Folkore, poetry and fakelore: In the founding and developing of the modern-nation state [Modern-ulus devletin kuruluş ve gelişme sürecinde folklor, şiir ve fakelore]

Abstract

In this study, the role and evolution of Turkish poetry during the establishment and the development of the modern-nation state of Turkey will be explored. In this respect, starting from the "Tanzimat" period, attempts were made to replace Divan poetry with modern-Western style poetry. Accordingly, in parallel with the romantic-nationalist movement in Europe, folklore was considered as one source of inspiration for modern poetry. In this context, works of poets such as Enis Behiç Koryürek (1892-1949), Halid Fahri Ozansoy (1891- 1971), Orhan Seyfi Orhon (1890-1972), Yusuf Ziya Ortaç (1895-1967), Faruk Nafiz Çamli{dotless}bel (1898-1973), who were also called the "Five Syllablists" started writing poems during the Balkan wars. They increased their activity during the National Armistice Period and Republic Period, this increased activity is extreamly important. Those poets, by internalizing the discourse of romantic-nationalist of period, wrote their poems adhere to concept of explaining of the folk culture which is preserve essence of national culture and geography where folks live - the Anatolia - by using "language of folks" and "prosody of folks": aimed to reproduce folklore in the poem. After the establishment of the modern-nation state; however, due to factors such as the diminishment of nationalist idealism, the reproduction of folklore in poetry failed and was exposed to intense criticism. During the 1950s, folklore was seen as one of the major obstacles to modern poetry.