Nazim Hikmet

Nazim Hikmet (Nazim Hikmet Ran) was born in Thessaloniki, Greece.

In 1918, he entered the Naval Academy in Istanbul, but was expelled in 1919 for writing poetry against the occupation of Turkey by foreign interventionists. In 1921, he came to Moscow and studied at the Communist University of the Workers of the East (1922-1924).

In 1924, he returned to Turkey and published articles praising Lenin's ideas in the revolutionary newspaper "Scythe and Hammer" and the magazine "Aydinlıg". In 1925, he was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison. In 1927, he secretly went to the USSR again. In 1928, the poet's first book of poems, "The Song of the Sun Drinkers", was published in Baku. After returning to Turkey in 1928, he was arrested, spent 8 months in prison and was released due to lack of evidence. The hard life of the people and the call for revolutionary struggle were reflected in his poems in the books “835 lines” (1929), “Baron-3” (1930), “1+1=1” (1930), “The City That Lost Its Voice” (1931). The poem “Gioconda and Shi-Ya – u” (1924), the verse novel “Why Did Benerci Kill Himself” (1932) are directed against the colonial policy of imperialism. The plays “Skull”, “A Dead House, or the Lament of a Deceased” (1932), “The First Day of the Holiday”, “Fame or the Forgotten Man” (1935) sharply exposed the capitalist system. In 1932, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison for the poem "The Telegram That Came at Night", which called on Turkish communists to fight unitedly. He was released under an amnesty a year later. Later, he was sentenced to prison after the publication of each new book. In the poem "Letters to Taranta Babu" (1935) and the journalistic works "German Fascism and Racists" (1936), he exposed fascism and its supporters in Turkey. In 1936, his last book during his lifetime, "The Epic of Sheikh Badreddin", was published in Turkey. In 1938, he was sentenced to 28 years and 4 months in prison on unproven charges. He wrote the epic "Human Landscapes", the series "Letters from Prison", the plays "The Legend of Love", "Yusuf and Zuleikha", etc. in prison. He was released in 1950 at the request of the world community. From 1951 until the end of his life, he lived in the USSR, which was considered his second homeland. During this period, he wrote plays, poems, and articles on poetry and dramaturgy, including "In Turkey" (1952), "Strange Man" (1955), "Was Ivan Ivanovich There or Not" (1956), "The Sword of Domokles" (1960), etc. The innovative poet enriched Turkish literature with a new form and progressive content. He introduced free verse meter to Turkish poetry. His creativity had a strong influence on modern Turkish literature. His works were translated into the languages ​​of the peoples of the world, and his plays were staged. In 1951, he became a member of the Bureau of the World Peace Council and after 1959, he became a member of its Presidium.

He came to Baku many times, became personal friends with many Azerbaijani poets and writers, and maintained creative contacts. He has poems dedicated to Azerbaijan, articles and memoirs on Azerbaijani culture. His works have been published in Azerbaijan, and his plays have been staged.

Nazim Hikmet died in Moscow in 1963.