--- title: Sevim Burak slug: sevim-burak-1df31 url: /detay/sevim-burak-1df31 type: biography language: English entity: primary: Sevim Burak type: biography categories: - name: General Knowledge slug: genel-kultur url: /kategori/genel-kultur - name: Literature slug: edebiyat url: /kategori/edebiyat tags: - AnlatiSanati - EdebiyatDunyasi - TiyatroSanati - Sevim Burak - ModernEdebiyat - Öykücülük - KültürVeSanat - edebiyat - FantastikEdebiyat - Türkedebiyatı - Bilinçdışı - Biyografi author: Nursena Güller created_at: 2026-07-14T17:51:51.389305+03:00 updated_at: 2026-07-14T17:51:51.389305+03:00 image: https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/30/x7D9G7Snv3SEvT92hzfIrxd58PJXweqB.jpg --- # Sevim Burak > Sevim Burak (1931–1983) was a writer who produced works in the short story, theater, and novel genres in Turkish literature of the Republic era. ## KURE Information Cards ![9286b313-448b-41a1-9ecc-22912eccdce9.png](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/30/0WjK3PI1JIfp8PRkmrIHovWDjjH1Tibh.png) *Sevim Burak(Generated by Artificial Intelligence)* | Field | Value | |-------|-------| | Full Name | Zeliha Sevim Burak | | Spouse | Second marriage with Ömer Uluç,First marriage with Orhan Borar | | Date of Birth | 1931-06-29 | | Date of Death | 1983-12-31 | | Place of Burial | Nakkaştepe Cemetery | | Mother | Aysel Kudret Hanım (Anne Marie Mandil) | | Father | Seyfullah Mehmet Burak (Seyfi Kaptan) | | Child | Elfe Uluç,Karaca Borar | | Works | Ford Mach I (2003) - Novel,The Great Sin (1951) - Short Story,Burned Palaces (1965) - Short Story,African Dance (1982) - Short Story,The Voice of the Owner (1982) - Theater,Everest My Lord / Here Is the Head, Here Is the Body, Here Are the Wings (1984) - Theater,Letters from Mach I (1990) - Letter | ## Article Content **Sevim Burak** (full name: **Zeliha Sevim Burak**; **29 June 1931 – 31 December 1983**) was a writer who produced works in the genres of short story, theater, and [novel](/en/detay/roman-2/llms.txt) during the Republican period of Turkish literature. Her narrative, enriched by fantastic elements, along with her linguistic and fictional approach, and her text structures that challenged established storytelling conventions, occupies a unique position within [20th century Turkish literature](/en/detay/turk/llms.txt). Evaluated within the context of [New Literature](/en/detay/garip-hareketi-i-yeni-f9098/llms.txt), [Burak](/en/detay/burak-2/llms.txt) is particularly known for her short stories and for weaving her literary production intimately with her personal life experiences. ### **Life** Zeliha [Sevim Burak](/en/detay/sevim-burak-ad7e3/llms.txt) was the daughter of Aysel Kudret Hanım (Anne Marie Mandil) and Kılavuz Kaptan Seyfullah Mehmet Burak (Seyfi Kaptan). She was born on 29 June 1931. She completed her primary education at Nakkaştepe 45th Primary School. She continued her secondary education in the middle section of the German High School but did not pursue further formal education, instead entering the workforce. In her professional life, she worked as a model and held various jobs including tailoring and working as a shop assistant in bookstores. She also managed a clothing and fashion shop she opened herself. This period coincided with the years during which she continued her literary activity, forming a phase in which her life experiences became deeply intertwined with her literary output. Burak married twice. Her first marriage was to the violinist (violist) Orhan Borar, with whom she had a son named Karaca Borar. Her second marriage was to the painter Ömer Uluç, with whom she had a daughter named Elfe. Burak lived for a time in Nigeria with Ömer Uluç. Admitted to Haseki Hospital due to advanced heart disease, Sevim Burak died on 31 December 1983 before the planned heart surgery could be carried out. She was buried on 5 January 1984 at Nakkaştepe Cemetery. ![Image](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/30/M2sbMNh18mDEBaEhc3SxjrGqaIanzt3f.jpg) *Sevim Burak's House, Kuzguncuk (Photo: Meryem Şentürk Çoban)* ### **Beginning of Literary Career and Publication Process** Sevim Burak’s first appearance in the literary world occurred in **1951** with her short story *Büyük Günah*, published in the newspaper *Yeni İstanbul*. This story was among the top six entries in the newspaper’s participation in the World [Short Story Competition](/en/detay/hikaye-2/llms.txt). In subsequent years, her stories were published in the newspapers *Ulus* and *Milliyet*, and in the journals *Yenilik* and *Türk Dili*. #### **Yanık Saraylar and After** Burak’s first serious work, *Yanık Saraylar*, was published in 1965. This collection of six short stories generated debate among literary circles at the time and was regarded as occupying a distinct position within the [modern trends in Turkish short story writing](/en/detay/gercekustuculuk-2/llms.txt). However, the