Yavuz Bahadıroğlu, born Niyazi Birinci, was a journalist and author who produced a large number of works in the genres of historical fiction, short stories, children's literature, and essays. He primarily focused on fictional narratives related to Ottoman history and reached a broad readership by transforming historical events into novels. He was also active in journalism, publishing, and television broadcasting.

Life and Education

Yavuz Bahadıroğlu, born as Niyazi Birinci, was born in 1945 in the village of Hisarlı in the Pazar district of Rize, Türkiye. He completed his formal education at the secondary school level. During his secondary education, he developed an interest in history books and literature and taught himself Ottoman Turkish in order to read historical texts. After graduating in 1960, he worked in various professions, including maritime transport, fishing, and tea expertise. In 1971, he moved to Istanbul and began a career in journalism.

Journalism and Publishing Career

Birinci started his journalism career in 1971 as a reporter. He worked as a correspondent, intelligence chief, columnist, and interview writer for newspapers such as Yeni Asya and Yeni Nesil. He also held editorial positions in various newspapers, magazines, and publishing houses.

Between 1981 and 1989, he served as the editor-in-chief of the children’s magazine Can Kardeş. He continued his writing under various pen names. He used “Yavuz Bahadıroğlu” in his novels, “Bahadır Alp” and “Nurcan Sevinç” in children's books, and “Veysel Akpınar” and “Şeref Baysal” in opinion columns. He prepared commentary programs for national media, hosted radio programs on Moral FM, and participated in history-themed content on TV Net.

Literary Work

He began his writing activities during his secondary school years. His first writing attempt was a column he prepared for a wall newspaper. In later years, he continued writing historical fiction. He preferred to present historical events through a fictional narrative structure, a method he described with the phrase “not historical novels, but the novelization of history.”

In his works, he focused on various periods of the Ottoman Empire, addressing themes such as sultans, state structure, and social life. He also wrote stories, tales, and educational texts for children and young readers. He maintained a literary output aimed at children through numerous published works in the field of children’s literature.

Historical Interpretation and Views

In his writings and interviews, he offered various interpretations of Ottoman history. He argued that the Ottoman Empire should be examined not only for its military aspects but also for its social and legal systems. In his commentary on the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, he discussed the sultan’s approach to governance, his interest in poetry, and his administrative practices within the legal system.

He emphasized that historical events should be understood through connections to contemporary meanings. His evaluations of Ottoman society included perspectives on law, justice, multiculturalism, and public order.

Death

Yavuz Bahadıroğlu passed away on January 21, 2021, while receiving treatment at a hospital in Istanbul. He was buried in the Eyüpsultan Cemetery.

Awards

• 1979 – Turkish National Culture Foundation, Fiction Encouragement Award (for Köprübaşı)
• 1982 – Turkish Writers' Union, Author of the Year in Children's Literature

Books

Novels

• Bukhara is Burning (Buhara Yanıyor)
• Farewell, Bukhara (Elveda Buhara)
• Crimea is Bleeding (Kırım Kan Ağlıyor)
• Prince Selim (Şehzade Selim)
• The Plague (Şirpençe)
• Towards Egypt (Mısır’a Doğru)
• Beginning of the Road (Yolbaşı)
• Flood (Sel)
• Walking in the Void (Boşlukta Yürümek)
• Köprübaşı (Köprübaşı)
• Turmoil (Keşmekeş)
• Murad IV (Dördüncü Murad, 2 volumes)
• Hello Söğüt (Merhaba Söğüt)
• Orphaned Sovereignty (Sahipsiz Saltanat)
• Murad I (Birinci Murad)
• Bayezid the Thunderbolt (Yıldırım Beyazıt)
• Osman Gazi (Osman Gazi)
• Mehmed Çelebi (Çelebi Mehmet)
• Prince Cem (Cem Sultan, 2 volumes)
• Orhan Gazi (Orhan Gazi)
• The Conqueror (Fatih)
• Suleiman the Magnificent (Kanuni Sultan Süleyman)
• Sunguroğlu (Sunguroğlu)
• A Friday Morning in Malazgirt (Malazgirt’te Bir Cuma Sabahı)
• Selim the Grim (Yavuz Sultan Selim)
• Saladin (Selahaddin Eyyubi)
• Turgut Alp (Turgut Alp)
• Çakabey (Çakabey)
• Farewell to Andalusia (Endülüs’e Elveda)
• Love Me (Sen Beni Sev)
• Midnight Letters (Geceyarısı Mektupları)
• Handcuff (Kelepçe)
• The Man Who Sought the Rose (Gülü Arayan Adam)
• Magnificent Suleiman and Hürrem Sultan (Muhteşem Kanuni Sultan Süleyman ve Hürrem Sultan)
• Selim the Grim and the Sacred Relics (Yavuz Sultan Selim ve Kutsal Emanetler)
• Where an Era Ended: Gallipoli (Bir Devrin Bittiği Yer: Çanakkale)
• Ertuğrul Gazi (Ertuğrul Gazi)
• Revival in Barla (Barla’da Diriliş)

Short Stories

• The Third Step (Üçüncü Basamak)
• Under Razor’s Rule (Ustura Zoruna)
• The Voice at the Summit (Zirvedeki Ses)
• Kirazlı Mescid Street (Kirazlı Mescid Sokağı)
• The Village of a Thousand Horses (Binatlı)
• The Resistance Epic of a Great Nation: Gallipoli (Büyük Bir Milletin Direniş Destanı: Çanakkale)

Essays and Research

• The West and Us (Batı ve Biz)
• Encyclopedia of Ottoman Sultans (Osmanlı Padişahları Ansiklopedisi, 3 volumes)
• What is Happening in Our World (Dünyamızda Neler Oluyor)
• My Dear Prophet (Canım Peygamberim)
• Journey of the Heart (Yürek Seferi)
• A Petition to Life (Hayata Dilekçe)
• Religion and Secularism (Din ve Laiklik)
• The Backstreets of History (Tarihin Arka Sokakları)
• The Veil of Mystery Over Our Recent History (Yakın Tarihimizin Sır Perdesi)
• The Deep State in the Ottoman Empire and Abdulhamid II (Osmanlı’da Derin Devlet ve II. Abdülhamit)
• From Beylik to Empire: Ottoman Sultans (Beylikten Hükümdarlığa Osmanlı Padişahları)
• Mimar Sinan – The Ottoman Seal in Architecture (Mimar Sinan – Mimarideki Osmanlı Mührü)

Plays

• Plays (Piyesler)

Children’s Books and Tales

• Children’s Tales (Çocuk Masalları)
• Monster Robot (Canavar Robot)
• Giant Animals (Dev Hayvanlar)
• The War of the Ants (Karıncalar Savaşı)
• A Child’s Ramadan (Çocuğun Ramazanı)
• The Raid (Baskın)
• The Lost Ambassadors (Kaybolan Elçiler)
• Cheap Stories (Ucuz Hikâyeler)
• Varvara (Varvara)
• Our Can (Bizim Can)
• Hello Söğüt (Merhaba Söğüt)