İskender Pala was born on June 8, 1958, in Kayaağıl village, Uşak, Turkey.

Early Life and Education

He is the son of civil servants Mehmet Pala and Fatma Hanım. Pala began his primary education at Uşak Cumhuriyet Primary School and later continued at an Imam-Hatip school, graduating in 1969. He completed his high school education at Kütahya High School as a boarding student, earning two diplomas in 1976: one from the Imam-Hatip program and another from the high school curriculum. With these diplomas, he gained the right to enroll in two different programs: Turkish Language and Literature at Erzurum Atatürk University with his Imam-Hatip diploma, and Engineering in Konya with his high school diploma. However, following his passion for literature, he pursued education in Erzurum for a while before transferring to Istanbul, a hub for writers and poets. He transferred to the Turkish Language and Literature Department at Istanbul University’s Faculty of Literature, graduating in 1979.

Family Life and Connection to Literature

In his personal life, Pala married his schoolmate Hülya Hanım in 1980, and they have three children: Hilye Banu (1982), Elif Dilasa (1986), and Alperen Ahmet (1992). Pala’s relationship with literature began in high school when he wrote his first novel attempt, Bir Ömür Böyle Geçti (A Life Passed Like This), engaging with both prose and poetry. His reading journey started with Peyami Safa’s Dokuzuncu Hariciye Koğuşu, followed by works from Ömer Seyfettin, Refik Halit Karay, and Reşat Ekrem Koç. During his university years, he delved into Ottoman history and literature, with works like Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’s 19th Century Turkish Literature History and Nihad Sami Banarlı’s Illustrated History of Turkish Literature deepening his interest in Divan literature.

Military Service

Between 1979 and 1982, Pala worked as a clerk at the Turkology Seminar Library, prepared crossword puzzles for Günaydın newspaper, and wrote research articles for Devir newspaper. Although he passed the assistantship exam at Istanbul University, the recruitment was canceled, leading him to start his military service as a lieutenant in the Turkish Navy on May 27, 1982. Until 1984, he served as a trainee teacher at Heybeliada Naval High School and wrote the Turkish Knowledge and Composition textbook for preparatory classes. Between 1984 and 1986, he served as a first lieutenant, and from 1987 to 1994, he held the rank of captain, contributing to the establishment and publication efforts of the Naval Archives at the Turkish Naval Forces Command. However, in 1997, his military service ended following a decision by the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ). His 15-year military career, spanning from the post-September 12 coup to the February 28 process, is detailed in his memoir İki Darbe Arasında (Between Two Coups, 2010).

Academic Career

After his military service, Pala focused on academic and literary work, completing his doctoral thesis, Aşkî, His Life, Literary Identity, and Divan, in 1983. He became an associate professor in 1993 and a full professor in 1998. Between 1996 and 1997, he taught at Mimar Sinan University, served as a editorial board member at İSAM, and was a faculty member at Istanbul Kültür University. In 2009, he joined Uşak University, was appointed Prime Ministerial Chief Advisor in January 2015, and became a Presidential Advisor in 2017. He continues to teach at Istanbul Kültür University.

Pala has written articles, essays, stories, and newspaper columns to popularize Divan literature among the general public. His seminars and conferences have attracted great interest. In 2005, he co-hosted the Şairane program on TRT with Hilmi Yavuz and later prepared the Divançe program for TRT 2. He organized Divan Poetry Hour events at Altunizade and Tarık Zafer Tunaya Cultural Centers. His works cover a broad spectrum, including Divan literature research, historical novels, essays, stories, and plays. In his books, he employs a biographical style, blending historical figures and their periods with fictional elements. Pala has received numerous awards, including the Turkish Writers' Association Language Award (1989) for Encyclopedic Dictionary of Divan Poetry, the AKDTYK Turkish Language Institution Award (1990), the Turkish Writers' Association Analysis Award (1996) for From the Language of Poets, the Kayseri Branch of the Enlightened Society Literary Man of the Year Award (2001), the YTB Uşak Folk Hero Award (2001), and the 2013 Presidential Grand Award.

