After writing columns in Hürses, Altan continued as a columnist in various newspapers including Halkçı, Tan, Akşam, Milliyet, Yeni Ortam, Hürriyet, Güneş and the magazine Çarşaf.
[1] On the 20 February 1968, after having called Nazim Hikmet a “great poet“, he was physically attacked and beaten in parliament by more than hundred MPs of the Justice Party (AP)[6] He has been prosecuted more than 300 times because of his articles.
[1] He published several novels and collections of essays, dealing with and criticizing the social and political situation of Turkey as well as the problems of contemporary Turkish society and culture in the second half of the 20th century from a socialistic/culturally liberal perspective.
'Stone'), Sömürücülerle Savaş ("Struggle against the Exploiters"), Suçlanan Yazılar ("Accused Writings"), "Kahrolsun Komünizm" Diye Diye Globalleşme ("Globalization Saying 'Down with Communism'"), Onlar Uyanırken ("While They Awaken"), Kopuk Kopuk ("Broken off"), ‘Geçip Giderken ("While Going by"), Gölgelerin Gölgesi ("Shadow of Shadows"), Şeytanın Aynaları ("Mirrors of the Devil"), Bir Yumak İnsan ("A Group of People") and Nar Çekirdekleri ("Pomegranate Seeds").
He wrote his novel Büyük Gözaltı ("The Great Detention") in 1972, which narrates his experience in the prison following the 1971 Turkish coup d'état and is considered as the first of its sort relating to the period.
[1] In addition to his numerous writings and books, Çetin Altan also wrote theatre plays such as Çemberler ("Circles"), Mor Defter ("The Purple Notebook"), Suçlular ("The Convicted") in 1965, Dilekçe ("The Petition") and Tahteravalli ("The Seesaw").
[1][7] His life story was portrayed in the novel İpek Böceği Cinayeti ("The Silkworm Murder") by his author wife Solmaz Kamuran in 1998.
[1] His novels Büyük Gözaltı ("Etroite surveillance"), Bir Avuç Gökyüzüir ("Une poignée de ciel"), Viski ("Whisky") and Zurnada Peşrev Olmaz Küçük Bahçe ("Ixe enseveli ou le Petit jardin") were also translated into French and published in France.
[8] Çetin Altan was taken to the hospital of the Fatih University Medicine Faculty at Maltepe, Istanbul in September 2015, where he was treated after being diagnosed with multiple health problems including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), respiratory failure, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, urinary tract infection and sepsis.
[7][9] He was interred at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery on 23 October 2015, following a memorial ceremony before the building of Millyet newspaper and the consequent religious funeral service at Teşvikiye Mosque.