Murathan Mungan

Murathan Mungan — Biography

Murathan Mungan (born 21 April 1955 in Istanbul) is a Turkish poet, author and playwright. Born to a family from Mardin, he spent his school years in that city, whose multicultural atmosphere later shaped much of his writing. He moved to Ankara in 1972 and studied theatre at Ankara University's Faculty of Language, History and Geography, then worked as a dramaturg for six years at the State Theatres in Ankara and three years at the Istanbul City Theatres before becoming a freelance writer in 1988.

His first book, the play Mahmut ile Yezida (1980), opened his Mesopotamia Trilogy, and plays such as Taziye and Bir Garip Orhan Veli won him wide recognition. With poetry collections like Metal he became one of the most read poets of the 1980s generation. He shared the 1987 Haldun Taner Short Story Award for Hedda Gabler Diye Bir Kadın and received the Erdal Öz Literature Award in 2012. Also a lyricist for Yeni Türkü and numerous pop singers, he is regarded as a pioneering openly gay figure in Turkish literature.