Turkish poet, writer, and thinker Sezai Karakoç, who has also been known as the "loud voice of the ummah", has passed away at the age of 88.
Karakoç dedicated his whole life to the ideologic struggle known as "Resurrection", striving to raise consciousness among people and help them to return to their self. The great author was a turning point for Turkish literature, and he instilled hope in new generations.
The country's presidential spokesperson, Ibrahim Kalın, announced his passing on social media, saying "The Resurrection poet, Ustad Sezai Karakoç has reached Allah's mercy. He left behind an exemplary life, a robust fabric of ideas, and a great literary legacy. May Allah make his place cennet (heaven), his rank high and his sould happy."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he learned about the death of the 'Poet of Resurrection' with "deep sadness," and called him a great thinker in the world of literature and thought "who guided generations with his ideas."
"I offer my condolences to his family, fans, and our nation," he wrote on Twitter.
Born on Jan. 22, 1933, in Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakır, his father was a merchant captured by the Russians while fighting on the Caucasian front in World War I.
Spending his childhood in Diyarbakir, he went to secondary school in the southern Turkish province of Kahramanmaraş and studied high school in Gaziantep province.
With a keen interest in literature, Karakoç started reading western classics during his high school years. He read Western and Eastern classic literature before joining Ankara University to study political science.
Awaiting results for the entrance exam, Karakoç met Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, another prominent Turkish poet and thinker who had a huge influence on him.
Besides higher education in the 1950s, Karakoç worked at the Büyük Doğu magazine, a conservative political publication founded by Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, and shaped the thinking of many generations.
He graduated from the university in 1955, and started working at Turkey's Finance Ministry.
Starting December 1963, he wrote daily articles for national newspapers, including Yeni İstiklal, Yeni İstanbul, and Sabah newspaper in Babıali, the capital of Turkish media at the time.
Karakoç later resigned from the ministry to devote more time to literary studies. He wrote Mona Rosa, which became one of the most famous poems about love in Turkish literature.
In 1990, he founded the Diriliş Party (Resurrection Party) to realize the world he revealed in his poetry and writings.
He was awarded Turkey's Presidential Culture and Arts Award in 2011.
