Hıfzı Topuz

Hıfzı Topuz (25 January 1923 – 26 September 2023) was a Turkish journalist, travel writer and novelist. He also served as a lecturer on journalism at several universities.

Early life
Topuz was born on 25 January 1923 in Istanbul. After finishing his secondary education at the Galatasaray High School in 1942, he studied law at Istanbul University, graduating in 1948. Later, he went to France, where he attended University of Strasbourg to conduct further studies in international law and journalism between 1957 and 1959. In 1960, he earned a doctoral degree in journalism from the same university.

Professional career
After graduating from Istanbul University, Topuz entered journalism, and was employed between 1948 and 1957 at the daily newspaper Akşam, where he worked as a reporter and later as an editor. He co-founded Istanbul Journalists' Union, and served as its leader.

During his time in France, he applied for a vacant post at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris. He worked as a travelling reporter for the organization between 1959 and 1983. He was responsible for projects like professional coordination between international organizations of journalism, journalism ethics and standards, journalism education and security of journalists. Topuz conducted seminars on journalism education in African countries, India and the Philippines. He developed rural area journalism project in Black Africa.

While in Paris, Topuz interviewed for the Turkish daily newspapers notable people like painter Fikret Mualla (1903–1967), poet Nazım Hikmet (1902–1963), journalist Zekeriya Sertel (1890–1980), painter Abidin Dino (1913–1993)), painter Nejat Devrim (1923–1995) and General Nikolaos Trikoupis (1869–1956), who commanded Greek troops during the Turkish War of Independence and became a prisoner of war.

Topuz planned in 1962 at the headquarters of UNESCO a project to establish the "College of Communications" (as its title then Basın-Yayın Yüksek Okulu) at the University of Ankara.

Invited by İsmail Cem İpekçi, the newly appointed head of the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), he returned in 1974 to Turkey to lead the radio channels of TRT until 1975.

In 1986, Topuz founded the "İletişim Araştırmaları Derneği" (İLAD) (literally: Communications Research Association), and became their president.

Topuz wrote for the daily newspapers Vatan, Milliyet and Cumhuriyet and some magazines. He also taught lectures on press, history of radio-television, international communication and political communication at the communications faculties of Anadolu University, Galatasaray University and Istanbul University.

Writer
Topuz wrote non-fiction on communications in addition to biographies, travel books and novels. He opened a new field in the Turkish literature by choosing the subject matters of his novels from history or historical figures.

Death
Topuz died on 26 September 2023, at the age of 100.

Awards
Topuz was honored in 1998 with the "Sertel Demokrasi Ödülü" (Sertel Democracy Award). He received in 2007 the "Orhan Kemal Roman Armağanı" (Orhan Kemal Novel Prize) for his work Başın Öne Eğilmesin. The "Afrika Diplomatik Akademisi" (ADA) (Africa Diplomatic Academy) awarded him in 2008 with its "Peace and Friendship Prize". In 2009, the "Çağdaş Gazetecier Derneği" (Association of Contemporary Journalists) awarded him with its "Honor Prize".