Cumalı, Necati

▪ Turkish author

born 1921, Flórina, Greece

died Nov. 10, 2001, Istanbul, Tur.

      Turkish writer and translator whose notable contributions to his native literature include poetry, short fiction, essays, and plays. He was one of the best-known Turkish writers of the 20th century.

      At the age of 18 Cumalı began publishing poetry. After graduating from what is now Ankara (Turkey) University in 1941, he held a variety of jobs and practiced law from 1950 to 1957. In 1959 he became a professional writer. Cumalı's first book of poetry was Kızılçullu yolu (1943; “The Road to Kızılçullu”), and he wrote several more volumes of poetry before he began to publish fiction. His collected poetry appears in Aç güneş (1980; “Hungry Sun”), which was later enlarged and published as Tufandan önce (1983; “Before the Deluge”). His first published fiction was the short-story collection Yalnız kadın (1955; “Woman Alone”), and his first play was Boş Beşik (1949; “Empty Cradle”; filmed 1952), a retelling of the traditional story of an infant lost by nomads.

      Cumalı's concerns were wide-ranging; he wrote of the hardships of rural life, of Turkish history and cultural traditions, and of urban existence. One of his best-known stories is Susuz Yaz (1962; published as Dry Summer in Modern Turkish Drama; filmed 1963), a tragedy of an unfaithful wife, her husband, and his two-faced brother. Cumalı adapted the story into a play that was produced in 1968. His later plays include Nalınlar (1962; “The Clogs”) and Derya Gülü (1963; Sea Rose).

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