Disengagement, consistency, and innovation in Mehmet Akif Ersoy and Tevfik Fikret

As in the literature of every nation, social issues have found a great place in literary works in Turkish literature. Their perspectives on social issues have been a situation which has brought artists to the fore. Mehmet Akif Ersoy and Tevfik Fikret are two great artists who lived in the last period of the Ottoman Empire. The social values they mention in their works make them come into prominence. The works they wrote had a great impact during and after the period they lived. The fact that they deal with different values in their works causes different groups to embrace them. The period in which Akif and Fikret lived is the decadence of the Ottoman Empire. The quests for the re-empowerment of the empire are at the highest level. Revealing the effects of the innovation period that started with the Tanzimat Edict on the artists provides a better understanding of their feelings. The solution proposals for the situation of a great empire in the process of collapse are different. While revealing the salvation prescriptions, the influence of their beliefs and characters is great. The ideas they put forward for the design of society at a time when the influence of the Eastern/Islamic tradition is at a high level are important. Although they grew up in the same country, the same period and the same cultural environment, the difference in thought between the two artists is striking. Akif and Fikret are two artists who are more sensitive to society. Putting forward the reasons that differentiate the perspectives of the two artists who left their mark on Turkish literature and beyond with their works, enables the period and artists to be better known. The reasons that differentiate their thoughts reveal their perspectives on social issues. Turkish cultural life has produced important works based on rupture, continuity and innovation for the last two hundred years. It is seen that the rupture, continuity and innovation handled by many artists in the Tanzimat Period are more striking in Akif and Fikret. The difference in their perspectives on issues stems from their temperaments. The two artists have produced works that cause differences in thought with their temperament differences. Although there are many points where both of them definitely differ, their commonality of thought is also striking. Literature shows the transition. The Tanzimat period is the most intense period of transition. It is seen that Akif and Fikret handle this transition both in a similar and different way. The rupture, continuity and innovation that come to the fore with the transition contribute to revealing the similar and different aspects of the artists. It is determined that the similarities and differences stem from the era, politics and personality. On the one hand the presence of modern and Islamic mentality in the works of Akif and, on the other hand, the impact of a humanistic and progressive approach in the works of Fikret outweighs. Key Words: Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Tevfik Fikret, Disengagement, Consistency Innovation, West