Aslı Erdoğan is a writer of literature and columnist, human rights defender, ex political prisoner as well as a particle physicist. She is the author of eight books, novels, novellas, collections of poetic prose and essays, translated into more than twenty languages .She was arrested in 2016 for her collaboration with the pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem. Aslı Erdoğan has received several prizes in literature and human rights such as SAIT FAIK Award, Simone de Beauvoir Award, Karl Tucholsky Award, Erich Maria Remarque Peace Prize, Vaclav Havel Library Foundation Award, Chevalier des arts et Lettres among others. Her work has been adapted into theater and acted in Milan, Graz and Avignon, into classical ballet, radio, a short film and finally opera.
“Aslı Erdoğan is an exceptionally perceptive and sensitive writer who always produces perfect literary texts.” Orhan Pamuk
“Aslı Erdoğan has a beautiful, rich imagination, is endowed with immense talent and teaches us all what writerly courage is.” Ian Mc. Ewan
“Her strikingly powerful literature, with its extraordinary density and versatility, reaches levels that deserves a Nobel Prize.” Günther Wallraff
“The author’s name is whispered in the same breath as Malcolm Löwry and Antonin Artaud.” Libre Belgique (2004)
Books, translations, adaptations
“THE STONE BUILDING and OTHER PLACES” has won Sait Faik Literary Award(2010), arguably the most prestigious literary award in Turkey and Vaclav Havel Library Foundation Award(2019) as well as being shortlisted in PEN America Translation Awards(2019) . So far it has been published by The City Lights(USA), Actes Sud(French), Penguin Deutschland, Gyldendal (Norwegian), Ramus (Swedish) , Clube de Autore (Portuegese), Armenia (Spanish) , Potamos(Greek), Marjin Kiri(Indonesian), Aryen (Kurdish)and Underskoven(Danish). Texts from the book have been adapted into theater by different directors (Istanbul, Graz) and now a text is currently being adapted into opera(Berlin).
“THE CITY IN CRIMSON CLOAK” has been translated into 15 languages and published by publishers as Actes Sud (French) , Norwegian (Gyldendal), Garzanti (Italian), Potamos (Greek), Fraktura(Croatian), Ramus(Swedish), The Soft Skull (USA), German (Unionsverlag), Polirom (Romanian), Buybook (Bosnian) C&K Forlag (Danish), Agon and Paradox (Bulgarian), Cadmos and El Arabia(Syrian, Egyptian), Gotan(Macedonian, Albanian) amongst others. Spanish, Portuguese, Kurdish translations are in progress.
The book has been selected into MARG series by Gyldendal – the series includes 20 writers as Helene Cixous, W.G. Sebald, Henk van Woerden- and Turkische Bibliothek by Unionsverlag.
Aslı Erdoğan was chosen among the “50 Writers of Future” by the French literary magazine Lire based on that book.
“Tales of Crossed Destinies, The Modern Turkish Novel in a Contemporary Context” by Azade Seyhan specifies three novels as representatives of post modern Turkish novel, along with “The City in Crimson Cloak”, the other two are by Orhan Pamuk and Latife Tekin.
“REQUIEM for a LOST CITY” , winner of DUNYA The Book oft he Year Award)in 2005, has so far been published in French (Actes Sud), German(Penguin Deutschland) and Swedish(Ramus). The book is currently being translated into English, Norwegian and Italian. Texts from the book has been acted in Milan (La Piccolo) and Graz, adapted into “The Seven Deadly Sins” by Kurt Weill by Marc Calatayud as a a counterpoint to Brecht’s text.
“Le silence meme n’est plus à toi” has sold over 70 thousand copies , becoming a bestseller in France. The audiobook was voiced by Katherine Deneuve. The book, a collection of essays tittled as “Not Even the Silence Belongs to You Anymore“ has been translated into nine lanuages and is the winner of Vincenzo Padula Prize.
“THE MIRACULOUS MANDARIN” has been translated into ten languages, published by Actes Sud, Gyldendal, Keller (Italian), Potamos , Ramus, Buybook among others and has been chosen among the “Books of the Year” in Sweden. Adapted into opera by Luk Percival (Mozart, Abduction from the Serail,Geneva, Mannheim, Luxembourg)
“THE WOODEN BIRDS”, translated into a more than a dozen languages, is the winner of Deutsche Welle Prize(1997).
“THE CRUST MAN” is now available in French, Bulgarien and Norwegian.
“THE DIARY OF A PERTURBED WOMAN” is adapted into theater and currently running in Istanbul.
“The Captive”, a short story by A.E., has been adapted into a short film.
Overall Aslı Erdoğan‘s books have been translated into twenty two languages, in majority of these languages, she has at least two books.
Aslı Erdoğan‘s texts have been adapted into radio, a short film, dance theater, classical ballet, opera and theater by various directors (Emel Heinrich, Mahir Gunsiray, Aysenil Samlioğlu, Ayse Lebriz, Bruno Marin, Luk Percival ) and acted in various theaters as in Avignon, Graz, Istanbul, Milan, Diyarbakır, Mannheim, Geneva, Luxembourg.
Aslı Erdoğan has been a subject of three documentaries.
“Grenzgängerin Zwichen Himmel und Tod” by Osman Okkan.
Osman Okkan has directed 6 documentaries on six writers: ‘‘Menschenlandschaften‘‘ (Orhan Pamuk, Yaşar Kemal, Elif Şafak, Murathan Mungan, Nazım Hikmet and Aslı Erdoğan)
“Incomplete Sentences”, award winning documentary by Adar Bozbay concentrates on the author’s life in exile, including interviews with her prisonmates.
“The Terroriste” is about three women, a doctor, a writer and an artist, who end up in prison for trying to tell the reality in Turkey. The artist Zehra Doğan and A.E are currently in exile, Şebnem Korur Fincancı, a doctor of medicine and the president of Human Rights. Foundation has been rearrested. Produced by Creative Nomads.
Aslı Erdoğan 