Bu makalede, Türk edebiyatının ilk edebiyat tarihlerini, daha çok da Abdülhalîm Memdûh’un, Şahabettin Süleyman’ın ve Faik Reşat’ın Târîh-i Edebiyyât-ı ‘Osmâniyye adlı eserlerini bir değerlendirmeye tâbi tutacağız. Ayrıca, ilk Osmanlı edebiyat tarihlerini kaleme alan edebiyat tarihçilerinin benzer yönlerini belirlemeye çalışacağız. Abdülhalîm Memdûh’un özel hayatı, siyasî yaşamı, eserlerine ne derecede yansımıştır? Gizli cemiyetler kurma girişiminde bulunması ve tutuklanması, zor şartlarda geçen hayatını hâmisi Prenses Nazlı’nın yardımlarıyla idâme ettirmesi, sürgünlerle geçen hayatı, II. Abdülhamit muhalifi olması, uykusuzluk hastalığı yüzünden uyuşturucu karışımı ilaç kullanması hasebiyle ölmesi, ölümünün İngiltere’nin Folcestone şehrinde olması ve naaşının Prenses Nazlı’nın isteğiyle Tunus’ta misafirken beğendiği bir tepeye nakledilmesi dikkatleri çekmektedir. Yine, Abdülhalîm Memdûh’un kaleme aldığı Târîh-i Edebiyyât-ı ‘Osmâniyye adlı eserin yayımcısının II. Abdülhamit döneminde ajan olarak bilinen Ermeni kökenli Ohannes Ferît olması, Şahabettin Süleyman ile benzerlik gösteren bohem hayatları, Batı hayranı olmaları, Faik Reşat’ın gelgitlerle dolu hayatı, dinsizlikle suçlanması da önemlidir. Burada, bütün bu önemli ayrıntıları ve benzerlikleri değişik bakış açıları ile değerlendirmeye çalışacağız.

In this essay, we will evaluate the first literature histories of Turkish literature, mostly the works of Abdülhalîm Memdûh’s, Şahabettin Süleyman’s and Faik Reşat’s called Târîh-i Edebiyyât-ı ‘Osmâniyye. Besides, we will try to define the similar aspects of the literature historians, writing Ottoman literature histories. To what extent are the private life of Abdülhalîm Memdûh and his political life reflected in his work? It is striking that he attepted to found a secret society and he was arrested, he maintened his life passing under difficult conditions, with the help of his protector, Prenses Nazlı, his life passed with full of exiles, he became an opponent to second Abdülhamit, he died due to his using a drug-mixture for his insomnia, his death took place in Folcestone, a city of England, and his mortal remain was transfered to a hill he liked while he was a guest in Tunus at the option of Prenses Nazlı. It is significant the editor of the work named Târîh-i Edebiyyât-ı ‘Osmâniyye written by Abdülhalîm Memdûh is Ohannes Ferît with Armenian origin who was known as the agent in the period og Abdülhamit II, his bohemian life was similar to Şahabettin Süleyman’s life, they were both the admirers of the West. It is also important the life of Faik Reşat was full of disorders and he was charged with paganism. We will try to assess all these questions and the similarities from different perspectives. The first Turkish literature work known as the history of literature written by Abdülhalîm Memdûh is Târîh-i Edebiyyât-ı ‘Osmâniyye (1888-1889). After this work, nothing had been written during 22 years in the field of literature history in the Turkish literature. In the second half of the 19th century and first quarter of 20th century some articles were written on early writers and these were turned into books later on. A few works were written in the form of antology and biyography. Kudemadan Birkaç Şair (1881) by Recaizâde Mahmut Ekrem, Osmanlı Şairleri (1890) by Muallim Naci, Eslâf (1895-1896) by Faik Reşat are rare examples in this cathegory. Some of these works are identified as literature history. Getting the litearture history lesson into the schedules of universities and high schools had the numbers of literature history increased. In 1910 Şahabettin Süleyman, in 1911 Faik Reşat, in 1912 Ali Ekrem Bolayır and in the same year Mehmet Hayrettin, the teacher of Konya high school, published their works named Târîh-i Edebiyyât-ı ‘Osmâniyye while in 1913, Şahabettin Süleyman and Mehmet Fuat Köprülü