Born in Istanbul in 1947, İpek Çalışlar is a veteran journalist and writer. She has worked at the prestigious daily Cumhuriyet for twelve years and has served on the boards of KA-DER, the Association for the Support and Training of Women Candidates, and PEN Turkey. Çalışlar was tried in Turkey for “insulting the memory of Kemal Atatürk” with this biography, but was later acquitted. Her publications include Madam Atatürk, which is a bestseller in Turkey and has been translated into eleven languages. She lives in Istanbul.