Zülfü Livaneli

Zülfü Livaneli
Zülfü Livaneli in 2019
Born
Ömer Zülfü Livanelioğlu

(1946-06-20) 20 June 1946
Occupations
  • Author
  • poet
  • composer
  • politician
  • human rights activist
Notable workBliss, My Brother's Story, Serenade for Nadia
SpouseÜlker Livaneli
ChildrenAylin Livaneli
Awards
  • Barnes & Noble Discovery of a Great New Author Award, 2006 (Bliss)
  • Balkan Literary Award for Best Novel, 1997 (The Eunuch of Constantinople)
  • Yunus Nadi Literary Award for Best Novel, 2001 (Memory of Snow)
  • Orhan Kemal Literary Award for Best Novel, 2009 (Last Island)
Websitewww.livaneli.net

Ömer Zülfü Livanelioğlu (born 20 June 1946), better known as Zülfü Livaneli, is a Turkish musician, author, poet, and politician.

Livaneli was imprisoned several times following the 1971 Turkish military memorandum due to his political views, leading to his exile from Turkey in 1972. During his exile he lived in Stockholm, Paris, Athens, and New York City, where he met and collaborated with artists and intellectuals such as Elia Kazan, Arthur Miller, James Baldwin, and Peter Ustinov. Livaneli returned to Turkey in 1984.

In 1995, UNESCO appointed him as a Goodwill Ambassador in recognition of his cultural works, political activities, and contributions to world peace. He resigned from this position in 2016 to protest against what he described as the damage by the Turkish State to the historic Kurdish Old Town of Diyarbakir.

Livaneli served as a member of the Grand National Assembly and as part of the Turkish Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

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