ÇEVRE HIGHLIGHTS - 29. SAYI

45 OCAK 2026 Çevre College 23rd Book Fair – Işık ÖĞÜTÇÜ Interview Orhan Kemal is one of the most important writers in our literature. You have many research books about Orhan Kemal. These books help us get to know Orhan Kemal more closely. What were the difficulties you faced during this research, and what excited you most? My father did so many things but never took notes anywhere. I discovered all of this through research. These are not materials that were already in Orhan Kemal’s archive. There was an interview with my father published in a newspaper. I had read it many times, but apparently the time had not yet come. Later, I started looking to see whether there were any short stories or writings of his left scattered around. That interview came back to my attention. In it, the journalist says, “Two days later, your novel will be serialized in our newspaper. Could you summarize it for us?” and my father explains the plot—but the story he describes does not match any of his known novels. I began researching at the National Library and Beyazıt Library because the newspaper issue number and date were known. However, in our country there are problems with collections and archives. Sometimes people cut out a page of the newspaper for their own use without checking what was on the back. I found the missing issue at the Beyazıt Library. In this way, I discovered his novel Yüz Karası. I was giving a talk at Adana TÜYAP when a reader asked, “Are there any other works by Orhan Kemal?” I said, “If we are talking about Orhan Kemal, more will certainly emerge,” and later two more did. I told the stories of all of these discoveries in the book Kaybolan Romanlar. It has been a great journey, a great adventure. If you don’t enjoy it and see it as an obligation, you can’t do anything. I am very happy—I practically didn’t leave libraries for 15–16 years. In the end, such beautiful works emerged We know that you are a chemical engineer. How did your transition from this field to being a researcher-writer happen? Did you have an interest in writing and research during your student years as well? I wanted to open the museum so that visitors could see Orhan Kemal’s world. But after that, my life changed. I worked to bring out the best. I embarked on this journey—do I regret it? No, I am having a lot of fun. I discovered Orhan Kemal myself as well. I corrected misconceptions within the family. I’m on the verge of writing a biography; I could write a comprehensive one. I was also writing during my student years. In addition to your research books, you also have a poetry collection. How did your interest in poetry begin? Do you have works in other genres as well? I was writing in high school as well. I had been writing for years; we spoke with the publisher and decided to publish. This is important—everyone writes something, but not everyone can get published. Because I have devoted years of effort to books, the publisher kindly publishes whatever I produce. In that sense, I am lucky. Today, publishers are very hesitant about publishing poetry books. I have some hidden short stories, but they haven’t been published yet. At the moment, I am working on a book titled Orhan Kemal: Memories and Anecdotes, in which I will reflect the memories I can find that have remained in archives. After that, perhaps I will write something different. If I don’t write novels or short stories, our literature won’t lose much—but if I don’t do this research, that would truly be a loss. Apart from Orhan Kemal, which artists do you enjoy reading and who have influenced you? I really love writers from the old world. Ahmet Ümit and Ayşe Kulin are also my friends from book fairs; I can mention them as well. How did the idea of opening a museum in the name of Orhan Kemal come about? It was also the family’s idea; it was up to me to make it happen. I don’t see myself as the owner of that place—the owner is the Turkish people; in fact, this museum is part of the world’s cultural heritage. In that sense, I understand how important a responsibility we have undertaken. We live in a time when everything is consumed very quickly. As someone deeply involved in art and literature, what advice would you give us young people based on your own experiences? Orhan Kemal says, “Dark days do not stay dark forever.” Never extinguish the fire in your heart. Social realist writers have always emphasized the same thing: hope. You must never lose hope.