Mehmet Murat İldan
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| Born: | May 16, 1965 (age 41) Elazığ, Turkey |
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| Occupation(s): | Novelist, Playwright, Economist |
| Nationality: | Turkish |
| Writing period: | 2000 - present |
| Genre(s): | Novel, Drama |
| Debut work(s): | Galileo Galilei |
| Influences: | William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Goethe |
| Website: | www.geocities.com/muratildan |
Mehmet Murat İldan (born on 16 May 1965 in Elazığ). Contemporary Turkish novelist and playwright. Following his epistolary novel, The First Sorrows of Young Werther, he is regarded as a romantic writer.
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[edit] Education Life
Mehmet Murat İldan was born in Elazığ, in the Eastern part of Turkey. After his father was elected as a senator, he continued his studies in capital Ankara. In 1982, high school diploma, as a first place winner, was awarded by Ankara Yenişehir College. He spent one year in English Preparatory School in Ankara (at the Middle East Technical University - METU). Then in 1983, he took courses from the Department of Electronics as a full-time student (at METU). In 1988, he obtained B.Sc. degree in Economics with "Certificate of Honour" (at METU). In the same year, he also obtained a Turkish Government Scholarship for Master and Ph.D. degrees in European Union Economics. In 1989, he spent 8 months in an Intensive French Course at "Centre Audio-Visuel de Langues Modernes" (CAVILAM) in Vichy - France. In 1990, he took courses in Money-Finance and Banking as a full-time student at the University of Louis - Pasteur (ULP) in Strasbourg- France. In the same year, he took advanced courses in English for 6 months, at the Cambridge Centre for Languages in Cambridge - England. In 1991, he got Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Essex in England. The thesis title is: "The Presence of Bubbles in Stock Prices: Theory, Evidence and Economic Policy." In 1994, while doing his PhD, he did his military service in Turkey. In 1997, he was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Economics by the University of Essex. The thesis title is: "Private Behaviour and Feedback Economic Policy: Theory and Evidence from the United Kingdom."
[edit] Literary Career
| Turkish Literature |
| By category |
| Epic Tradition |
| Folk Tradition |
| Ottoman Era |
| Republican Era |
His writing career vaguely started in 1995 with a poetry book called Bright Candles; it was written and published in English. In 1997, a poem from this book was published in the Georgian Blue Poetry Anthology. Between the years 1995 - 1999, he did not write anything literary; in that period, he wrote some political articles in the Turkish newspapers, criticizing the then government's religious politics which threatens the Turkey’s secular republic. In 1999, he quitted his economics occupation. He wrote stories for 6 months. From the year 2000 onwards, he started writing plays; he became a professional writer. He has published 7 plays and 19 stories. His novel Antiquary Arago's Diary and Roses underneath Paris and his story book Lovers of Samos Island have also been published. Two of his plays, Galileo Galilei (play) and Emmanuel Arago's Diary, have been accepted to the Repertory of Turkish State Theatre. Also, his plays Eyes of Magic, Beggar's Prophecy and Emmanuel Arago's Diary have been included in the repertoire of Istanbul City Theatre. 6 of his plays have been translated into English by Yurdanur Salman, a well-known linguist in Istanbul. His play Eyes of Magic was partly published in the "Absinthe - New European Writing" literary magazine. Writer is a member of "Playwrights Association" in Istanbul; "Turkish Authors Association" in Ankara; "Professional Association of Owners of Scientific and Literary Works" in Istanbul; and International PEN - Turkish P.E.N. Association" in Istanbul.
[edit] Awards
His play Eyes of Magic got the “Year 2000 Best Play Award” in “Istanbul Kadiköy Municipality National Playwriting Competition.” The same play won the "Best Scenario Award” in “Istanbul Maltepe University 2004 Interuniversity Theatre Competition” (performed by Mimi Comedy Players). Another play, Beggar's Prophecy, became a finalist among 112 submissions in "AQT 2005 Vancouver Canada International Playwriting Competition." His story "Housefly" obtained the “Secondary Place Award” in “Samim Kocagöz National Story Competition. His stories Noah’s Ark, Iron Bridge, Pursuit and Endless Race found praiseworthy and published in “ZOKEV Ahmet Naim Çıladır National Story Competition.”
