Zeynep Birsel Oral (born 15 February 1946) is a Turkish journalist. She is also a writer, theatre critic and a cultural editor.
Life
Zeynep Birsel was born in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, Turkey, on 15 February 1946. She graduated from the
American Collegiate Institute
Founded in 1878, the American Collegiate Institute ( tr, Özel İzmir Amerikan Koleji), referred to by the acronym ACI, is a private co-educational high school in Goztepe, İzmir, Turkey. ACI was founded, and is now run, by the charity foundation ...
in
İzmir
İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban agglo ...
. She also studied in
École supérieure de journalisme de Paris
The École supérieure de journalisme (ESJ Paris; in English: ''Superior School of Journalism of Paris'') is an institution of higher education in Paris dedicated to journalism and related studies. Its origin was in the ''Collège Libre des Science ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, France, in 1966, and at the L'Institut des Etudes Théâtrales of
Sorbonne University during 1964–1967. She is married to Ahmet Oral, and is the mother of two sons; Emre and Kerem.
Career
Between 1968 and 2001, she served in ''
Milliyet
''Milliyet'' ( Turkish for "''nationality''") is a Turkish daily newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey.
History and profile
''Milliyet'' came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 ...
'' newspaper as a columnist. In 1972, while still in ''Milliyet'', she became one of the founders of ''Milliyet Sanat'', a periodical dedicated to art. Currently, she is a columnist in ''
Cumhuriyet'' newspaper.
She also participated in the establishment of "Theatre Critics Association of Turkey", the Nazım Hikmet Foundation, "Turkey-Greece Friendship Association", KA-DER ("Association to Support and Train Female Candidates"), the Mother Culture Foundation and WINPEACE ("Women's Peace Initiative"). She is a member of the "Turkish Authors Syndicate", PEN Turkey and the "Turkish Journalist Association".
Books
Her books are the following:
Life story
/ref>
*1995: ''Leyla Gencer'e Armağan'' ("A gift to Leyla Gencer")
*1995: ''Kara Sevda'' ("Melancholy")
*1998: ''Kadmandu'dan Meksika'ya'' ("From Kadmandu to Mexico")
*2003: ''Bir Ses'' ("A Sound")
*2008: ''Leyla Gencer Tutkunun Romanı'' ("A Story of Passion)
*2010: ''Uzakdoğu'm'' ("My Fareast")
*2010: ''Kadın Olmak'' ("To be a Woman")
*2010: ''Bu Cennet Bu Cehennem'' ("This Heaven, this Hell")
*2011: ''Meslek Yarası'' ("Wound of Occupation")
*2011: ''O Büyülü İnsanlar'' ("These Magic People")
*2011: ''Esintiler 2000–2010'' ("Breezes 200-2010")
*2012: ''O Güzel İnsanlar'' ("These Nice People")
*2014: ''Direniş ve Umut'' ("Opposition and Hope"), memoir of Reha İsvan
Reha İsvan (1925 – 2013) was a Turkish author, journalist and political activist. She has been known for her post as the vice president of the Turkish Peace Association. She was imprisoned more than three years between February 1982 and Februa ...
External links
Zeynep Oral's page in English
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oral, Zeynep
Living people
1946 births
Writers from Istanbul
Turkish women writers
Turkish columnists
Turkish theatre critics
Women theatre critics
Milliyet people
Cumhuriyet people
Recipients of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Turkish women columnists
20th-century Turkish journalists
21st-century Turkish journalists
20th-century Turkish women journalists
21st-century Turkish women journalists
Cultural activists