About

“Livaneli is an essential force in Turkey’s cultural scene.”

— Orhan Pamuk

O. Z. Livaneli, born in 1946, is a best-selling Turkish author considered one of the most significant and influential authors and intellectuals of his time. His Turkish publisher, Doğan-Egmont, sold over 3 million copies of his books combined in a recent four-year span, and he has won numerous literary awards both at home and abroad. Although his books are viewed as highly literary, Livaneli is considered the best-selling contemporary author of Turkey today.

He is known for novels that interweave diverse social and historical backgrounds, figures, and incidents — such as Bliss, which won the Barnes & Noble ‘Discovery of Great New Writers Award’ in 2006, and the critically acclaimed Serenade for Nadia, Leyla’s House, and My Brother’s Story, translated into 37 languages. His novels have been turned into films, stage plays, and operas.

Livaneli was held under military detention during the coup of 1971 and had to leave Turkey in 1972. He lived in Stockholm, Paris, Athens, and New York, where he met and collaborated with artists and intellectuals such as Elia Kazan, Arthur Miller, James Baldwin, and Peter Ustinov. He returned to Turkey in 1984.

His cultural and political activities and contributions to world peace were recognized by UNESCO in 1995, when he was appointed Goodwill Ambassador — a post he resigned in 2016 to protest the organization’s failure to condemn the destruction of Kurdish historical sites in Turkey. He also served a term in the Turkish Parliament and in the Council of Europe.

Livaneli received the Légion d’Honneur, the highest French order of merit, in 2014.

He is as accomplished a writer as he is a composer and cultural and political activist. Though first known for his contemporary music, he turned his focus to writing when he realized literature was closer to his heart. Several cultural centers and parks bear his name, and his statues stand in various parts of Turkey.

He now lives in Istanbul with his wife, Ülker Livaneli.