On September 15, 1962, individuals who picked up the Cumhuriyet newspaper were met with a small grievance in the bottom right corner of the second page. A significant secret was revealed through this brief text titled “Announcement.” The notice read exactly as follows:
“As the owner of the complete works of the late Ömer Seyfettin and his sole heir, I have sold the rights to publish the nine-book collection to Refet Zaimler Yayınevi. I find it necessary to declare that, in accordance with the ‘Copyright Law,’ these books cannot be published by anyone else. The late Ömer Seyfettin’s daughter, Günel Elgen.”
This was how readers on that day discovered that Ömer Seyfettin had a daughter. Güner Hanım, protesting the unauthorized publication of her father’s books, wanted to rectify this error. Curiously, however, her name was misspelled in the announcement itself; it was supposed to be “Güner,” not “Günel.”
Many years after this event, writer Necati Güngör managed to reach Güner Elgen in her final days. Elgen expressed a similar frustration, stating:
“My friends now ask me for my father’s books for their grandchildren. I have to buy them with money to give to them. They think that all of my father’s books were left to me. However, publishing houses print and sell them as if they were their own property. In return, I receive neither royalties nor books… What can I do? It is a gain for me that my father’s books are being read, but they shouldn’t put me in a position where I have to buy them with money.” (*)
After graduating from the Harbiye military academy in 1903, Ömer Seyfettin was assigned to the 3rd Army Nizamiye Battalion in Rumeli. He took part in the Balkan War in 1912 and was held as a prisoner for a period. On December 4, 1913, he escaped and returned to İstanbul, where he started a new career as a literature teacher at Kabataş High School.
In 1915, he married Calibe Hanım, the daughter of Dr. Besim Ethem Bey. Their daughter, Güner, was born on December 6, 1916. The marriage, however, concluded in divorce on September 18, 1918. Calibe Hanım then married Mehmet Faik Bey, who had previously been a suitor. Faik Bey wanted to adopt his stepdaughter Güner, but with a single condition:
“She must never know I am her stepfather; she should believe I am her biological father.” This condition was accepted. Consequently, Güner’s identity card was recorded as “daughter of Ömer Seyfettin, child of Mehmet Faik.”
Completely unaware of her real heritage, Güner learned the truth at age 11 from the family housemaid, Kadriye Hanım. It was through this revelation that she also realized the author whose stories she was reading in school was, in fact, her own father. (*)
At the age of 13, she then lost the man she knew as her father, Mehmet Faik Bey, to tuberculosis. While she continued her studies at Notre Dame de Sion, she moved with her mother to her grandfather’s mansion in Bahariye. Following the passing of her grandparents, they relocated to the Mısır Apartment in Beyoğlu. There, Calibe Hanım opened a tailor shop, which she rapidly grew into a business with 60 employees.
In 1935, Güner Hanım fell in love with Hayri Bey, who lived in Egypt. For the following 17 years, they would spend their summers in Şişli, İstanbul, and their winters in Cairo.
FIRST FEMALE RALLY DRIVER
Güner Elgen had a distinct passion for automobiles. In 1949, she toured Europe in a Jaguar she had specially imported from England, establishing herself as one of Turkey’s first female drivers. She became the champion of the first-ever women-only rally organized by the Automobile Club in 1957, earning her place in history as Turkey’s “first female rally driver.” (*)
We encounter Güner Hanım in another notable context. On March 3, 1951, a competition was held for the “Atatürk and Youth Monument” to be erected in the Istanbul University garden, which was won by Yavuz Görey and Hakkı Atamutlu. Initially, the 1952 Miss Turkey, Günseli Başar, was considered for the model, but she was deemed unsuitable for the sculpture. Güner Elgen was selected instead, owing to her athletic physique. Elgen explained:
“They had considered Günseli Başar, but later, due to her body structure not being suitable for the statue, they began a search. Since I was involved in sports, Nazan Hanım found my physique suitable. This came to fruition with Yavuz Bey’s proposal. So, I posed in a swimsuit in his studio for that girl in the statue.” (**)
The monument for which Elgen modeled was inaugurated on May 19, 1955.
Güner Elgen, the long-unacknowledged or forgotten daughter of Ömer Seyfettin, spent her final years at the İsmet Apartment on Teşvikiye Avenue. Known by her full name, Hatice Fahire Güner Elgen, she passed away on November 30, 2007, at the Balıklı Rum Hospital. She was laid to rest in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery, next to her husband, Hayri Bey, and near her father’s grave.
THE FINAL DAYS OF ÖMER SEYFETTİN
Following his divorce, Ömer Seyfettin rented a waterside mansion in Kalamış and dedicated himself to writing. On March 4, 1920, he fell ill and was hospitalized at Haydarpaşa Hospital. (****) His sister Güzide and close friend Ali Canip Yöntem cared for him diligently. However, on March 6, 1920, he passed away at the age of 36, reportedly murmuring his daughter Güner’s name. The cause of his death was not known at first. An autopsy later confirmed that he died from complications related to diabetes. (***)
On March 7, he was buried in the Mahmut Baba Cemetery in Kadıköy’s Kuşdili area. In 1939, when the cemetery grounds were cleared to construct a garage and road, Ömer Seyfettin’s remains were moved to Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.
Ömer Seyfettin passed through this world, leaving a quiet yet profound mark… much like his daughter, Güner.
SOURCES
* Necati Güngör, Son Kadınlar, Literatür Yay., 2002
** Muhsin Karabay, Türk Dili Dergisi, Ağustos 2024
*** Yusuf Ziya Ortaç, Portreler, Akbaba Yay., 1960
**** Tahir Alangu, Ömer Seyfettin: Ülkücü Bir Yazarın Romanı, YKY, 2017