Rıfat Ilgaz


Rıfat Ilgaz was a Turkish teacher, writer and poet.

Biography

He was born in Cide, in the Kastamonu Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. Ilgaz was one of Turkey’s best-known and most prolific poets and writers, having authored over sixty works. Ilgaz started writing poetry during his junior school years and evolved into one of the prolific social-realist writers of the 20th-century Turkish literature. His poems are considered prime examples of socialist-realistic writing. While he has never really been a partisan of political ideologies, the fact that he has written about the sufferings of the people placed him at a left wing perspective. Like other writers of his time, Ilgaz was imprisoned as a result of one of his publications.
In addition to his writing, he led an accomplished career as a lecturer in Turkish literature.
Rıfat Ilgaz died in Istanbul on 7 July 1993 due to lung failure. He was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

English language bibliography

One collection of Ilgaz's short stories has been published in English translation.

Fourth Company

A 2001 short story collection by Turkish writer Rifat Ilgaz published by Milet Books, in dual Turkish and English translation by Damian Croft, as part of its series of Turkish-English Short Story Collections.
The publisher states that, “In the deftly comic six-part story, Fourth Company and two further stories, Rifat Ilgaz turns his sharp but affectionate wit on compulsory military service, holidays at home and the pathological fear of doctors.”
The volume consists of the stories;