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Can Yücel (pronounced [dʒan jyˈdʒæl]; August 21, 1926 in İstanbul – August 12, 1999 in Datça) was a Turkish poet noted for his use of colloquial language.

Biography

Can Yücel was the son of a former Minister of National Education, Hasan Ali Yücel who left his mark on the history of education in Turkey, and a grandchild of an Ottoman sea captain who perished with the frigate Ertuğrul. He studied Latin and Ancient Greek at Ankara University and Cambridge. He later worked as a translator at several embassies and in the Turkish language section of the BBC in London. After his return to Turkey in 1958, he briefly worked as a tourist guide in Bodrum and Marmaris, and then lived in Istanbul where he worked as a freelance translator and started writing poetry.

In his later years, he settled in the remote peninsular town of Datça in southwestern Turkey where he died of throat cancer. His tomb is much visited. He had two daughters, Güzel and Su, and a son, Hasan, from his marriage to Güler Yücel.

Literary style

Can Yücel was known for using slang and vulgar language in his poems. However, even his critics agreed that his skill in using words in a simple and understandable way is worthy of praise and appreciation. The main themes and inspirational sources in his poems are nature, people, events, concepts, excitements, perceptions, and emotions. His family was of utmost importance to him and his loved ones are mentioned in many of his poems, such as "To my Little Daughter Su," "To Güzel," and "I Loved My Father the Most in Life."

Yücel also translated the works of Shakespeare, Lorca and Brecht into Turkish and his creative rendering of these authors are classics in their own right in Turkey.

Extract of Poem

Oyunbozan bir akşamın altında,

Elinde bir yoyo gibi benliğin,

Senden damlara, damlardan geriye

Bir kadeh tutuştururlar eline derken.

1. "Shakespeare translations in Europe". University of Basel. Archived from the original on 2007-04-25.

References

External links

• Selected poems in English
• Biography and works
• A short biography
• Hayatı Ve Şiirleri
• Can Yücel
  • Şiirleri - Poems
  • Şiirleri - Poems

• 1926 births
• 1999 deaths
• Turkish male poets
• Turkish former Muslims
• Turkish atheists
• Turkish atheism activists
• Turkish Marxists
• Turkish communists
• People from Istanbul
• Turkish translators
• Ankara University alumni
• Alumni of the University of Cambridge
• 20th-century translators
• 20th-century Turkish poets
• Deaths from throat cancer
• Deaths from cancer in Turkey