Refik Erduran
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February 13, 1928
Istanbul, Turkey
Edirne, Turkey
Refik Erduran | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ahmet Refik February 13, 1928 Istanbul, Turkey |
| Died | January 7, 2017 (aged 88) Edirne, Turkey |
| Resting place | Zincirlikuyu Cemetery, Istanbul |
| Occupation | Playwright, columnist, writer |
| Education | History of theatre |
| Alma mater | Robert College, Cornell University |
| Genre | Comedy, vaudeville |
| Years active | 1954–2012 |
| Spouses | Melda Kalyoncu (1950–1955), Leyla Umar (1958–1960), Sevim Tülay Güngör (1992–1997), Pınar Duygu (1997–2003) |
| Children | 4 |
Ahmet Refik Erduran (February 13, 1928 – January 7, 2017) was a Turkish playwright, columnist and writer. He wrote thirty plays and eight books, and was a columnist for twenty years; he was named "The Most Successful Playwright" by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and "The Most Successful Columnist" by the Turkish Journalists' Association. He was married four times and had four children. Erduran served as a military interpreter during the Korean War.
Ahmet Refik Erduran was born to Hüsamettin Erduran and his wife Refika in Salacak in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul, Turkey on February 13, 1928. He had an elder sister named Leyla, who was four years older. He grew up with a French Catholic nanny, who spoke only French; thus he learned French from a very early age.[1]
In 1938, he entered Robert College in Istanbul. After graduating from the high school, he went to the United States in 1947, where he was educated in the history of theatre at Cornell University. Returning home, Erduran entered compulsory military service as a reserve officer, and was sent to the Turkish Brigade during the Korean War (1950–1953) to serve as an interpreter.[1]
He married four times. In 1950, he first married poet Nâzım Hikmet's stepsister Melda Kalyoncu, who gave birth to their son Murat in 1953. This marriage lasted five years. He married journalist Leyla Umar in 1958. The couple divorced two years later, but remained together until 1977. In 1992, Erduran married Sevim Tülay Güngör. which also lasted for five years. In 1997 Erduran married Pınar Duygu (born 1965), the daughter of his third wife from her earlier marriage. They had a son in 1997 and twins in 2002. The marriage was annulled in February 2003 by a court decision for being immoral after a claim was filed by a lawyer.[1][2][3]
In June 1951, Erduran helped Nâzım Hikmet (1902–1963), whom he greatly admired, to flee Turkey for Moscow, via Romania by boat on the Black Sea.[1]
Erduran died at the age of 88 in a hospital at Edirne on January 7, 2017.[4] His body was transferred to Istanbul, and interred at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery two days later.[5]
