The Modern Novel

Biography

Sabahattin Ali was born in Eğridere (now Ardino in southern Bulgaria) in 1907. His father was an Ottoman officer. He became a teacher in 1926 and , after a stay in Germany, taught German in Turkey. He started writing poetry and then short stories. While working as a teacher in Konya, he was arrested for criticising Atatürk’s policies and libelling two journalists and spent several months in prison. He was released in 1933 and was eventually given a job in the publications division of the Ministry of National Education. He served in the army during World War II and was again imprisoned and then released in 1944. He applied for a passport but was denied. He was killed at the Bulgarian border in April 1948, possibly by a smuggler who had been paid to help him pass the border and who turned out to be an agent of the National Security Service. He wrote poetry, stories and novels.

Other links

Sabahattin Ali
Sabahattin Ali
I believe my father was murdered by Turkish secret police (interview with Ali’s daughter)
A Once-Forgotten Novel Unites Turkish Readers in Troubled Times (profile)