when the storm is over, when you look at the moonlight years later
to not be sad,
people must have a stone hearted
or must have a strong honor in their heart
kazim’s were not stone thanks to god,
but strong honored.
how can you know? if you ask.
he fought for the love of the master (the lord)
he got injured several times
et cetera.
and when the fight is over
he owned no farms, he owned no apartments.
he was a gardener before the fight in kartal
he was a gardener after the fight…
(Nazim Hikmet – The Epic of Independence War
1939-1941)
Why did I started with this Nazım poetry? The love of writing -which showed itself when he was sixteen- inside of him made Hasan Âli firstly a journalist and then a teacher. He was a member of the Turkish parliament for 12 years, and Minister of Turkish Education for 7 years, and then he resigned. He resigned, but after his ministery “he owned no farms, no apartments.” Before his ministery he was a journalist and a teacher in Istanbul. After his ministery he was a journalist and a teacher in Istanbul. That’s why.
Let’s travel at the time a little. To the very first years of the Republic. The era of no internet, no online cargos, no shopping malls; when the fastest car could run with 100 km per hour and still people were surprised about it. These hard times we are talking about; a nation chasing for permanent independence and build a new future with a holy hope. Even though it’s silly right now; the times which people seriously think and argue about the planet Earth stands still on an ox’s horn or it’s flat. The times which the powerful and colonial countries try to teach us our borders. Had (Border)? The saying of border is an illusion only works for ourselves, and so all the borders are put by ourselves to ourselves. Looking for proofs fort his sencence? Hasan Âli is one of them.