About

I discovered books early in life and began writing the day my mother gave me my first diary. Literature quickly became my closest companion. I’ve spent more time immersed in fictional worlds than in the real one. And yet, becoming an author was never my childhood dream.

I was born in Istanbul, where the Orient Express once arrived, and grew up at the crossroads of East and West. From a young age, I longed to explore both worlds and travel endlessly.

With those dreams in mind, I entered Boğaziçi University—formerly the American Robert College—where I received a top-tier education in sociology. After completing my BA, unsure how to bring my childhood dreams to life, I stayed on to earn a Master’s degree. By then, I was well-versed in feminist theory, Orientalism, post-colonialism, postmodernism, social movements, and academic research. Still, no adventure had yet begun.

I was offered a full scholarship for doctoral studies in social anthropology at UCLA. It was a prestigious opportunity, but my heart was elsewhere. I had spent my life within the Byzantine city walls of Istanbul, and I yearned for something more.

At 28, after months of soul-searching, I chose not to pursue academia. Instead, I packed a backpack and boarded a plane to Thailand. If anyone was going to make my dreams come true, it had to be me.

The next ten years were a journey across the globe. In Thailand, I began studying yoga—a practice that helped me focus my energy toward a more meaningful life. Yoga gave me the courage to share my writing, and shortly after returning to Turkey, I held my first published book in my hands: Blue Forest.

Since then, my writing has inspired many readers, especially young women in Turkey who long to live beyond traditional expectations.

My books explore the unspoken truths of history—family secrets, silenced narratives, and hidden facets of Ottoman and Turkish pasts. I write stories, novels, and essays that delve into the shadowed corners of the human psyche—memory, exile, displacement, and voices from the margins. My award-winning short stories and novels have been translated into more than 30 languages—from Greek to Malayalam, from Norwegian to Arabic—and published worldwide.

When I’m not at my desk or attending a literary festival, I’m often traveling between Istanbul and Athens or swimming in the blue waters of the Aegean. I love hearing from readers—please feel free to write or connect with me on social media.