Mehmet Âkif Ersoy

Mehmet Akif Ersoy (20 December 1873 – 27 December 1936) was a Turkish poet, writer, academic, politician, and the author of the Turkish National Anthem. Widely regarded as one of the premiere literary minds of his time, Ersoy is noted for his command of the Turkish language, as well as his patriotism and role in the Turkish War of Independence.

A framed version of the national anthem by Ersoy typically occupies the wall above the blackboard in the classrooms of every public as well as most private schools around Turkey, along with a Turkish flag, a photograph of the country's founding father Atatürk, and a copy of Atatürk's speech to the nation's youth.

Biography

Grave of Mehmet Akif Ersoy at Edirnekapı Cemetery, Istanbul. Mehmet Akif Ersoy was born Mehmed Ragîf in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire in 1873 to İpekli Tahir Efendi (1826–1888), an Albanian from the village Shushica near Istog, nahiyah of Ipek and Emine Şerife Hanım with Turkish and Uzbek origins from Bukhara (modern-day Uzbekistan). His father was a tutor at the Fatih Madrasah, at a time when all institutions of the state were in terminal decline, and major crises and regime changes were underway. He grew up in the Fatih district of Constantinople and learned Arabic and memorized the Quran under the mentorship of his father. He was interred in the Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery in Istanbul and was the first person in the history of the Republic of Turkey to have the national anthem performed at his funeral ceremony.

Legacy Mehmet Akif Ersoy is an important national figure in the history of modern Turkey and has left an immortal trace in its history. During the republican period, Mehmet Akif Ersoy taught history and literature at various universities. Ersoy agreed to translate the Quran into the Turkish language for the Directorate of Religious Affairs, but eventually didn't deliver his version.

Works

Mehmet Akif Ersoy had abundant knowledge concerning traditional eastern literature. In addition, he also studied the works of authors such as Victor Hugo, Alphonse de Lamartine, Émile Zola, and Alphonse Daudet.

He is best known for his 1911 work entitled Safahat. This volume is a collection of 44 poems of various lengths by Mehmet Akif Ersoy. The earliest work that appears in this book is dated 1904, but this is unattested, and it is highly likely that the poet, who was 32 on that particular date, composed poems prior to that date.

He is further noted for writing the lyrics of Turkish National Anthem, İstiklâl Marşı (The March of Independence in English) – which was adopted in 1921, and is accepted by many Turks as their "National Poet". The lyrics were originally written as a poem in a collection of his writings. Paradoxically, one of his most famous works, a book called Safahat, was not widely read or published until recently. He studied veterinary science at the university.