Autograph letter signed 'Mehmed Mesih'.

MEHMED MESIH [AKYIGIT], (Turkish poet, the founder of 'Millî Mecmua'), (1864-1939).

Letterhead 'Millî Mecmua' [i.e. The National Magazine]., Dated fî 5 Haziran [13]34, [Istanbul], 1918.

Original autograph letter signed by Mehmed Mesih Akyigit. 23x14,5 cm. In Ottoman script. Includes twelve lines. 1 p. Sent to an unnamed lady. Mehmed Mesih was an Ottoman / Turkish poet, the founder of 'Millî Mecmua! [i.e. National Journal]. Millî Mecmua was started to be published by Mehmed Mesih (Akyigit) in Istanbul (1 Tesrînisâni 1339/1 November 1923) immediately after the declaration of the Republic. The journal, which takes the republic and modernization as its principle, coincided with a period in which important reforms were carried out, and parallel to the developments experienced, its attitude has reached a point where reforms are defended separately from a general-framed adoption. They supported the Letter Revolution, except for Mehmed Fuad's article, which drew attention to the negative consequences of the Letter Revolution in 1928. The magazine conducted a survey on "Islam in the Face of the Turkish Revolution", and Ismail Hakki (Baltacioglu), in his response to this questionnaire, suggested a reform in religion and made some proposals such as reading the call to prayer (Ezân) in Turkish and raising the places of prostration in mosques. The editorials of the journal were originally written by Yahya Saim and Hasan Âli (Yücel), and then regularly by Mehmed Mesih. In the magazine, there are some articles such as "Translation Period" by Hüseyin Namik, who deals with the translation issue, as well as translations of the works of writers and poets such as Anatole France and Nietzche.