Exiled dissident writer.
An engineering physicist by training and classical dancer, her poetic prose is influenced by the work of Paul Celan and Ruth Klüger. She has won numerous international awards and been praised by writers including Orhan Pamuk. She was the Turkish representative on the PEN International Writers in Prison Committee. She wrote a column entitled The Others in the Turkish newspaper Radikal, on prisoners, refugees, torture and rights. After several years as writer in residence in European cities, she worked for the pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem, for which she was accused of terrorism and imprisoned. Her texts have been adapted for the stage and performed at La Scala, the Centre Pompidou and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. Her recent books include The Stone Building and Other Places (2021).
