Abstract
AHMET HAMDİ TANPINAR AND PAUL VALERY
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar (1901-1962), an important name of modern Turkish literature, is one of the artists who wrote works in almost every genre of literature as well as being an academic. A novelist, short story writer, poet, essayist and literary historian, Tanpınar was, according to his own words, influenced by Paul Valery on the art of poetry. Paul Valery (1871-1945) influenced many poets not only with his poems but also with his views on poetry. Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar read Paul Valery's Monsieur Teste in 1926 in Ankara. Saying that Monsieur Teste influenced him a lot, Tanpınar decided to translate the work into Turkish as soon as possible. But he died before completing the translation. Tanpınar's admiration for Paul Valery's art and ideas did not end there. During his years in France, he visits the city where Valery was born and his grave. Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar often refers to Paul Valery's views, especially in his articles on poetry, but his main goal is to prepare a study on Paul Valery. The notes of this study, which we think he would have included in the introduction of Paul Valery's Monsieur Teste had he been able to complete the translation, are among the manuscripts left by Tanpınar. These manuscripts, in the form of scattered, disorganized notes, are, as one might expect, in old writing. We have gathered Tanpınar's handwritten manuscripts and transcribed them into new writing. We have also benefited from Tanpınar's letters and articles while interpreting his thoughts on Paul Valery, whom Tanpınar called his master. We have previously published Tanpınar's notes on Gerard de Nerval, which were also among his manuscripts. Undoubtedly, knowing the thoughts of artists on the sources of their influences will enable us to gain new perspectives on his art. In conclusion, Gerard de Nerval and Paul Valery are two important figures representing the technical and thematic sources of Tanpınar's poetry.
Keywords
Pure poetry, Valery, Tanpınar, Monsieur Teste, biography, poetics.
