Refik Durbaş

Refik Durbaş (10 February 1944, Pasinler – 1 December 2018, Istanbul), Turkish poet, journalist and writer.

He was born in Erzurums Pasinler district.

Graduated High School in İzmir.

He left Istanbul University Literature Faculty Turkish language and literature department before completion.

His poems in magazines like Devinim, Gösteri, Sanat Olayı, Soyut, Papirüs garnered him significant attention.Together with his friends, between 1962 and 1964 he published the Evrim magazine and in 1967 the Alan 67 magazine.

He worked different jobs between 1965 and 1968.

He worked at Yeni İstanbul and Cumhuriyet newspapers as a proofreader.

His first poem was published in the İzmir in the Ege Ekspres newspapers art section.

In 1971 he gathered his first poems in the poetry book by the name of Kuş Tufanı.

Between 1972 and 1974 he was the chief of the editorial office of Yeni A magazine.

He prepared the art sections in newspapers.

In 1992 he retired from Cumhuriyet newspaper.

He continued work as a column writer for various newspapers.

Starting with the İkinci Yeni movement his style of poetry, over time, was directed towards public issues.

With his own unique voice and metaphors, he was sharpening his demeanor from the beginning wrote poems that gave importance to form as much as meaning.

He was known as the poet who reflected the world of bazaars, working girls, market places and tea houses.

In his poetry, he also used old words skillfully interspersed in colloquial speech.

Durbaş, who was treated for lung cancer and was a dialysis patient on died on 1 December 2018 after being taken to the intensive care unit at Medeniyet University Hospital due to his deteriorating health condition.

He was buried in Ümraniye Hekimbaşı Cemetery after the funeral ceremony held at Erenköy Galip Paşa Mosque on 2 December 2018.