Aslı Erdoğan, ICORN Fellow in Krakow and in Wysokie Obcasy!

In the newest issue of Wysokie Obcasy, readers will find an interview with Aslı Erdoğan, the Turkish writer and reporter, who takes on complex and controversial political topics. Her works are banned in Turkey, and she might be incarcerated if she ever returns to Turkey. This is why Erdoğan – known for her involvement in human rights movements (especially supporting the Kurdish minority) – has been living in Krakow, a city which is a part of the international cities of refuge network for persecuted writers and human rights defenders, as one of the ICORN Fellows. The writer activelycontributed to the literary life in Krakow by participating in many discussions, interviews and conversations, including during the Conrad Festival, where she took part in the meeting entitled “The Minority Report: Women and Kurds in Asli Erdoğan’s Turkey”. She also appeared in various media with nationwide coverage, including Program 2 of Polskie Radio and Dzień Dobry TVN.

The interview, published in Wysokie Obcasy is a perfect opportunity to get to know Erdoğan as a woman, as well as a writer – especially given that her works are still mostly unknown to the majority of readers, even though she is widely acclaimed and recognised all over the world. The ICORN Fellow has published over 200 articles (many of which were critical towards governments and politicians), both in Turkish and international media. Her texts were translated into many languages, including French, Danish, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Bosnian, German and Bulgarian. Fragments of her prose were staged in Milan and appeared in theatres, and one of her short stories was adapted into a film in France. French literary periodical Lire listed the author among the 50 writers of the future and claimed that her works are classics of our times.