Letters Written by Crimean Tatar Poet Eşref Şemizade to Ayder Emirov

Eşref Şemizade, an important poet of Crimean Tatar literature during the Soviet Union and exile periods, was born on June 21, 1908, in the city of Kezlev. After completing his primary education, he went to Akmescit and studied at Sovpartškola. The poet's first poems titled “Çölde Yaz Akşamı,” “Kış Kele,” and “Saba” began to be published in 1923. In 1932, Şemizade graduated from the Literary Screenplay Faculty of the Cinema Institute in Moscow. During these years, he wrote a poetic work titled “Dneprelstan.” During the exile period, he wrote lyrical and philosophical works titled “Alime” and “Közyaş Divar.” Şemizade expressed the exile, genocide, and struggles faced by the Crimean Tatar people in an artistic style by focusing on personal and societal themes in his poems. The poet’s works have an important place in Crimean Tatar literature as they reflect his people's struggle for existence and desire for cultural independence. This article provides information about the life and works of Eşref Şemizade and Ayder Reşatoviç Emirov, and the letters Şemizade wrote to Ayder Emirov during his time in the hospital in Moscow have been translated into Turkish. These letters were published in the 5th issue of Yıldız Journal in 1998. These letters, which discuss how Şemizade approached the historical processes and cultural heritage experienced by the Crimean Tatar people in his works, are significant in reflecting the poet's literary thoughts.