Zülfü Livaneli

Zülfü Livaneli — Biography

Zülfü Livaneli is one of the few public figures in Türkiye who has combined music, literature, film and politics. Since returning from exile in 1984 he has stayed prominent as composer, novelist and essayist; in 2026 his new book Balıkçı ve Oğlu appeared, and he continues to give concerts and meet readers. He was born in Ilgın in 1946 and attended TED Ankara College.

In music he stood out with the album Nazım Türküsü, setting Nâzım Hikmet's poems; he wrote about three hundred songs, performed by artists such as Joan Baez, Maria Farantouri and Sezen Aksu. After the 1971 memorandum he was arrested several times over his political views, and in 1972 he left the country, living in Stockholm, Paris, Athens and New York. Among his nearly thirty film scores are Yol, Sürü and Hazal; in 1999 he won best composer at San Remo. As a director he made four films: Yer Demir Gök Bakır was named best foreign film at San Sebastián, Sis brought him best director at Valencia, and Şahmaran and Veda complete the list.

In literature Mutluluk, Son Ada (Orhan Kemal Novel Award) and Serenad are his best-read books, and his work has been translated into 37 languages. He was a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and resigned in 2016, citing the damage to Diyarbakır's historic Sur district. He served as a CHP member of parliament from 2002 to 2006.