WRITER
Yaşar Kemal
1923 - 2015

Yaşar Kemal
Yaşar Kemal (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈjaʃaɾ ceˈmal]; born Kemal Sadık Gökçeli; 6 October 1923 – 28 February 2015) was a leading Turkish writer of Kurdish descent, who wrote in Turkish and a human rights activist. He received 38 awards during his lifetime and had been a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature on the strength of his 1955 novel Memed, My Hawk. An outspoken intellectual, he often did not hesitate to speak about sensitive issues, especially those concerning the oppression of the Kurdish people. He was tried in 1995 under anti-terror laws for an article he wrote for Der Spiegel highlighting the Turkish Army's destruction of Kurdish villages during the Turkish–Kurdish conflict. Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Yaşar Kemal is the 1,797th most popular writer (down from 1,594th in 2019), the 632nd most popular biography from Türkiye (down from 561st in 2019) and the 48th most popular Turkish Writer.
Memorability Metrics
Page views of Yaşar Kemal by language
Among WRITERS
Among writers, Yaşar Kemal ranks 1,797 out of 7,302. Before him are Gabriel Naudé, Ibn Kemal, Lilya Brik, Colin Dexter, Juan Carlos Onetti, and Gaius Julius Solinus. After him are Slavenka Drakulić, Louis-Sébastien Mercier, Li He, Stéphane Hessel, Augusto Boal, and Ion Luca Caragiale.
Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsGabriel Naudé
1600 - 1653
HPI: 63.99
Rank: 1,791
Ibn Kemal
1468 - 1536
HPI: 63.99
Rank: 1,792
Lilya Brik
1891 - 1978
HPI: 63.98
Rank: 1,793
Colin Dexter
1930 - 2017
HPI: 63.98
Rank: 1,794
Juan Carlos Onetti
1909 - 1994
HPI: 63.98
Rank: 1,795
Gaius Julius Solinus
400 - 400
HPI: 63.98
Rank: 1,796
Yaşar Kemal
1923 - 2015
HPI: 63.97
Rank: 1,797
Slavenka Drakulić
1949 - Present
HPI: 63.97
Rank: 1,798
Louis-Sébastien Mercier
1740 - 1814
HPI: 63.96
Rank: 1,799
Li He
790 - 816
HPI: 63.96
Rank: 1,800
Stéphane Hessel
1917 - 2013
HPI: 63.96
Rank: 1,801
Augusto Boal
1931 - 2009
HPI: 63.95
Rank: 1,802
Ion Luca Caragiale
1852 - 1912
HPI: 63.94
Rank: 1,803
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1923, Yaşar Kemal ranks 106. Before him are Shūsaku Endō, Bettie Page, Antony Flew, Edward Mulhare, Otfried Preußler, and Madeleine Lebeau. After him are Aaron Spelling, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Belisario Betancur, Álvaro Mutis, Ernst Nolte, and Menahem Pressler. Among people deceased in 2015, Yaşar Kemal ranks 101. Before him are Akiyuki Nosaka, Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria, Cabu, Ornette Coleman, Satoru Iwata, and Gerry Byrne. After him are Jaakko Hintikka, Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Omar Karami, Arsen Dedić, Dean Smith, and Eldar Ryazanov.
Others Born in 1923
Go to all RankingsShūsaku Endō
WRITER
1923 - 1996
HPI: 64.12
Rank: 100
Bettie Page
MODEL
1923 - 2008
HPI: 64.11
Rank: 101
Antony Flew
PHILOSOPHER
1923 - 2010
HPI: 64.10
Rank: 102
Edward Mulhare
ACTOR
1923 - 1997
HPI: 64.07
Rank: 103
Otfried Preußler
WRITER
1923 - 2013
HPI: 64.06
Rank: 104
Madeleine Lebeau
ACTOR
1923 - 2016
HPI: 64.00
Rank: 105
Yaşar Kemal
WRITER
1923 - 2015
HPI: 63.97
Rank: 106
Aaron Spelling
PRODUCER
1923 - 2006
HPI: 63.92
Rank: 107
Wolfgang Sawallisch
MUSICIAN
1923 - 2013
HPI: 63.88
Rank: 108
Belisario Betancur
POLITICIAN
1923 - 2018
HPI: 63.88
Rank: 109
Álvaro Mutis
WRITER
