Author of 14 books 20 awards – Dursaliye Şahan

A Journey Through Words

Leyla and Adem’s mother, a storyteller, shares the tales she hears from insects sometimes with birds, sometimes with children. Mırmır, the family cat, is always a silent listener. No story enters a book unless Leyla, Adem, and Mırmır all approve of it. Among the games this family invents, their favorite is thinking like animals.

Journalist- Writer Dursaliye Sahan

20 +

years of
experience

🐞Author of 14 books 20 awards
Through the magical power of words, I write to heal, provoke thought, and raise awareness. I observed the Turkish diaspora and, in doing so, developed an ethnographic authorial identity. Women, children, migration, human rights, and nature became the framework shaping my writing.

Life itself is like a character in a novel.
As someone who does not enjoy speaking, I communicate through writing.

library resources

ADDICTION

Today, I want to confess a secret to you. Yes. This is a fact: I trust my readers. Now, let’s get to the confession of…
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BOOKS

Published Works Dursaliye Şahan’s literary corpus spans novels, short stories, children’s literature, and graphic narrative. Her recent novels include Babam Aşık Olunca (2024, Cumhuriyet Kitap)…
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BUY BOOKS ONLINE

Dursaliye Şahan’s books are available for purchase online at Amazon, Waterstones, ThriftBooks, and Press Dionysus. Simply click on the bookstore names below to access the…
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BIOGRAPHY

Leyla and Adem’s mother, a storyteller, transmits the tales she gathers from the minutiae of life—sometimes from insects, sometimes from birds, and occasionally from children.…
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Highlights from My Books & From Our Readers

Tottenham Boys

My favorite teacher at school perhaps the only one I truly liked was Mr. Hayrettin. From the very first day, he treated me with warmth; he smiled the moment he saw me. It was Istanbul that taught me what it meant to smile at someone or to look down on them.

Press Dionysus

In this book, Dursaliye Sahan touches on one of the neglected aspects of the migration issue, namely the socio-political relations behind migration.

Zeynep Sen

Definite recommendation to anyone who wants a tearjerker that’ll also give them a firm understanding of a lot things that are happening around the world today.

The Unruly Women’s Society

In this world, love is the antidote to every evil we can imagine. Bahar, Zahide, Neriman, Ebru, Aheste, Zilşan, and the others… This book is filled with gentle women who hold up a mirror to the many faces of love.

YoldaTV

The story When My Father Falls in Love makes you laugh while it makes you think. In our small, enclosed worlds, even falling in love feels like a luxury. And what if our own mind is deceiving us? These are bedtime pieces meant to amuse you while quietly provoking reflection.

Anecdotes From Interviews Aired On News Channels

YoldaTV Interviews Migration Stories Series- “Caught in Between” 🎥

Migration meant a journey toward freedom and the start of a new life. In London, I discovered what I was capable of as a woman. I realized that, in fact, I had known very little about myself. I built a life by learning through trial and error. Believing in the flow of life, I began to live with whatever came my way.

Evrensel News Site: Dursaliye Sahan, Author of Tottenham Boys, discussed her debut novel. Tottenham Boys and her literary work with Mehmet Utku. 🗞

Continuing the writing career she began in her youth with stories centered on themes of womanhood, migration and racism, Dursaliye Şahan is known for her short story collections such as “A Woman Returned from London,” “Poor Paradise,” and “The Officer in London.” We spoke with her about her debut novel, “The Tottenham Children.” During the conversation, in which Şahan also hinted at her upcoming book, she said: “I work with great passion. To put it briefly, I write about the gentle struggles of the small yet great people who do not realize they are heroes in this ruthless life.”

Ruling: Küçük Gelin (Turkish TV Series) Found to Be Plagiarized!

It has been revealed that the script of the series Küçük Gelin was plagiarized. Following the court’s announcement of the conviction, screenwriter Dursaliye Şahan said, “As writers, we must reject the system of exploitation. I hope these lawsuits will inspire young people in their struggle to claim their rights.”

Book of the Day: Dursaliye Şahan’s Society of Unbound Women

Renowned for her focus on women, author Dursaliye Şahan often writes about those in whom “storms rage within.” While her narratives delve deeply into women and their struggles, she also confronts racism—the scourge she considers one of the greatest blights upon the world—insisting that simply saying “Down with racism” is not enough. Her debut novel, The Tottenham Children, depicts the harrowing journey of a Kurdish boy ensnared in a mafia gang. The Society of Unbound Women explores the neighborhoods of Istanbul in the 1980s, portraying the lives of a group of women navigating a turbulent era. Her latest novel, Sherbet, recounts the night of the July 15 coup attempt through the eyes of a 17-year-old girl, offering an intimate perspective on a national tragedy.

Kentyasam.com: Interview About the Novel “Find me Mom” winner of the 2023 Fakir Baykurt Novel Award 🗞

This year, Dursaliye Şahan has once again been awarded first place, this time for her novel “Bul Beni Anne.” The award will be presented to her at a ceremony to be held at Çiğli Municipality on 11 October 2023. As for the novel itself, readers are met with a profound and harrowing drama — yet everything depicted is a part of real life. Told with sharp realism, the story at times seems almost unbelievable; however, upon reflection and by considering what we witness around us, it becomes clear that it conveys deeply lived and undeniable truths.

Plagiarism Ruling Issued for the Series Sıla (Turkish TV Series)🖋

It has been proven that Sıla, once one of ATV’s most popular television series, was produced through plagiarism from Dursaliye Şahan’s original project. Şahan is calling on the Ministry of Culture to take action regarding the “original work declaration.” The copyright lawsuit she filed against the production company has now concluded. The Istanbul 1st Court of Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights issued its ruling based on the expert report prepared by a three-member committee consisting of screenwriter Levent Kazak, Professor Dr. Mustafa Özkan, and Associate Professor of Law İlhan Yiğit.

The ‘Tottenham Boys’ From the Story Writer Behind the Series Sıla

The author of the book, Dursaliye Şahan, emphasized that the characters and events are fictional, saying:
“The system is extremely harsh on young people who get involved with gangs. If you look at the life stories of these youths, you can see just how difficult life is for immigrant young people. If I had tried to write the truths exactly as they are, it would have turned into a horror story. ‘The Tottenham Children’ tells an adventurous, romantic drama spanning from Şırnak to London, and unfortunately, the veil of mystery surrounding the gang members who are remembered for their mysterious suicides has still not been lifted.”

Journalist and Author Dursaliye Şahan Wins Award in Short Story Category!

Journalist and author Dursaliye Şahan, who continues her career in London, has won an award in the short story and illustration contest themed “The Art of Resistance: Palestine”, organized in collaboration with the Sensitive Media Association and Erdem Publishing.