Aziz Nesin

(pseudonym of Mahmut Nusret). Born 1915 in Istanbul. Turkish satirical writer.

Aziz Nesin received a military education and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts. He worked for the satiric newspaper Marko Pasha, which was published by Sabakhatin Ali and closed after it took an antigovernment stand. He is author of humorous short stories and novels; his mastery of political and social satire is evident in the short stories “Madmen at Large,” “The Businessman,” and “Subtly and Gracefully.” His satire is directed against social vices, political adaptation in interparty struggle, and so on. His comic characters and situations reflect the contradictions in public and private life in such works as Which Party Will Be Victorious? (1957), The Deceased Ishak (1958), and The Good Lad (1959). Aziz Nesin’s favorite hero is the petty clerk, the intellectual ne’er-do-well, the poor man, struggling in search of work; he appears in the short stories “Long Live Poverty!” and “The Clock on the Square,” among others. Aziz Nesin wrote the satiric fairy tales in the collection In a Certain Kingdom (1958). He won the Palm Branch prize twice at international competitions of satirists.