Kemal published his first book "Ağıtlar" ("Ballads"), a compilation of folkloric themes, in 1943. This book brought to light many long forgotten rhymes and ballads, which he had begun to collect at the age of 16. His first stories "Bebek" ("The Baby"), "Dükkancı" ("The Shopkeeper") and "Memet ile Memet" ("Memet and Memet") were published in 1950. He penned his first tale "Pis Hikaye" ("The Dirty Story") in 1944, while he was serving in the military, in Kayseri. Then he published his book of short stories "Sarı Sıcak" ("Yellow Heat") in 1952. The initial theme of his works was the toil of the people of the Çukurova plains and he based his writings on the lives and sufferings of these people. Kemal used the legends and stories of Anatolia extensively as the basis for his works.