31.12.2024 15:01
The house where Orhan Kemal, one of the important figures in Turkish literature, lived as a tenant in Fatih Cibali between 1954 and 1966 has been put up for sale with a valuation of 10 million lira. It is known that Orhan Kemal wrote nearly 35 of his works in this house. Kemal's son, Işık Öğütçü, stated, "They have put the house up for sale; I was very surprised."
The house where Orhan Kemal lived as a tenant in Fatih Cibali between 1954 and 1966 has been put up for sale. The property owner has valued the house at 10 million lira through a real estate agent. There has also been interest in the house from outside Istanbul, including Ankara and Antalya, where Orhan Kemal wrote nearly 35 of his works.
"IT COULD BE A LIBRARY"
Orhan Kemal's son, Işık Öğütçü, stated regarding the house for sale, "The Presidency, the Ministry of Culture, or even another ministry, such as the Ministry of Commerce, could take this matter into their hands. It could still be an Orhan Kemal house; perhaps there are photos taken in that house that consist of Orhan Kemal's paintings. Beautiful decorations could be made by displaying the photos outside. It could be a library dedicated to children, or a workshop," he said.
"I WAS BORN IN THE HOUSE IN CIBALI"
Işık Öğütçü, Orhan Kemal's son, said, "I am Orhan Kemal's fourth child. I was born in the house in Cibali, which is currently very much in the spotlight. There is a 12-year history there between 1954 and 1966. I was there until the second grade of primary school. Nearly 35 of my father's works were written there. Additionally, books like 'The Guilty', 'Child of the Streets', 'Inspector's Inspector', 'The Conman', 'One of the Houses', and 'There Was a Sprout' refer to that neighborhood. Cibali is a very important neighborhood. We have both bitter and sweet memories from our 12 years of living there. Later, we moved from there. My father moved five times from Adana to Istanbul in 1951 until his death. The longest he stayed was in Cibali. In 2000, I opened his museum in Cihangir, where we are currently located," he said.
"I COULD HAVE BOUGHT THE HOUSE UNTIL 2010"
Öğütçü said, "Of course, that house is always in my mind. I reached out to the owners asking, 'What can I do, could it be for sale?' I even spoke with the owner of the house where my father was a tenant. He understood our situation very well; however, he said at that time that they had no intention of selling. Later on, they put it up for sale for a while. The amount mentioned today was much lower than that. I went and looked at the building again with a buyer's eye. It was also a matter of opportunity. If it had been during the first period from 2000 to 2010, I might not have missed it and could have bought it immediately. However, later on, as the economic situation slowed down a bit, I gave up on buying it. Between 2018 and 2019, there was a lot of media interest regarding the potential collapse or demolition of the house. The authorities from the Governorship showed a lot of interest after seeing these news reports. I even got their names. They said, 'As the Governorship, we are interested in this. We will buy it.' But then, I think there was another natural disaster. That project was left hanging again," he said.
"THEY PUT THE HOUSE UP FOR SALE, I WAS SURPRISED"
Öğütçü said, "Thanks to the Fatih Municipality, they did some maintenance and painting on the building. They also put up a sign saying, 'Orhan Kemal lived here,' and during that process, when I visited the mayor to thank him, I asked, 'Could they acquire the house as a cultural heritage? Could the Fatih Municipality evaluate it this way?' They said, 'Let's investigate it for a while,' but nothing came of it. In this recent process, I have spoken with various authorities. I have also spoken with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the Governorship, and the Fatih Municipality. At the point we have reached today, I learned from the press that there are advertisements; they have put the house up for sale, and I was very surprised," he said.