ASLANKARA, M. Sadık

Novelist and storywriter (b. 12 December 1948, Sarayköy / Denizli). His full name is Mehmet Sadık Aslankara. He attended İzmir Namık Kemal High School and graduated from Ankara University, Faculty of Communication, Department of Philosophy. He started to work as a professional theater actor in Ankara Players of People Stage in 1968. He was among the founders of Ankara Unity Stage in 1966. In 1982 he founded Denizli Theater and De Theater, which was the sprout of Denizli Theater, in 1987. In that period he directed more than thirty plays and acted in some of these plays. He worked in Turkish Radio and Television Corporation since 1976. He wrote scripts for Turkish Radio and Television Corporation and served as actor, speaker and advisor in that institution and took on duty both behind the scenes and in front of the cameras. He continued his studies on documentary film as director from 1994. He had started working on that theme in 1983 when interrupted his studies on active theater. He retired in 1998. He had directed twenty five documentaries.

His first article was published in the newspaper Cumhuriyet (20 April 1965) and his first short story Beyaz Atkılı Kadın (The Woman with White Scarf) was published in Denizli’s local newspaper Pamukkale. His articles on study and presentation were published in the reviews Cumhuriyet Kitap, Çağdaş Türk Dili and Adam Sanat. He received various awards in the fields of literature, documentary theater and documentary film. He received the second rank in 1986 Salihli Municipality Drama Competition with his work Kevser’di (It was Kevser), the 1990 Ferit Oğuz Bayır Novel Competition Special Award with his work Kör Memdali’nin Çınar Ağacı (The Plane Tree of Blind Memdali), the third rank in the 1992 Üsküdar Municipality Drama Competition with his work Ev-Ses (House-Voice), 1999 the First Foça Short Film Fest, Best Documentary Award with Ormanım (My Forest). He received 2002 Yunus Nadi Short Story Award, which he shared with Zeynep Aliye, with Uykusuz Sakız (Sleepless Sakız).

WORKS:

PLAY: Kevser’di (It was Kevser, 1989), Ev-Ses (House-Voice, 1992).

NOVEL: Kör Memdali’nin Çınar Ağacı (The Plane Tree of Blind Memdali, 1990), Bin Yüz Bir Giz (A Hundred Faces, a Mystery, 1993), Selgesus’ta Buse (Kiss in Selgesus, 1996).

SHORT STORY: Uykusuz Sakız (Sleepless Sakız, 2001).

COLLECTION: Cumhuriyetimizin 75. Yılında Ormancılığımız (Our Forestry in the 75th Anniversary of Our Republic, 2000).