Buket Uzuner was born in Ankara 1955. She is the author of short stories, travel writing, and novels, as well as being trained as a molecular biologist and environmental scientist. She has studied and worked at universities in Turkey, Norway, the United States, and Finland, and was a fellow at the University of Iowa International Writing Program in 1996. She has won numerous awards, including the Yunus Nadi Prize for her novel The Sound of Fishsteps in 1993, and the University of Istanbul named The Mediterranean Waltz Best Novel of 1998. She currently lives in Istanbul with her son. Buket Uzuner was born in Ankara 1955. She is the author of short stories, travel writing, and novels, as well as being trained as a molecular biologist and environmental scientist. She has studied and worked at universities in Turkey, Norway, the United States, and Finland, and was a fellow at the University of Iowa International Writing Program in 1996. She has won numerous awards, including the Yunus Nadi Prize for her novel The Sound of Fishsteps in 1993, and the University of Istanbul named The Mediterranean Waltz Best Novel of 1998. She currently lives in Istanbul with her son.