Murathan Mungan
Encyclopedia
Murathan Mungan is a Turkish author
, short story writer, playwright
and poet
.
. After receiving his BA degree
from the Faculty of Letters and Drama department at Ankara University
, he worked as a dramaturg before devoting all his time to write poetry, plays, short stories, novels, film scenarios and songs. His first collection of poems, Osmanlıya Dair Hikayat (Stories about Ottomans) was published in 1980, making Mungan an overnight success.
His output remained prolific and various poetry books followed, notably Yaz Gecer (Summer Passes) and Metal. He has written four theatre plays, which earned him wider success. Mahmud ile Yezida, Taziye are two of the most staged plays of the modern Turkish theatre.
His short stories were compiled in successful volumes such as Kırk Oda (Forty Rooms) and Paranın Cinleri (Genies of Money). His screenplay
Dağınık Yatak (Messy Bed) was later filmed by director Atıf Yılmaz
in 1986 starring Turkish actress Müjde Ar
.
Mungan also wrote lyrics to some of Yeni Türkü
's songs, and for pop singers such as Nükhet Duru
.
In 2006, Murathan Mungan supervised the production of a music album by Turkish arabesk
singer Müslüm Gürses
, featuring cover version
s of popular songs such as Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
, Mr. Tambourine Man
by Bob Dylan
, and I'm Deranged
by David Bowie
, all of which were selected by Mungan.
Openly gay
, Mungan has been often associated with the Turkish gay movement
as a gay icon.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, short story writer, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Biography
His family originates from MardinMardin Province
Mardin Province is a province of Turkey with a population of 744,606. The population was 835,173 in 2000. The capital of the Mardin Province is Mardin...
. After receiving his BA degree
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the Faculty of Letters and Drama department at Ankara University
Ankara University
Ankara University is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in the Turkish Republic....
, he worked as a dramaturg before devoting all his time to write poetry, plays, short stories, novels, film scenarios and songs. His first collection of poems, Osmanlıya Dair Hikayat (Stories about Ottomans) was published in 1980, making Mungan an overnight success.
His output remained prolific and various poetry books followed, notably Yaz Gecer (Summer Passes) and Metal. He has written four theatre plays, which earned him wider success. Mahmud ile Yezida, Taziye are two of the most staged plays of the modern Turkish theatre.
His short stories were compiled in successful volumes such as Kırk Oda (Forty Rooms) and Paranın Cinleri (Genies of Money). His screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
Dağınık Yatak (Messy Bed) was later filmed by director Atıf Yılmaz
Atif Yilmaz
Atıf Yılmaz Batıbeki was a renowned Turkish Kurdish film director, screenwriter and film producer. He was almost a legend in the film industry of Turkey with 119 movies directed. He also wrote 53 screenplays and produced 28 movies since 1951. He was active in almost every period of the Turkish...
in 1986 starring Turkish actress Müjde Ar
Müjde Ar
Müjde Ar is a Turkish film actress.- Biography :She is the oldest daughter of the dramaturge and song writer Aysel Gürel. She left school at the age of 20, while she was doing a German Language and Literature M.A...
.
Mungan also wrote lyrics to some of Yeni Türkü
Yeni Türkü
Yeni Türkü is one of the best selling and best-known bands in Turkey. The group has held concerts in more than twenty countries and has recorded many albums since forming in 1978. Their musical style is characterized by a combination of traditional Turkish and modern musical instruments, including...
's songs, and for pop singers such as Nükhet Duru
Nükhet Duru
Nükhet Duru is a Turkish singer. She started singing at Florya Deniz Club in Istanbul in 1971. She released her first 45 album “Aklımda Sen Fikrimde Sen – Karadır Kaşların” in 1974. It was followed by many singles like “Beni Benimle Bırak – Gerisi Vız Gelir” , with which she won a Golden Plate....
.
In 2006, Murathan Mungan supervised the production of a music album by Turkish arabesk
Arabesque music
Arabesque or Arabesk is a genre termed so by Turkish musicologists for Arabic-style music created in Turkey. The genre was particularly popular in Turkey in the decades from the 1960s through 1990s. As with Arabic music itself, its aesthetics have evolved over the decades...
singer Müslüm Gürses
Müslüm Gürses
Müslüm Akbaş , better known as Müslüm Gürses is a Turkish folk singer.He was born in 1953 in Şanlıurfa, Turkey. He married Muhterem Nur in 1983....
, featuring cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of popular songs such as Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
, Mr. Tambourine Man
Mr. Tambourine Man
"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, which was released on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that was released as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and...
by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, and I'm Deranged
I'm Deranged
"I'm Deranged" is a song written by David Bowie and Brian Eno in 1995 for the album Outside. Musically and lyrically, it shares many themes with "Look Back in Anger" from Lodger , including the appearance of an angel figure before an artist...
by David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, all of which were selected by Mungan.
Openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, Mungan has been often associated with the Turkish gay movement
Gay rights in Turkey
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Turkey may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Homosexuality is legal in the Republic of Turkey, but the law does not include sexual orientation or gender identity in its civil rights laws and there is no legal recognition...
as a gay icon.