published Yeni Osmanlı Târîh-i Edebiyyâtı (The new ottoman literature history). In Turkish literature, literature histories havıng been written later on tended towards general Turkish literature (genel Türk edebiyatı) and westernization so in this essay we tried to compare Târîh-i Edebiyyât-ı ‘Osmâniyye belonging to Abdülhalîm Memdûh, Şahabettin Süleyman and Faik Reşat from in many aspects mostly. In the first part of our essay, we focused on (dwell upon) the common lives and the writers who have works about the Ottoman literature history. Some of these writers gave lessons in high school while the others gave them in universities. Faik Reşat and Ali Ekrem Bolayır were in universities while Mehmet Hayrettin was in high school. Abdülhalîm Memdûh, Şahabettin Süleyman and Faik Reşat have many common points. The most striking one is both three had financial problems and they lived a little bohemian lives. The bohemian life reached its peak during the teenage life of Şahabettin Süleyman. In his teenage life, Abdülhalîm Memdûh became the member of many secret societies. Abdülhalîm Memdûh got the comfortable life thanks to the marriage with Prenses Nazlı, the daughter of the prince Mustafa Fazıl Paşa and as Abdülhalîm Memdûh, Şahabettin Süleyman also lived in comfort thanks to a marriage. We know Mustafa Fazıl Paşa was sponsor of many newspapers and magazines of new Ottoman society in Ottoman political history in 19th century. Mustafa Fazıl Paşa was also a mason. Both Abdülhalîm Memdûh and Şahabettin Süleyman died in their young ages in abroad that this is really interesting. Abdülhalîm Memdûh died in the age of 39 in Folcestone, England owing to a medicine (drug) he took because of insomnia while Şahabettin Süleyman died in the age of 34 in Davos, Spain because of Spanish flu. Their deaths in young ages and abroad is interesting because it was not easy to go abroad in the last periods of Ottoman empire. These two writers could easily overcome this problem after getting rid of financial problems thanks to their wives. Şahabettin Süleyman is fond of the west (Sweden) (Abdülhalîm Memdûh and Faik Reşat were too) and could travel to the west only after his marriage. Faik Resat’s life is also important. He supported the old style but after the acquintance with the west, he became the admirer of the west and disposed all his poems related to the old styles (eski) but later on he got back to his old style. It is possible to resemble him to Ziya Paşa. Abdi, from Şarkîkarahisar, one of the pioneers of the old literature and poet blamed Faik Reşat for frenklik and irreligion that this was a big accusition. It is a striking fact that the writers having created the first works of Ottoman literature admired for the west and lived bohemian lives. At the same time Abdülhalîm Memdûh’s being Young Turk (Jön Türk) gains importance at this point. It can be said Memdûh also had problems with regime. His life full of banishment confirms this situation. It is interesting that Faik Reşat travelled to Trablusgarp with an eager of mektupçuluk in the year he suffered from financial difficulties. Trablusgarp was also visited by Abdülhalîm Memdûh. He must have published Târîh-i Edebiyyât-ı ‘Osmâniyye in Konya he and Ali Kemal were banished to. It is possible to say Faik Reşat was a conscious literature historian. In this part of the essay we will try to compare the first ottoman histories in some aspects. As mentioned before, we will take as a base the Works of Abdülhalîm Memdûh, Şahabettin Süleyman ve Faik Reşat (Târîh-i Edebiyyât-ı ‘Osmâniyye). Morever, we will benefit from the other literature histories and the Works written in the field of antholojy and and biography. It is possible to categorize the evaluations made in this section in 3 titles under the main title, the content analysis on Târîh-i Edebiyyât-ı ‘Osmâniyye.