy in Paris. His book, Ishak (1959), comprised of nine short stories, most of which are written from the point of view of a child and are often surrealistic and mystical was the recipient of the 1960 "Turkish Language Association Short Story Award". According to the literary critic Fethi Naci, these represent a very early example of magical realism genre. In 1994, he was awarded with L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 1975 Cultural Medal of Poland for his work in the Turkish Sinematek. He died of injuries sustained in a terrorist attack in Istanbul on January 11, 1995. Currently, national competition award at the Istanbul International Film Festival is named after him to commemorate his contributions to the Turkish cinema.

Bibliography

Poetry:

Peralı Bir Aşk Için Divan (Divan for a Pera Love), 1981
Unutulmuş Kent (Forgotten City), 1986 translated into French as La Ville Oubliée published by RoyaumontEssays and short stories:
Yeter ki Kararmasin (Just Let It Not Get Dark), 1984
Sinema Bir Senliktir (The Cinema Is a Feast), 1985
Bahar Isyancidir (Spring is Rebellious), 1986
Gundemdeki Sanatci, 1995
Gundemdeki Konu, 1995Collection of short stories:
IshakScreenplays:
Yer Çekimli Aşklar (1995) (screenplay)
Hakkari'de Bir Mevsim (1983) based on the novel 'O' by Ferit Edgu, aka A Season in Hakkari (International: English title), aka Eine Saison in Hakkari (German) directed by Erden Kiral
Hazal (1979) directed by Ali Özgentürk
Yusuf ile Kenan (1979) directed by Ömer Kavur