Books

Pala's works offer a rich collection across different literary genres. Below is a chronological list of his works along with their types:

• Turkish Grammar and Composition (Deniz Lisesi Printing House, 1987) – Textbook
• Examples from Aşkî and His Divan (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 1988) – Compilation
• Encyclopedic Dictionary of Divan Poetry (Ministry of Culture, 1989) – Dictionary
• Hayriyye - Yusuf Nâbi (Ministry of Culture, 1989) – Translation
• Historical Biographies of Namık Kemal (Turkish Historical Society Publications, 1989) – Compilation
• Hilye-i Saadet / Hakanî Mehmet Bey (Turkish Religious Foundation, 1991) – Translation
• Example-Based and Applied Composition for High Schools (Ülke Publishing, 1991) – Textbook
• Oral and Written Expression for Secondary Schools (Ülke Publishing, 1991) – Textbook
• Divan Literature (Ağaç Publishing, 1992) – Research
• Proverbs Dictionary - A Thousand Words... A Thousand Lessons... (Servet Publishing, 1992) – Dictionary
• Güldeste (Akçağ Publishing, 1993) – Anthology
• Ottoman Naval Wars (Muhârebât-ı Bahriyye-i Osmaniyye) / Süleyman Nutkî (Turkish Naval Forces Command, 1993) – Translation
• Turgut Reis / Ali Rıza Seyfioğlu (Turkish Naval Forces Command, 1994) – Translation
• From Our Naval History / Safvet Bey (Turkish Naval Forces Command, 1994) – Translation
• Chronological Anthology of Divan Poetry / Divânü’d - Devâvin (Akçağ Publishing, 1995) – Anthology
• Exceptional Beauties (Ötüken Publishing, 1995) – Essay
• Turkish Button Making and Naval Buttons (Turkish Naval Forces Command, 1995) – Research
• From the Language of Poets (Ötüken Publishing, 1996) – Essay
• Ancient Poetry (Şi’r-i Kadîm) (Ötüken Publishing, 1997) – Analysis
• Poems, Poets, and Assemblies (Ötüken Publishing, 1997) – Biography
• Aşkname (Kapı Publishing, 1997) – Story
• Familiar Beauties (Ötüken Publishing, 1998) – Essay
• The Forty Horsemen of the Ancients (Ötüken Publishing, 1998) – Biography
• Leyla and Mecnun (Timaş Publishing, 1998) – Story
• Bakî (Timaş Publishing, 1998) – Research
• Necatî (Timaş Publishing, 1998) – Research
• Yunus Emre (Timaş Publishing, 1999) – Research
• Poet Sultan: Avnî / Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror (Şule Publishing, 1999) – Research
• Ah Mine’l - Aşk (Ötüken Publishing, 1999) – Essay
• Âyine (Babıali Culture Publishing, 2000) – Essay
• The Assembly of Forty (Ötüken Publishing, 2000) – Biography
• Two Dirhams and One Carat (Babıali Culture Publishing, 2000) – Essay
• ...and the Ghazal Returns (Ötüken Publishing, 2001) – Analysis
• Nedîm (Timaş Publishing, 2001) – Research
• Rose Poems (L&M Publishing, 2002) – Anthology
• Disheveled Ghazals (L&M Publishing, 2002) – Analysis
• Legendary Beauties (L&M Publishing, 2002) – Essay
• Attic (L&M Publishing, 2002) – Essay
• Gözgü (L&M Publishing, 2002) – Essay
• Coffee Break (L&M Publishing, 2002) – Essay
• Fuzûlî (Gendaş Publishing, 2002) – Research
• Sheikh Galip (Gendaş Publishing, 2002) – Research
• Mevlana (Gendaş Publishing, 2002) – Research
