Abstract
Reflections of economic life in classical Turkish poetry, including a poem about devaluation and inflation
There have been numerous studies that show that classical Turkish literature explores many facets of life. That said, an overwhelming majority of early modern Turkish literary scholars used to argue that classical Turkish literature was detached from the public. Unfortunately, the legacy of that stigma continues today. Nevertheless, contemporary studies are gradually putting that claim –and hence stigma– to rest for good.
Many divan poets wrote about economic matters. This usually took one of two major forms: either “siyasetname” (political letters) or self-contained pieces. These works not only shed light on the Ottoman Empire’s economic problems, but also proposed solutions to these issues. Likewise, there are countless examples of “beyits” (poetry) that mention currency, i.e. the driving force behind commerce. A lot of other themes about economy, specifically economic crises, were also subject of classical Turkish poetry.
In this study, we shall look at the theme of devaluation and inflation in classical Turkish poetry. In order to support our argument and to probe just how deep into the classical Turkish literature the Ottoman public life reached, we have included anauthentic original example.
Keywords
Classical Turkish Literature, Social Life, Economy, Money, Devaluation, Inflation.