The Literary Legacy Inherited by Ankara of the Republican Era: Literary Life and Milieux in Ankara until the Republic Era

Abstract

Ankara became one of the most important circles of literary activities after the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. In this era, the most prevalent factor for this nourishment was that Ankara was chosen as the capital city and Turkey would be governed from Ankara from then on. Besides this fact, before being the capital, Ankara had a rich background in terms of literature. The city had a strong tradition of Divan and Sufi literature in the ruling periods of Seljuks and Ottomans. Many Divan poets and minstrels lived in Ankara throughout history. In those times, in addition to madrasahs, dervish lodges and mosques, there were taverns, inns, mansions, coffeehouses, vineyards and gardens that were used for gatherings where poems were recited and talks about literature took place. Before the establishment of the Republic, in the years between 1919 and 1922, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk proclaimed Ankara as the headquarters of the national movements. This choice brought out a liveliness to Ankara in terms of literature. In this period until the Republic, many places serving as dervish lodges, coffeehouses, restaurants, gardens, taverns, and shops, and newspaper editorials such as Tâceddin Dergâhı (Taceddin’s Lodge), Kuyulu Kahve (Coffee-shop), Merkez Kıraathanesi (Central coffee-shop), Hakimiyet-i Milliye and Yenigün Newspaper Editorial Offices, Anadolu Lokantası (Anadolu Restaurant), Teceddüt Lokantası (Teceddüt Restaurant), Abdullah Efendi Lokantası (Abdullah Efendi Restaurant), Muallimler Birliği (Teachers Union), Şehir Bahçesi (City Garden), Dayko’nun Tütüncü Dükkânı (Dayko’s Tobacco Shop) and Efe Haydar’ın Meyhanesi (Efe Haydar’s Tavern) were prominent gathering places that flourished in the literary activities of Ankara.

Keywords

• Literature
• Literary milieu
• Gathering places of writers