1923 - 2013
HPI: 63.86
Rank: 110
Ernst Nolte
PHILOSOPHER
1923 - 2016
HPI: 63.77
Rank: 111
Menahem Pressler
MUSICIAN
1923 - 2023
HPI: 63.69
Rank: 112
Others Deceased in 2015
Go to all RankingsAkiyuki Nosaka
WRITER
1930 - 2015
HPI: 64.43
Rank: 95
Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria
POLITICIAN
1938 - 2015
HPI: 64.41
Rank: 96
Cabu
COMIC ARTIST
1938 - 2015
HPI: 64.30
Rank: 97
Ornette Coleman
MUSICIAN
1930 - 2015
HPI: 64.17
Rank: 98
Satoru Iwata
GAME DESIGNER
1959 - 2015
HPI: 64.03
Rank: 99
Gerry Byrne
SOCCER PLAYER
1938 - 2015
HPI: 64.00
Rank: 100
Yaşar Kemal
WRITER
1923 - 2015
HPI: 63.97
Rank: 101
Jaakko Hintikka
PHILOSOPHER
1929 - 2015
HPI: 63.93
Rank: 102
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
RACING DRIVER
1937 - 2015
HPI: 63.91
Rank: 103
Omar Karami
POLITICIAN
1934 - 2015
HPI: 63.89
Rank: 104
Arsen Dedić
SINGER
1938 - 2015
HPI: 63.81
Rank: 105
Dean Smith
BASKETBALL PLAYER
1931 - 2015
HPI: 63.78
Rank: 106
Eldar Ryazanov
FILM DIRECTOR
1927 - 2015
HPI: 63.75
Rank: 107
In Türkiye
Among people born in Türkiye, Yaşar Kemal ranks 632 out of 1,347. Before him are Cüneyt Arkın (1937), Sultan Walad (1226), Şehzade Bayezid (1612), Ibn Kemal (1468), George Sphrantzes (1401), and Maria Palaiologina (1300). After him are Mithridates II of Pontus (-300), Mesut Yılmaz (1947), Alexios II of Trebizond (1282), Ebussuud Efendi (1490), Theodore I (1290), and Maximus of Ephesus (310).
Others born in Türkiye
Go to all RankingsCüneyt Arkın
ACTOR
1937 - 2022
HPI: 64.05
Rank: 626
Sultan Walad
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1226 - 1312
HPI: 64.04
Rank: 627
Şehzade Bayezid
POLITICIAN
1612 - 1635
HPI: 64.01
Rank: 628
Ibn Kemal
WRITER
1468 - 1536
HPI: 63.99
Rank: 629
George Sphrantzes
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1401 - 1477
HPI: 63.98
Rank: 630
Maria Palaiologina
POLITICIAN
1300 - 1300
HPI: 63.97
Rank: 631
Yaşar Kemal
WRITER
1923 - 2015
HPI: 63.97
Rank: 632
Mithridates II of Pontus
POLITICIAN
300 BC - 300 BC
HPI: 63.95
Rank: 633
Mesut Yılmaz
POLITICIAN
1947 - 2020
HPI: 63.93
Rank: 634
Alexios II of Trebizond
POLITICIAN
1282 - 1330
HPI: 63.89
Rank: 635
Ebussuud Efendi
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1490 - 1574
HPI: 63.89
Rank: 636
Theodore I
WRITER
1290 - 1338
HPI: 63.88
Rank: 637
Maximus of Ephesus
PHILOSOPHER
310 - 372
HPI: 63.86
Rank: 638
Among WRITERS In Türkiye
Among writers born in Türkiye, Yaşar Kemal ranks 48. Before him are Quintus Smyrnaeus (400), Symeon the Metaphrast (900), Marcellinus Comes (450), Eustathius of Thessalonica (1101), Menander Protector (550), and Ibn Kemal (1468). After him are Theodore I (1290), Petros Markaris (1937), Namık Kemal (1840), Nicander (-250), Alexander Polyhistor (-100), and Methodius of Olympus (260).
Quintus Smyrnaeus
400 - 400
HPI: 64.58
Rank: 42
Symeon the Metaphrast
900 - 987
HPI: 64.39
Rank: 43
Marcellinus Comes
450 - 534
HPI: 64.21
Rank: 44
Eustathius of Thessalonica
1101 - 1198
HPI: 64.15
Rank: 45
Menander Protector
550 - Present
HPI: 64.09
Rank: 46
Ibn Kemal
1468 - 1536
HPI: 63.99
Rank: 47
Yaşar Kemal
1923 - 2015
HPI: 63.97
Rank: 48
Theodore I
1290 - 1338
HPI: 63.88
Rank: 49
Petros Markaris
1937 - Present
HPI: 63.86
Rank: 50
Namık Kemal
1840 - 1888
HPI: 63.75
Rank: 51
Nicander
250 BC - 170 BC
HPI: 63.70
Rank: 52
Alexander Polyhistor
100 BC - 75 BC
HPI: 63.42
Rank: 53
Methodius of Olympus
260 - 311
HPI: 63.32
Rank: 54