AKTUNÇ, Hulki

Poet and writer (b. 1949, İstanbul). He completed his pre-graduate education at military schools and started to work for an advertisement agency after he discontinued his studies at İstanbul University, Faculty of Law. He founded the Yaratım Agency in 1980 of which he is still the chairman. His stories, critiques and research were published in reviews such as Soyut (his first story, 1969), Yeni Ufuklar, Yeni Edebiyat, Papirüs and Türkiye Defteri where he was on the editorial board (1973-75).

His stories Aşka Kimse Yok (No One for Love) and Bir Yer Göstericinin Hayatı (The Life of an Usher) were filmed. He won the Turkish Language Association Story Award in 1977 with his first story book Gidenler Dönmeyenler (The Ones who Go, The Ones Who Don’t Return, 1976), the Abdi İpekçi Novel Award in 1981 with his novel Bir Çağ Yangını (The Fire of an Age, 1980), the Yunus Nadi Short Story Award in 1989 with Bir Yer Göstericinin Hayatı (The Life of an Usher), the Halil Kocagöz Poetry Award in 1994 with İnsan Aşklarının Külüdür (Man is the Ash of His Loves) and the Cemal Süreya Poetry Award in 1995 with Istıraplar Ansiklopedisi (The Encyclopedia of Pains). He was put on trial for his book Kadın Argosu Sözlüğü (Dictionary of Slang of Women) but was acquitted (2001).

WORKS:

SHORT STORY: Gidenler Dönmeyenler (The Ones Who Go, the Ones Who Don’t Return, 1976), Kurtarılmış Haziran (Saved June, 1977), Ten ve Gölgeler (The Skin and the Shadows, 1985), Bir Yer Göstericinin Hayatı (The Life of an Usher, 1989), Güz Her Şeyi Bilir (Autumn Knows It All, 1998).

NOVEL: Bir Çağ Yangını (The Fire of an Age, 1981), Son İki Eylül (The Last Two Septembers, 1987).

POETRY: Sır Kâtibi (The Clerk of Secrets, 1989), Islıkta Tarihçe (History in The Whisper, 1989), Adresim Aynalar (My Address is Mirrors, 1991), Şarkılar (The Songs, 1992), İnsan Aşklarının Külüdür (Man is the Ash of His Loves, 1993), Istıraplar Ansiklopedisi (Encyclopedia of Pain, 1994), Bir Şeyin Varoluşu (The Existence of a Thing, 2000), Firak (Separation, collected poems, 2000).

DICTIONARY: Büyük Argo Sözlüğü (Big Slang Dictionary, 1990), Kadın Argosu Sözlüğü (Slang Dictionary of Women, 2001).

ESSAY: Erotologya (Erotology, 2000)