NEFʿÎ AND HIS POETIC WORLD IN 17TH-CENTURY CLASSICAL TURKISH LITERATURE

Abstract

Although the seventeenth century in the Ottoman Empire was marked by political and social crises, it constituted a highly productive and rich period in terms of Classical Turkish literature. During this era, Divan poetry not only continued its established tradition but also gained new stylistic and expressive dimensions. One of the most prominent and innovative poets of the period was Nefʿî. This article examines Nefʿî’s life, literary personality, and the main characteristics of his poetic output. Particular attention is paid to his mastery of the qasida genre, the innovations he introduced in language and style, and his poetic world distinguished by strong self-confidence and a pronounced spirit of self-praise (fakhr).

At the same time, the controversies surrounding Nefʿî’s satirical work Sihām al-Qażā, its aesthetic value, and its position within Divan poetry are analyzed from a critical literary perspective. By drawing on the views of both classical and modern scholars, the article offers a comparative evaluation of Nefʿî’s artistic skill in both panegyric and satirical poetry. In conclusion, it is argued that Nefʿî’s oeuvre played a significant role in the development of seventeenth-century Classical Turkish literature and that his poetry is also of considerable importance for the study of Azerbaijani–Turkish literary relations.