Besir Fuad and Realism

Abstract

Besir Fuad is an important intellectual and writer in Turkish literature history. He had different intellectual background from his contemporaries. The philosophical and scientific factors that constitute his intellectual background let him to defend realism. Besir Fuad did not write any fictional work. He wrote theoretical and biographical works. These works are the initiator of realism-romantism debates in Turkish literature. The aim of this essay is to explore Besir Fuad's approaches to literary realism. For this porpuse, the articles and letters of Besir Fuad and his biographical book named Victor Hugo are examined. Besir Fuad defended literary realism, introduced the scientific and philosophical background of this movement, criticized romantism and introduced the historical background and methods of realism in his works. As a result, he has made important contributions to the recognition of realism in Turkish literature.