Ahmet Altan, translated by Yasemin Congar author biography, plus links to books by Ahmet Altan, translated by Yasemin Congar.

Ahmet Altan, translated by Yasemin Congar

Ahmet Altan, born in 1950, is one of Turkey's most important writers. In the purge following the failed coup of July 2016, Altan was sent to prison pending trial for giving "subliminal messages" in support of the coup. In February 2018 he was sentenced to life in prison without parole for attempting to overthrow the government. Fifty-one Nobel laureates have signed an open letter to President Erdoğan calling for Altan's release. Altan is the author of seven essay collections and ten novels.

Yasemin Çongar is the co-founder and general director of P24, a nonprofit platform for independent journalism in Istanbul. She is also the founder of K24, a Turkish literary review, and, most recently, the Istanbul Literature House. An editor, essayist, and translator, Çongar is the author of four books in Turkish.

Update: Nov 6, 2019. Ahmet Altan was released from prison today after a retrial, but three of his co-defendants – Fevzi Yazıcı, Yakup Şimşek and Şükrü Tuğrul Özşengül, as do many other writers and journalists.

Update: Nov 14, 2019. Ahmet Altan was rearrested Tuesday. The Guardian reported that an arrest warrant was issued "after the chief public prosecutor appealed against the decision to release Altan."

This biography was last updated on 10/01/2019.

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