Who is Aşık Veysel, where is he from, when and why did he die? Works of Aşık Veysel

Âşık Veysel, real name Veysel Şatıroğlu (born 25 October 1894, Şarkışla – died 21 March 1973, Sivas), is a Turkish folk poet and poet. Veysel Şatıroğlu, a member of the Şatırlı tribe of the Afşar clan, was born on October 25, 1894 in Tenos (present-day Şarkışla) town of Sivas Province as one of the children of Gülizar and Ahmet Şatıroğlu couple. Despite losing his sight as a child, Âşık Veysel, who deals with tolerance, love, unity and solidarity, patriotism and nature in his poems; She left many works such as "I'm on a Long and Thin Road", "Friends Remember Me", "Black Earth" and "Your Beauty Doesn't Matter". Recognized as one of the most important representatives of the minstrel tradition in Turkey, Veysel is accepted as one of the names who use Turkish in the simplest and most powerful way.

Works; It has been reinterpreted by many artists such as Tarkan, Barış Manço, Selda Bağcan, Haluk Levent, Belkıs Akkale and Hümeyra. American electric guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani included an instrumental piece he composed himself called “Aşık Veysel” in his 2008 album. Veysel was awarded the Presidential Culture and Art Grand Award in the category of “loyalty” in 2022. With the presidential circular published in December 2022, it was announced that 50 would be celebrated as the "Year of Aşık Veysel" in Turkey due to the 2023th anniversary of his death.

The Life of Âşık Veysel Şatıroğlu

Âşık Veysel Şatıroğlu was born in 1894 in the village of Sivrialan, in the Şarkışla district of Sivas Province. His last name before Şatıroğlu is Ulu. His mother, Gülizar, was a farmer named Ahmet, whose father was nicknamed "Karaca". Veysel's two sisters died of smallpox spreading in the region. Then, Veysel lost both eyes at the age of seven due to the same disease. According to his own account:

“Before I went to bed with the flower, my mother had sewn a beautiful dress. I went to show it to Muhsine woman who loves me very much by wearing it. She loved me. It was a muddy day that day, on the way home I slipped and fell. I couldn't get up again. I was caught in flower… The flower came hard. A flower head appeared in my left eye. The curtain has come down on my right eye as well, as your left will have to. That day is today, the world is a prison for me. »
With the baglama that his father bought for Âşık Veysel to linger, he first started playing the songs of other poets. In 1930, he met Ahmet Kutsi Tecer, who served as Sivas Education Director, at a poets night organized by Kutsi Bey. With the support given by Kutsi Bey, he began to travel to many provinces.

Âşık Veysel, one of the last great representatives of the Âşık tradition, traveled around the country for a while and taught saz at the Village Institutes. In 1965, a special law was paid. In the 1970s, some musicians such as Selda Bağcan, Gülden Karaböcek, Hümeyra, Fikret Kızılok and Esin Afşar edited Âşık Veysel's sayings and made them popular. One of Âşık Veysel's children, Bahri Şatıroğlu, a teacher, recorded his father's life day by day and participated in many studies as a resource person. He also continues his father's saz and vocal tradition.

His Turkish is simple in his works. He uses language skillfully. Joy of life and sadness, optimism and despair are intertwined in his poems. There are also poems in which he criticizes nature, social events, religion and politics. His poems were collected in his books, Deyişler (1944), Sazımdan Sesler (1950), Friends Remember Me (1970). He died in 1973 as a result of lung cancer. After his death, his works were republished under the name of All Poems (1984).

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