• Academic Research on Divan Poetry (L&M Publishing, 2003) – Research
• The Poems of Fatih (Family Finance Institution Publications, 2003) – Compilation
• Death in Babylon, Love in Istanbul (L&M Publishing, 2003) – Novel
• Mir’at (Kapı Publishing, 2004) – Essay
• Madly in Love Beauties (Kapı Publishing, 2004) – Essay
• Dream Remnants (Kapı Publishing, 2004) – Essay
• Su Kasidesi (Kapı Publishing, 2004) – Research
• The Forty Beauties Fountain (Kapı Publishing, 2004) – Essay
• The Fortieth Gate (Kapı Publishing, 2005) – Essay
• Book of Love (Alfa Publishing, 2005) – Essay
• Sultans of Poetry (Asya Finance Institution, 2005) – Anthology
• Masterpieces of Ottoman Literature (Kapı Publishing, 2006) – Compilation
• Dolmabahçe Palace: The Jewel on the Bosphorus (Turkish Grand National Assembly National Palaces, 2006) – Analysis
• Istanbul: A Dream (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, 2007) – Analysis
• Tulip Eulogy (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, 2007) – Essay
• Four Elements: Earth, Water, Air, Fire (Kapı Publishing, 2008) – Essay
• Katre-i Matem (Kapı Publishing, 2009) – Novel
• Mevlid / Süleyman Çelebi (Kapı Publishing, 2009) – Translation
• Shah & Sultan (Kapı Publishing, 2010) – Novel
• Between Two Coups (Kapı Publishing, 2010) – Memoir
• The Essence of Words: Proverbs from Past to Present (Kapı Publishing, 2010) – Dictionary
• Muhibbî: The Magnificent Poet (Kapı Publishing, 2011) – Analysis
• Od - A Yunus Emre Novel (Kapı Publishing, 2011) – Novel
• About Love (Kapı Publishing, 2012) – Essay
• Legend - A Barbaros Novel (Kapı Publishing, 2013) – Novel
• Hoş Sadâ (Kapı Publishing, 2013) – Compilation
• Lale Devri (Istanbul Culture University, 2013) – Analysis
• Mihmandar - A Novel of Eyüp Sultan (Kapı Publishing, 2014) – Novel
• The Chest of an Istanbulite (Kapı Publishing, 2014) – Essay
• Mesela (Kapı Publishing, 2015) – Story
• Bülbülün Kırk Şarkısı (Kapı Publishing, 2015) – Novel
• Karun ve Anarşist (Kapı Publishing, 2017) – Novel
• AbumRabum - A Novel of Prophet Abraham (Kapı Publishing, 2017) – Novel
• Akşam Yıldızı (Kapı Publishing, 2019) – Novel
• İtiraf (Kapı Publishing, 2019) – Novel
• Kalp (Turkuvaz Kitap, 2019) – Novel
• Leyla ile Mecnun (Kapı Publishing, 2020) – Theater
• Nizamülmülk (Kapı Publishing, 2020) – Theater
• Kılıçarslan (Kapı Publishing, 2020) – Theater
• Jennifer’s Wedding (Kapı Publishing, 2020) – Theater
• Lale Devri (Kapı Publishing, 2020) – Theater
• Coup: Blood and Sultan (Kapı Publishing, 2020) – Theater
• Love Once Upon a Time (Kapı Publishing, 2020) – Theater
• Neyzen Tevfik (Kapı Publishing, 2020) – Theater
• Vali Hanım (Kapı Publishing, 2020) – Theater
• Süleyman (Kapı Publishing, 2020) – Theater
• Kervan (Kapı Publishing, 2021) – Novel
• A-71 (Kapı Publishing, 2021) – Novel

İskender Pala has left a deep mark on Turkish literature with his works, making Divan literature appealing to modern readers and blending history and culture with literature. With his academic background, literary talent, and broad vision, he is a well-recognized name both in Turkey and internationally.