[edit] Works
[edit] Novels
- The First Sorrows of Young Werther (2007)
- Roses underneath Paris (2006)
- Antiquary Arago's Diary (2005)
[edit] Plays
- Master William Shakespeare (2002)
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (play) (2002)
- Beggar's Prophecy (2001)
- Galileo Galilei (play) (2001)
- Sakyamuni (play) (2000)
- Eyes of Magic (2000)
- Ghosts of Forest (2000)
- Volcano (play)
- An Admirer of Machiavelli
- Emmanuel Arago's Diary
- Alchemist's Wife
- Pandora's Box (Play)
- It All Began with Marianne
- Journey to God
- Anastasis:Resurrection
- Goddesses also Die
- Master Moliere is Marrying
- Invited Guests
[edit] Stories
[edit] Poems
[edit] Quotes
| Literature |
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| Major forms |
| Epic • Romance • Novel |
| Media |
| Performance • Book |
| Techniques |
| Prose • Poetry |
| History & lists |
| History • Modern History • Books • Authors • Awards • Basic Topics |
| Discussion |
| Criticism • Theory • Magazines |
- That wretched alchemist called money can turn a man’s heart into a stone! (from Beggar's Prophecy)
- Oh, William, what pitiable creatures we men are! When we go to church we make the devil angry, when we enjoy ourselves in the inns, we make God angry; we are the unlucky lot stuck between two fires! (from Master William Shakespeare)
- Stupidity is contagious, isn’t that so? Loneliness is a kind of quarantine against stupidity; it’s an effective antidote! (from Emmanuel Arago's Diary)
- A human being can live without water for a week as a camel does in the desert; but he can never live without lies for one week! What is the greatest invention of mankind, Malaparte? Fire? The black iron plough? Or is it the wheel? No, no! None of these things: Our most magnificent invention, our best servant is the “lie”! (from Emmanuel Arago's Diary)
- Mankind has invented the mirror in vain, for there’s nobody in this world who looks into the mirror and sees himself as he truly is; each person has his own mirror hidden in his own mind and he can’t see more than what that mirror in his mind reflects! (from Eyes of Magic)
- My dear Tartini, one’s life is so sweet and precious that even honey tastes like salt in comparison! (from Eyes of Magic)
- Elephants don’t know anything about the world of ants; the peaks of mountains are oblivious of what is happening on the plains! (from Emmanuel Arago's Diary)
- A deer that knows all the hunting techniques of a lion will never fall prey to a lion! (from Emmanuel Arago's Diary)
[edit] Bibliography in Turkish
- Sisam Adası Aşıkları (Lovers of Samos Island), story, Istanbul: Truva Yayınları, 2006
- Paris'in Altındaki Güller (Roses underneath Paris), novel, Istanbul: Truva Yayınları, 2006
- Antikacı Arago'nun Günlüğü (Antiquary Arago's Diary), novel, Istanbul: Truva Yayınları, 2005
- William Shakespeare, play, Ankara: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, 2002
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, play, Ankara: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, 2002
- Galileo Galilei, play, Ankara: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, 2001
- Dilencinin Kehaneti, (Beggar's Prophecy), play, Ankara: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, 2001
- Sakyamuni, play, Ankara: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, 2000
- Ödüllü Oyunlar 2 - Büyünün Gözleri (Eyes of Magic), play, Istanbul: MitosBOYUT Yayınları, 2000
- Ormanın Hayaletleri, (Ghosts of Forest), play, Ankara: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Yayınları, 2000
[edit] External links
- Mehmet Murat İldan's Official Home Page
- Some Examples from His Plays translated into English
- Turkish P.E.N. Centre Official Web Site
- Access to some of his Play Texts in English
- Turkish book collection in the U.S.- Antiquary Arago's Diary
- Turkish book collection in the U.S.- Roses underneath Paris
- Turkish book collection in the U.S.- Lovers of Samos Island
- Truva Publishing House in Istanbul
- His Recent Books in Turkish
- How to pronounce Mehmet Murat İldan
