KEMAL TAHIR'S POST-PRISON YEARS: JOURNEYMAN PERIOD

Kemal Tahir, who worked as a journalist in the 1930s, was sentenced to fifteen years in prison in the 1938 Navy Trial (Donanma Davası) and served his sentence in various prisons across Türkiye. During these years, he filled his yellow notebooks with notes and drafts for future novels. Some of his works from this period were published under pseudonyms. After his release in 1950, he continued writing and translating under different names for some time. Among his translations, the most famous is the Mike Hammer detective series. Tahir not only translated these novels but later created his own “Mayk Hammer” stories. In addition, he translated other popular detective works of the time and wrote several original pieces. İskender Özsoy describes this period as “a labor condemned to a pseudonym,” reflecting Tahir’s struggle to earn a living through his writing. He reclaimed his real name in 1955 with Sağırdere and Göl İnsanları, previously released under pseudonyms. These were followed by Esir Şehrin İnsanları (1956), Rahmet Yolları Kesti (1957), Yediçınar Yaylası (1958), and Köyün Kamburu (1959). By the late 1950s and especially throughout the 1960s, Kemal Tahir had become a defining figure in Turkish literature and thought. Known primarily for his historical novels, his pre-imprisonment years are seen as his apprenticeship, while the 1960s mark his artistic maturity. The 1950s, however, represent his transition from novice to master. This study explores Tahir’s post-prison years, his relationships with publishers like Çağlayan and Düşün, and literary figures such as Ertem Eğilmez, Refik Erduran, and Aziz Nesin, using memoirs, biographies, and interviews to examine this rich network and its influence on his detective and adventure fiction.