Bilgesu Erenus: Turkish Playwright and Activist

Bilgesu Erenus (13 August 1943 – c. 5 August 2026) was a Turkish playwright, screenwriter, and political activist. Throughout a career spanning several decades, her work explored socio-political themes in modern Turkey, women's rights, and historical injustices.

Early Life and Education

Born on 13 August 1943 in Gölpazarı, Bilecik Province, Turkey, Erenus was the daughter of Avni and Aliye Duru. She attended Kadıköy High School for Girls before pursuing higher education at Istanbul University, where she studied music at the State Conservatory and completed her studies in the journalism department, ultimately earning a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Playwriting and Broadcasting Career

In 1965, Erenus began her professional career at the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), working as a scriptwriter and producer for radio programs until 1973. That year marked her transition to the theater with the staging of her play El Kapısı at the Ankara Art Theatre. This was followed by works such as Ortak (1975), Nereye Payidar (1976), and İkili Oyun (1977). In 1976, she received first prize at the World Children's Year Play competition.

Her later dramatic works frequently engaged with critical historical and social narratives. In 2004, she published Çağrı, a play structured around a Cem worship ceremony that addresses the Dersim massacre. Later in her career, she wrote Yaftali Tabut (2017), a dramatized biographical account exploring the life of early Turkish female playwright Fatma Nudiye Yalçı, which was subsequently staged in Istanbul.

Political Activism and Legal Persecution

Erenus was heavily involved in political activism and was associated with leftist and government-critical publications. She served as the owner of the political journal Toplumsal Kurtuluş, founded in 1987. Due to her political writings and public activism, she faced multiple arrests and detentions by Turkish authorities, including imprisonment under military courts following the 1980 coup d'état and a subsequent prison sentence in the 1990s for speaking against the military draft. In 1984, she joined intellectual figures like Aziz Nesin in signing a petition delivered to the Turkish government advocating for democratic expression.

Personal Life and Death

Erenus married Müştak Erenus in 1967; the couple divorced in 1990. She passed away in August 2026 at the age of 82.