work did not receive the anticipated attention or win any of the prestigious literary awards of the period, including the **Sait Faik Award**. Following these developments, Sevim Burak refrained from publishing any new work for approximately seventeen years as a form of protest against the literary establishment. During this period, she did not submit her books for literary awards and withdrew from publishing activities. #### **Resumption of Publication and Posthumous Works** In **1982**, Sevim Burak published her second short story collection, *Afrika Dansı*, and the play *Sahibinin Sesi*. *Sahibinin Sesi* was added to the repertoire of the State Theaters and staged in **1985**. One year after the author’s death, the play *Everest My Lord / İşte Baş, İşte Gövde, İşte Kanatlar* was published. Letters she wrote to her son Karaca were compiled into a book titled *Mach I’dan Mektuplar* in 1990. Her unfinished novel *Ford Mach I* was prepared for publication by Nilüfer Güngörmüş Erdem and released in 2003. Burak’s plays have been staged by various theaters after her death. The 2000s emerged as a period of intensified scholarly work on Sevim Burak. ### **Literary Approach** Sevim Burak defined the short story as an inner monologue spanning a person’s life from birth to death. In her writing, the short story serves as the primary narrative space through which personal life experiences are processed. She addressed the ruptures and defeats she encountered in life through her stories, constructing narratives and characters that became textual manifestations of this process. Her own description of this approach is as follows: *"Writing is the means by which I preserve my human dignity. The only place in my life where I have been able to save my dignity is in my stories. My stories, like a second fate, offer me refuge and conceal me from others. Writing stories is, to me, a state that is open to myself but closed to others. I must believe in my stories. Therefore, writing stories is almost a physical force that drives me to write, before I even begin."*[^1]  She viewed writing not as a pastime but as a personal responsibility and duty. In her works, she expressed herself through diverse identities and narrators, making fear, dread, dream, pain, and stream of consciousness central elements of her narrative. Traces of Levantine culture appear in Burak’s texts. The Torah is among her primary reference sources in terms of narrative language and content. She adopted a narrative style that challenged syntactic and orthographic conventions, at times acquiring a poetic structure. Extraordinary and fantastic elements occupied the center of her narrative. Burak did not belong to any literary movement. She drew inspiration from the texts she read but did not imitate them directly, instead using them as materials in her writing process. **Kafka, the Torah, and Dostoevsky** are among her main sources. Writers such as **Samuel Beckett, William Faulkner, and James Joyce** influenced her at a suggestive level. Among Turkish writers, she showed interest in **Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar, Nazım Hikmet, Aziz Nesin, Behçet Necatigil, and Ece Ayhan**. Her reading encompassed philosophy, dictionaries, and diverse sources related to everyday life. ### **Works** Sevim Burak’s literary output consists of works written across different periods in the genres of short story, theater, novel, and letter. #### **Short Story** - *Büyük Günah* (1951) - *Yanık Saraylar* (1965) - *Afrika Dansı* (1982) #### **Theater** - *Sahibinin Sesi* (1982) - *Everest My Lord / İşte Baş, İşte Gövde, İşte Kanatlar* (1984) #### **Letter** - *Mach I’dan Mektuplar* (1990) #### **Novel** - *Ford Mach I* (2003) [YouTube Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9z2mzzeFbg) *On Sevim Burak(TRT 2)* ## Academic Sources and References 1. Bianet. “Farklı Açılardan Sevim Burak.” December 21, 2013. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://bianet.org/haber/farkli-acilardan-sevim-burak-152245 2. Koçakoğlu, Bedia. "Sevim Burak'i Besleyen Damarlar." \*Selçuk Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi\* 17 (2007): 45-59. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/sefad/issue/16470/171879 3. TRT 2. "Sevim Burak | Kelimeler ve Şeyler | 66. Bölüm." YouTube, 25:53. Accessed December 30, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9z2mzzeFbg 4. Turk Edebiyatı İsimler Sözlüğü. "Sevim Burak." Accessed December 30, 2025. https://teis.yesevi.edu.tr/madde-detay/burak-sevim 5. Yapı Kredi Yayınları (YKY). "Sevim Burak." Accessed December 30, 2025. https://kitap.ykykultur.com.tr/yazarlar/sevim-burak# ## Citations [^1]: Bedia Koçakoğlu. "Sevim Burak'i Besleyen Damarlar." Selçuk Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 17 (2007): 46. Erişim 30 Aralık 2025. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/sefad/issue/16470/171879