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How did the Indo-Persian style influence 17th-century Ottoman poets?
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Turkish literature
Map showing the expansion of the Ottoman Empire from about 1300 to 1700. The empire reached its greatest extent between 1683 and 1699.
In the 17th century, the Indo-Persian style—also known as tāze-gū’ī ("fresh speech") or tarz-i nev ("new style")—significantly influenced Ottoman poetry by challenging the established courtly tradition. Initiated in the Ottoman capital by the poet Nef'i, this movement drew inspiration from the Mughal court in India and the works of Persian poets like Urfī and Saib-i Tabrizi.12
The influence of this style manifested in several key ways:
- Stylistic Shift: It introduced a new integrated style characterized by precision of diction and the use of an almost exclusively Persian lexicon, which reversed the previous trend of incorporating Turkish linguistic features.21
- Thematic Depth: The style encouraged a focus on the poetic imagination and complex, multivalent imagery.21
- Institutional Impact: The movement was championed by poets such as Cevri, Nâ’ilî, Fehim, and Neşatî. Notably, some of these figures were associated with the Mawlawiyah order, which helped create a literary structure independent of the courtly tradition dominated by the higher ulema.1
While this "Indian school" (later termed Sabk-i Hindî) brought fresh treatment to literary themes, it also sparked tension with neoconservative poets who maintained the traditional style of Bâkî.1