Rıfat Ilgaz is a poet, writer, and educator who produced works within the socially realistic tradition of Turkish literature during the Republic era. He is widely known especially for his work Hababam Sınıfı. He wrote in the genres of poetry, novel, short story, humor, and memoir.

Life

Rıfat Ilgaz was born on 7 May 1911 in the district of Cide, Kastamonu. According to his mother, his birth year was 1910. He completed his primary education in Cide and his secondary education at Kastamonu High School. He graduated from Kastamonu Teachers’ School in 1930 and began working as a primary school teacher. In 1938, he graduated from the Turkish Language Department of Gazi Institute of Education and transitioned to secondary school teaching. During a break from teaching due to tuberculosis, he received medical treatment in Istanbul. In the 1940s, he was arrested, tried, and punished multiple times because of the poems and articles he wrote. Due to political pressure, he was removed from his teaching position. In the 1950s, he worked in journalism and proofreading. He retired in 1974 and died in Istanbul on 7 July 1993. He was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

Literary Personality and Views

Rıfat Ilgaz began his literary career with poetry. His first poem was published in Kastamonu in 1926. In the 1940s, he adopted a socially realistic approach to poetry. During this period, he brought the lives and social issues of the working class to the forefront through poetry collections such as Yarenlik (1943) and Sınıf (1944). In his poems, he preferred folk language and meter. Due to his socialist outlook, some of his works were confiscated and he was prosecuted.

The writer did not limit himself to poetry but also produced works in the genres of novel, short story, humor, and memoir. In 1946, he co-founded the magazine Markopaşa with Aziz Nesin and Sabahattin Ali, which became one of the most influential opposition humor publications of the era. He published writings under the pseudonym “Stepne” in this magazine and later in various humor journals.

Ilgaz approached the socially realistic perspective not merely as an ideological stance but also through the lens of individual life and psychology. In his artistic philosophy, simplicity of language, directness, and effective communication with the public were essential.

A brief chronology of Rıfat Ilgaz’s life (Anadolu Agency)

Notable Works

Rıfat Ilgaz’s most famous work is Hababam Sınıfı, first published as a book in 1957. Originally serialized in the magazine Dolmuş, these stories were later adapted for theater and cinema. The film adaptations directed by Ertem Eğilmez reached wide audiences; however, Ilgaz noted that these adaptations softened the critical dimensions of the original work.

Other important works include:

• Karartma Geceleri (novel, 1974): Focuses on the struggle of a teacher in Istanbul during the 1940s against political repression.
• Yıldız Karayel (novel, 1981): Contains observations on bureaucracy and the teaching profession.
• Works such as Pijamalılar, Don Kişot İstanbul’da, Apartman Çocukları, Halime Kaptan, and Radarın Anahtarı also address the social realities of the period.
• Memoirs such as Kırk Yıl Önce Kırk Yıl Sonra and Sarı Yazma bear witness to Turkey’s political and cultural history through his personal life story.

Poetry Collections

• Yârenlik (1943)
• Sınıf (1944) – Sınıf ve Dosyası (1989)
• Yaşadıkça (1947)
• Devam (1953)
• Üsküdar’da Sabah Oldu (1954)
• Soluk Soluğa (1962 – new poems and selections)
• Karakılçık (1969)
• Uzak Değil (1971 – collected poems)
• Güvercinim Uyur mu? (1974)
• Kulağımız Kirişte (1983)
• Bütün Şiirleri: 1937–38 (1983)
• Ocak Katırı Alagöz (1987)
• Seçme Şiirler (1998)
• Bütün Şiirleri: 1927–1991 (2003)

Novels

• Hababam Sınıfı (1957)
• Bizim Koğuş / Pijamalılar (1959)
• Karadeniz’in Kıyıcığında (1969)
• Meşrutiyet Kıraathanesi (1974)
• Karartma Geceleri (1974)
• Sarı Yazma (1976)
• Yıldız Karayel (1981)
• Hababam Sınıfı İcraatın İçinde (1987)

Children’s Books

• Halime Kaptan (1972)
• Kumdan Betona (1976)
• Cankurtaran Yılmaz Küçükçekmece Okyanusunda (1979)
• Öksüz Civciv (1979)
• Bacaksız series (1980–1983):
• Bacaksız Kamyon Sürücüsü
• Bacaksız Sigara Kaçakcısı
• Bacaksız Okulda
• Bacaksız Tatil Köyünde
• Bacaksız Paralı Atlet
• Bacaksız / Kutulu Takım (10th ed. 2003)
• Küçük Çekmece Okyanusu (1983)
• Apartman Çocukları (1984)

Humorous Short Stories and Novels

• Radarın Anahtarı (1957)
• Don Kişot İstanbul’da (1957) – also published under the title Palavra (1972)
• Kesmeli Bunları, Nerede O Eski Usturalar, Saksağanın Kuyruğu (1962)
• Şevket Usta’nın Kedisi, Geçmişe Mazi (1965)
• Garibin Horozu (1969)
• Altın Eskicisi, Tuh Sana, Çatal Matal Kaç Çatal, Bunadı Bu Adam, Keş, Al Atını, Hababam Sınıfı Baskında, Hababam Sınıfı Uyuyor (1972)
• Hababam Sınıfı Sınıfta Kaldı (1975)
• Çalış Osman Çiftlik Senin (1983)
• Sosyal Kadınlar Partisi, Hoca Nasrettin ve Çömezleri (1984)
• Rüşvetin Almancası, Başkasın Demokrasi (1988)
• Şeker Kutusu, Büyükkarı Küçükkarı, Bir Namussuz Aranıyor, Kasabanın Yarısı, Kara Pamuk, Bülbül Düdük (1990)
• Dördüncü Bölük (1992)

Plays

• Karadeniz’in Kıyıcığında (1965, later novelized: 1969)
• Hababam Sınıfı Uyanıyor (performed: 1966, published: 1967)
• Abbas Yolagiden (1967)
• Çatal Matal Oyunu (1969)
• Hababam Sınıfı Sınıfta Kaldı (performed: 1971, published together with the play İbiş: 1971)
• Çil Horoz (1971)

Essays and Memoirs

• Yokuş Yukarı (1982)
• Nerede Kalmıştık (1984)
• Cart Curt (1984)
• Kırk Yıl Önce Kırk Yıl Sonra (1986)