The Modern Novel

Biography

Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar was born in Constantinople in 1901. His father, a judge was of Georgian origin. His mother died when he was thirteen. Because his father’s job meant moving around a lot, he was educated in various cities, before studying at the Faculty of Literature of Istanbul University. He was tutored by Yahya Kemal, who was a big influence on him. After university he became a teacher. He was appointed to the newly founded chair of 19th-Century Turkish Literature, as professor of New Turkish Literature, at the Istanbul University. His first publications were poems but he went on to write stories, essays and novels. He was a translator, translating Anatole France and E T A Hoffmann. He also became a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. He died in 1962. Many of his works were published posthumously.

Other links

Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar (1901-1962)
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar and the waiting room of history
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar Literature Museum Library