The transformation of Turkish literature in the political environment of the 1950s

This study delves into the transformative decade of Turkish literature under the Democrat Party's rule starting in 1950, amidst the advent of multi-party politics in Turkey. It explores how Turkish literature evolved during this pivotal political era, analyzing key events and their impact on culture, arts, literature, and daily life between 1950 and 1960. During this period, Turkish literature underwent significant divergence from established literary norms in poetry, short stories, and novels. Particularly noteworthy from the mid-1950s onward was the emergence of individualistic and existentialist themes alongside the prevailing trends of realistic and village literature. This shift prominently manifested in poetry through the Second Renewal Movement (İkinci Yeni) and in fiction through the generation of storytellers known as the "1950 Generation". Authors such as Yusuf Atılgan, Leylâ Erbil, Adalet Ağaoğlu, Ferit Edgü, Vüs'at O. Bener, Bilge Karasu, and Demir Özlü emerged as leading figures of the modernist movement within Turkish literature during this period. Similarly, the Second Renewal Movement (İkinci Yeni) in poetry saw figures like Edip Cansever, İlhan Berk, Cemal Süreya, Turgut Uyar, Sezai Karakoç, Ece Ayhan, and Ülkü Tamer rise to prominence. This study provides a detailed examination of how Turkish literature transformed under the political backdrop of the 1950s and 1960s, emphasizing the rise of modernist trends and their enduring influence. Keywords: 1950s, multi-party politics, Democrat Party, Republican People's Party, Turkish literature, realistic literature, village literature, individualistic literature, Second Renewal Movement (İkinci Yeni)