Omer Nefi

Nefʾi was one of the greatest classical Ottoman poets and one of the most famous satirists and panegyrists in Ottoman Turkish literature. He was born in Hasankale, Erzurum, around 1572. He came to Istanbul sometime before 1606, where he worked as a comptroller of mines. He tried to gain the favor of the sultans with his poems, but he was unsuccessful with Ahmed I and Osman II. He finally received a stipend from Murad IV, who appreciated his skill and wit. However, he also made many enemies with his vicious and biting satires, which he directed at the government officials and the society of his time. He was executed by strangulation in 1635, at the request of the grand vizier Bayram Pasha, who was one of his targets. His corpse was thrown into the sea. He left behind a collection of poems and satires, known as "Sihâm-ı Kazâ" (Arrows of Misfortune), which are considered among the masterpieces of Ottoman literature. He was influenced by classical Persian poetry, but he also developed the Ottoman kaside form. He used a rich and elegant language, full of metaphors and allusions. He was praised for his eloquence, originality, and wit by his admirers, but he was also criticized for his harshness, arrogance, and impiety by his detractors.