Abdülhak Hâmid

Abdülhak Hâmid (born Feb. 2, 1852, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire [now Istanbul, Tur.]—died April 12, 1937, Istanbul, Tur.) was a poet and playwright, considered one of the greatest Turkish Romantic writers. He was instrumental in introducing Western influences into Turkish literature.

Born into a family of famous scholars, Hâmid was educated in Istanbul and in Paris. Later in Tehrān, he studied Arabic and Persian poetry. Following in his father’s footsteps, Hâmid became a diplomat, holding posts in Paris, Greece, Bombay, The Hague, London, and Brussels. In 1908 he became a member of the Turkish Senate and after World War I, following a stay in Vienna, returned to Turkey, where he was elected a member of the Grand National Assembly in 1928. A follower of the Tanzimat (a 19th-century Turkish political reform movement) school of literature and inspired by his patriotic predecessor, the Young Ottoman writer Namık Kemal, Abdülhak Hâmid’s plays exhibit a strong French influence. Deeply moved by the death of his wife, he dedicated many poems to her, such as his famous “Makber” (“The Tomb”), written in 1885. His best dramas, notable among which are Tarik and Ibn-i Musa, feature personages in Muslim history and are written in prose and poetry, although Finten (1887) deals with London society. This sensitive poet paved the way for more radical literary reform. He was given a national funeral.