Draft:Cemal Granda
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| Submission declined on 29 June 2025 by Itzcuauhtli11 (talk). This submission's references do not show that the subject qualifies for a Wikipedia article—that is, they do not show significant coverage (not just passing mentions) about the subject in published, reliable, secondary sources that are independent of the subject (see the guidelines on the notability of people). Before any resubmission, additional references meeting these criteria should be added (see technical help and learn about mistakes to avoid when addressing this issue). If no additional references exist, the subject is not suitable for Wikipedia. Declined by Itzcuauhtli11 12 hours ago. | |
Cemal Granda | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ali Cemalettin 1910 |
| Died | 1978 (aged 67–68) |
| Occupation(s) | Butler, memoirist |
| Years active | 1927–1938 |
| Known for | Valet to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1927–1938); author of Atatürk'ün Uşağının Gizli Defteri |
| Notable work | Atatürk'ün Uşağının Gizli Defteri (1971) |
| Spouse | Kadriye Hanım (m. 1956) |
Cemal Granda (born Ali Cemalettin; 1910 – 1978) was a Turkish servant and memoirist, best known for working as the chief waiter in Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s household from 1927 until Atatürk’s death in 1938.[1] His recollections, first serialised in 1959 and later published as Atatürk'ün Uşağının Gizli Defteri (The Secret Diary of Atatürk's Butler, 1971), are frequently cited by historians and journalists for the intimate perspective they provide on Turkey’s first president.[2]
Early life
[edit]Granda was born in Salihli, western Anatolia, the son of chief commissioner Mustafa Kamil Efendi.[1] After his father’s death in 1911, his family moved to Bursa, where he attended Hocaalizade Primary School and the Bursa Sultanî.[3]
Maritime career
[edit]In 1925 he relocated to Istanbul and joined the state‑owned Türkiye Seyr‑i Sefain İdaresi as a cabin boy. While serving aboard the exhibition ship Karadeniz during its 1926 European tour he caught his first glimpse of Atatürk.[1] Inspired by the well‑paid stewards he met on that voyage, he trained as a waiter.[3]
Service to Atatürk
[edit]On 3 July 1927 Granda was appointed to Atatürk’s personal staff at the Çankaya Mansion. When the 1934 Surname Law required all citizens to adopt family names he chose "Granda", a nautical term for a mizzen sail.[1] Over the next twelve years he managed table service at both Çankaya and Dolmabahçe Palace, keeping detailed but clandestine notebooks of menus, guest lists and conversation topics.[2]
Memoirs
[edit]Granda began writing his memoirs in 1947 while working in Zonguldak. A 210‑page manuscript was serialised in the newspaper Şehir in 1959 under the heading "Atatürk’ün Sofrası".[1] An expanded 432‑page edition appeared in 1971 as Atatürk'ün Uşağının Gizli Defteri and was reissued in 1973 under the title Atatürk’ün Uşağı İdim.[4] The work remains in print; modern editions include Atatürk'ün Uşağı Cemal Granda Anlatıyor (Kristal, 2007). Scholars have mined it for first‑hand details of Atatürk’s domestic habits—such as his preference for simple foods and the use of dinner gatherings as informal policy seminars.[5]
Later life and death
[edit]After Atatürk’s death in 1938 Granda worked in Istanbul before accepting an inspectorate at the Etibank Ereğli Coal Works in Zonguldak. He later served as a purchasing officer at the Denizcilik Bankası thermal hotel in Yalova, where he died in 1978.[1]
Legacy
[edit]Although written decades after the events they describe, Granda’s recollections are regularly quoted in Turkish press features and academic studies concerned with the private life of Atatürk.[2][5] Historian Zübeyir Uzun notes that the memoir offers “vital eyewitness testimony that complements official records of the early Republic”.[1] The book’s portrait of Atatürk as both statesman and ordinary diner has also been used in English‑language scholarship to illustrate the charismatic leader’s public‑private dichotomy.[6]
Works
[edit]- Atatürk'ün Uşağının Gizli Defteri. Istanbul: Fer Yayınları, 1971. ISBN 978‑9944915038.
- Atatürk’ün Uşağı İdim. Istanbul: Hürriyet Yayınları, 1973.
- Atatürk'ün Uşağı Cemal Granda Anlatıyor. Ankara: Kristal Kitaplar, 2007.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Uzun, Zübeyir (24 May 2021). "Cemal Granda (1910–1978)". Atatürk Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ a b c Şendir, Özay (9 November 2017). "Atatürk'ün uşağı olmak..." Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ a b Somay, Bülent (1 October 2006). "Atatürk'ün uşağı : Cemal Granda". BirGün (in Turkish). Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ Granda, Cemal (1971). Atatürk'ün Uşağının Gizli Defteri. Istanbul: Fer Yayınları.
- ^ a b Cıvaoğlu, Güneri (24 September 2007). "Atatürk ve oruç". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ Erdoğan, Abdullah (2019). "Atatürk'ün Sofrası". Journal of Universal History Studies. 2 (2): 288–295. doi:10.38000/juhis.604291.