Federation of Publisher Collective Societies Board Chairperson Münir Üstün has announced that 55,121,271 books were produced in July in an all-time record.
He said that the number of banderol requests was 410,641,305 in 2018 and the previous highest number of book production was recorded in September 2018 with 53 million.
"Book production, bookselling and reading rates are all different cultures. This is an encouraging development in terms of our main culture, the culture of reading. If the culture of reading develops, the country develops," Üstün said.
"Turkey ranks 16th in the world publishing sector. As the Turkish publishers, we ranked 11th last year. Because of the rising of currencies, we dropped five ranks. We are constantly working to be into top 10. We are sixth in new hew headlines," he added. (DB/VK)
One of the leading figures of arabesk music in Turkey and Yeşilçam film actor, Ferdi Tayfur passed away on 2 January 2025 in Antalya at the hospital where he was being treated.
Composer, lyricist, singer and film actor, one of the leading figures of arabesk music in Turkey, Ferdi Tayfur was born in the Hürriyet Neighbourhood of Adana in 1945. His full name is Ferdi Tayfur Turanbayburt.
He developed an interest in music at an early age. He began singing at wedding halls during his youth, and then took part in a music competition organized by Adana Radio. He came second, made a name for himself and began work at the Lunapark Casino in Istanbul.
He began to be known with the records he brought out in the early 1970s, yet his true breakthrough came in 1975 with the album “Çeşme [Fountain]”. The eponymous film he starred in the following year was watched by 12 million viewers.
With the albums that followed, including “Bırak Şu Gurbeti [Leave the Foreign Land]” and “Derbeder [Vagrant]”, he became one of the leading representatives of arabesk music. He became known with unforgettable songs including “Emmoğlu [My Uncle’s Son]”, “Ben de Özledim [I, Too, Yearn]”, “Huzurum Kalmadı [I Have No Peace Left]”.
His 1992 album, “Prangalar [Shackles]” sold five million copies to become one of the best-selling albums of all time in Turkey.
His concert at Gülhane Park in Istanbul in the year 1993 was attended by a crowd of 200 thousand people.
He starred in many Yeşilçam films, for which he also composed the soundtrack. He published books, among them “The Price of Fame” and “I Once Was a Tree”.
Derya Bengi, writer and editorial director of Roll magazine from 1996 to 2009, wrote the following regarding the origin of Ferdi Tayfur’s name:
“His father named him after Ferdi Tayfur, the acclaimed actor and dubbing artist whom he admired... Little Ferdi loved Raj Kapoor’s films the most, he loved Awara, and the touching voice of Mukesh, who sang in the film.” (TY/NHRD)