TORUN AHMET TÜRKMEN

Our poet and author was born in Adana in 1958.
He hails from a family with a five-hundred-year history in Adana, a family that also contributed to the establishment of the Republic in the region.
He spent the majority of his education and professional life in Adana. In the late 1970s, he held leadership and presidential roles in some of the earliest initiatives concerning associations and labor unions in Turkey’s public sphere, pioneering efforts in the modern sense of these terms.
Over the course of more than half a century of political and social engagement, he has served in leadership positions within numerous civil society organizations, including the Association for Supporting Contemporary Living (ÇYDD), the Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD), the Association for the Protection of the Environment and Consumers, the Peace Platform, and various others, such as bridge clubs and associations for underwater divers. Consequently, he possesses the ability to connect with diverse social groups. As a child of the modern Republic, he has conducted research and authored texts on the civilizations of Anatolia.
He grew up in a literary environment, and his family has long been deeply involved in both literature and politics. His father published works across various literary genres, which likely helped foster his own keen sensitivity toward literature.
In his professional career, he served as a unit manager at the Çukobirlik factory and as a manager at the Kamışlı Detergent factory. Following his retirement, he engaged in commerce and olive cultivation.
He is a graduate of Anadolu University and the Academy of Social Sciences of the Soviet Union. He has a working knowledge of Greek, Russian, and English.
He is married and has a son. His wife is also a lawyer and served two terms as a CHP Member of Parliament for Adana, having been elected to the top spot on the party list through a primary process.
During the period following the September 12, 1980, military coup, he was subjected to interrogation. Both he and his family endured severe oppression and violence. He spent nine years in political exile, primarily in various European countries, with the majority of this time spent in Greece.
His interest in literature began during his primary school years, a multifaceted passion that has led him to write stories and poems for a long time. He currently has around 12 to 13 manuscripts comprising poetry, short stories, and memoirs ready for publication. Among his published works are the poetry collections “Selvi Esintisi – Cypress Breeze”, “Hayyam’dan Bu Yana – Since Khayyam”, and “Kan Saçıyor Bulutlar – Clouds Are Spilling Blood”, as well as “Sürgün: İçimdeki Ülke – Exile: The Country Within Me”, a memoir-novel that serves as the first installment in a three-part series.