Oğuz Atay, Turkish engineer and author (died 1977)

Oğuz Atay was a Turkish novelist. His first novel, Tutunamayanlar, appeared in 1971–72. Never reprinted in his lifetime and controversial among critics, it has become a best-seller since a new edition came out in 1984. It has been described as "probably the most eminent novel of twentieth-century Turkish literature": this reference is due to a UNESCO survey, which goes on: "it poses an earnest challenge to even the most skilled translator with its kaleidoscope of colloquialisms and sheer size."