Ahmet Midhat

Born 1844 in Istanbul; died there on Dec. 30, 1913. Turkish writer and educator; he introduced the genres of the short story and novel into Turkish literature.

Ahmet Midhat was born into a family of modest means. He worked as a journalist under the pseudonym Bir Turk (“A Turk”). He gave lecture courses at the University of Istanbul. He was the author of novels, stories, and plays, as well as works on history, religion, philosophy, geography, and so on. Especially famous is his series of novels: Yaniçari (1871), Rebirth (1874), Hasan Mellâh (1874), Husein Fellah (1875), A Turk in Paris (1876), The Dancer(1877), Admiral Bing (1881), Dürdane Hanim (1882), The Girl With a Diploma (1889), and Young Turk (1908). His translations of the works of French romanticists were of great importance. Traces of various literary trends can be noted in the creative work of Ahmet Midhat, such as romanticism and naturalism.