The turning point in Turkish writer Mustafa Kutlu’s life

Mustafa Kutlu, one of the most prominent Turkish storytellers and writers, has been involved with painting since his childhood, and did not start writing until the last year of university, even then did not start storytelling. His encounter with Dr Orhan Okay, an important Turkish literary scientist ultimately led him from the countryside to Istanbul and from painting to literature, marking the turning point of his life.

The first articles sent by philosopher Nurettin Topçu, an important name in Turkish thought, to the journal Hareket, which he has published intermittently since 1939, adorn the cover of the 28th issue of the journal. After this journal, which he could not put down with great joy until midnight, his story named “O” was published in its 29th issue on May 29, 1968. He published various independent studies on important figures in Turkish storytelling; including Sait Faik and Sabahattin Ali. However, Kutlu, who has a strong interest in literature, has avoided republishing his first works because he does not find them successful.

Kutlu, who has always maintained an unfulfilled desire in his interest in painting, realized that when he started to draw again in 1998. He saw that he always drew the same picture, not independent of his childhood experiences. Kutlu would present these paintings to his friends with small letters.