[INTERESTING ARCHIVE OF AN INTELLECTUAL OTTOMAN/TURKISH WOMAN] [A manuscript diary, letters to and from, documents, notebooks of an intellectual late Ottoman/early Republican woman]

NEVIN [MELIKE] PERTEV DEMIRHAN, (1910-1969?)., Istanbul, 1930.

The collection includes one full diary, 4 notebooks, 120 letters addressed to Nevin Pertev Demirhan and Meryem Ana Efes ruins photo negatives in an envelope, and ID cards, court documents of Demirhan family (Father Pertev Pasha, brother Ömer Ilhan Demirhan, and mother Hatice Leman Demirhan). 4 notebooks of her from "English High for Girls, Constantinople" including the lessons of dictation, rough notebook, setback, essays, and letters. All notebooks are in English. Also, there are letters addressed to Fatma Behçet Hanim. Diary includes [336] p. with full of writings between the dates August 4, 1955 (Thursday) and November 24, 1955 (Thursday).

This collection contains an Ottoman / Turkish intellectual woman's political thoughts, social life, travels, recipes, and friendships in a short time in 1955. A hardcover manuscript diary and letters to and from her. Letters have very interesting correspondences in the mostly Ottoman script as well as in modern Turkish, English, French, and German. One of the letters addressed to her (Ömer Ilhan Demirhan's letter) and some others include very interesting thoughts about women and femininity. Ömer Ilhan told her that he wants to be married and that did not find a suitable wife for himself. Some of the letters in this collection like that have very important and interesting hints for "Turkish women". Letters dated usually from the 1930s to the 1950s.

Nevin Pertev Demirhan was an intellectual and translator as well as pianist according to 'Türkischer Biographischer Index'. She translated her father's book titled 'Islam' into English with her father. Her father was Sait Pertev Demirhan who was an important Turkish soldier, intellectual, and politician.