Ebüzziyâ Tevfik (1849-1913) as a cultural entrepreneur

This dissertation explores the role played by Ebüzziyâ Tevfik in the formation of modern Turkish literature through his work as an author, printer, and publisher, as well as his social relations. Ebüzziyâ Tevfik is an example of entrepreneurs who first appeared in the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the nineteenth century and operated in both cultural and commercial fields. The diffusion of literary texts in the Ottoman print culture depends on their intermediacy. Their contributions to modern Turkish literature may be demonstrated via a case study of Ebüzziyâ Tevfik. Accordingly, this dissertation questions the motives behind Ebüzziyâ Tevfik's business decisions, identifies his publishing strategies, and analyzes his social network. His biography and own statements indicate that he is driven by idealistic and commercial motivations. While one motivation may overshadow the other in singular cases, they are often both influential. Ebüzziyâ Tevfik's corpus, meanwhile, includes many non-literary texts in addition to literary works and reflects his encyclopedism. The main goal is to democratize readership. In this context, literature usually gets relegated to a secondary position. Even though Ebüzziyâ Tevfik publishes numerous literary texts, these often serve concerns beyond aesthetics. Finally, while he partially owes his success to his personal labors, his entry into the publishing industry and meteoric rise are mostly predicated upon his social connections. The way he utilizes his social network is demonstrated by an analysis of his political engagement, business relations, and attitudes toward the state.