In the 6th century BC, a noble prince named Siddhartha Gautama quietly left his family and palace at the age of 29 in order to save himself and mankind completely from suffering. The son of the Sakya king, Siddhartha, attained "absolute" enlightenment after years of hard searching and established a new spiritual teaching called Buddhism, which today has hundreds of millions of adherents. This book in your hand is a theatrical story of the founder of this common teaching, Buddha, his birth, his marriage, his search for truth, his basic philosophy... In Buddha's teaching, the way to sail towards new knowledge and new views, to use the "mind", to move towards human perfection by getting rid of stereotyped beliefs and dogmatic knowledge is given. Do not seek refuge in anything, anyone, or power but make truth light for yourself…” Mehmet Murat İldan's "Sakyamuni Buddha" is the only play in the World Theater Literature that tells the life of Buddha from his birth to his death. With a simplified Buddhism philosophy, the elegance of its literary style, its soothing calmness in its words, and its "over-time" structure that expands the universal dimension of Turkish Theatre, while reading this Classical Theatre, you will take an inner plunge away from the shallow waters of the material world and into the depths of the spiritual world...
Contemporary Turkish playwright, novelist and thinker Mehmet Murat ildan was born in Elazığ on May 16 in Turkey. Due to his father’s election as a Senator for The Turkish parliament in 1975, he continued his studies in capital Ankara.
In 1982, high school diploma – as a first place winner – was awarded by Ankara Private Yenisehir College.
He spent one year in English Prep School in Ankara (at METU). Then in 1983, he took courses from the Department of Electronics at METU Campus in Gaziantep city as a full-time student.
In 1988, he obtained B.Sc. degree in Economics with “Certificate of Honour” (at METU in Ankara). In the same year, he obtained a Turkish Government Scholarship by the Ministry of Education for Master and Ph.D. degrees in European Union Economics. In 1989, he spent 8 months in an Intensive French Course at “Centre Audio-Visuel de Langues Modernes” (CAVILAM) in Vichy – France.
In 1990, he took courses in Money-Finance and Banking as a full-time student at the University of Louis-Pasteur (ULP) in Strasbourg-France. Then, he took advanced courses in English for 6 months, at the Cambridge Centre for Languages in Cambridge – England.
In 1991, he got Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Essex in England. The thesis title is: “The Presence of Bubbles in Stock Prices and Stock Market Crashes: Theory, Evidence and Economic Policy.”
In 1994, while doing his Ph.D., he has done his military service in Turkey.
In 1997, he was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Economics by the University of Essex. The thesis title is: “Private Behaviour and Feedback Economic Policy: Theory and Econometric Evidence from the United Kingdom.”
The writer is married to Neslihan Altunkaya İldan and has a daughter named Bahar Lidya İldan.
His literary career started in 1993 with a poetry book called Bright Candles; it was written in English in England and published in Turkey in 1995. In 1997, a poem from this book was published in the Georgian Blue Poetry Anthology.
Between 1993 – 1998, he did not write anything literary. In 1998, he wrote stories for 6 months.
In 1999, he left his economics profession. From the year 2000 onwards, he started writing theatre plays; he became a professional writer.
He has published 7 plays and 25 stories. His novels “Antiquary Arago’s Diary,” “Roses underneath Paris” and “The First Sorrows of Young Werther” and his story book “Lovers of Samos Island” have also been published.
Three of his plays, Master Moliere is Marrying, Galileo Galilei & Emmanuel Arago’s Diary, have been accepted to the Repertory of Turkish State Theatre. Also, his plays Eyes of Magic, Beggar’s Prophecy and Emmanuel Arago’s Diary have been included in the repertoire of Istanbul City Theatre. Six of his plays have been translated into English by Yurdanur Salman, a well-known linguist in Istanbul.
His play Eyes of Magic was partly published in the “Absinthe – New European Writing” literary magazine in the USA. His play Master Moliere is Marrying has performed by Antalya State Theatre and Eyes of Magic has performed by Istanbul City Theatre.
In the years 2021-2023, his new books have been published: Japan, The Land of Rising Sun; Observations on Japan and Japanese Society. Aphorisms (Aforizmalar) – the Turkish version-2021. Two new plays Master Moliere is Marrying-2023 & The Alchemist’s Wife (2023).
Writer is a member of “International P.E.N. Association.”
His play “Eyes of Magic” got the “Best Play Award” in Istanbul Kadiköy Municipality National Playwriting Competition” in 2000. Another play, “Beggar’s Prophecy,” became a finalist in “AQT 2005 Vancouver Canada International Playwriting Competition.” His story “Housefly” obtained the “Secondary Place Award” in Samim Kocagöz National Story Competition. His stories Noah’s Ark, Iron Bridge, Pursuit and Endless Race found praiseworthy and published in “ZOKEV Ahmet Naim Çiladir National Story Competition.”