Beşir Fuad
Beşir Fuad (5 February 1887) was an Ottoman soldier, intellectual, and writer during the First Constitutional Era. He wrote works on science, philosophy, literary criticism and biography. Unlike Tanzimat era intellectuals, who generally subscribed to romanticism, he promulgated realism and naturalism in literature; and positivism in philosophy. He has been called "the first Turkish positivist and naturalist". His suicide at the age of 35 had wide repercussions in the Ottoman society and the press, which were unfamiliar with the concept of suicide until then. His death is reported with starting a suicide epidemic in Istanbul. Early life and military career Beşir Fuad was born in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) to a family of Georgian descent. He was the son of Habibe Hanım and Hurşid Pasha, who had served as mutasarrif of Marash and Adana. After graduating from Fatih Highschool, he continued his education at the Aleppo Jesuit School in Syria, where his father was posted. During his stay in Aleppo, he learned French. He graduated from Kuleli Military High School in 1871 and the Ottoman Military Academy in 1873. After graduating, he served as an aide-de-camp to Sultan Abdulaziz for three years. When the Serbian-Ottoman war of 1876-1877 began, he joined