Burhan Sönmez was born in Central Anatolia in 1965 and grew up speaking Kurdish and Turkish. He later moved to Istanbul, where he studied law. The recipient of a number of literary prizes, he has published three novels, all translated into English and several other languages: North (Kuzey), Sins and Innocents (Masumlar) and Istanbul Istanbul. In 1996 he was seriously injured following an assault by Turkish police. With the assistance of the Freedom from Torture foundation, he spent five years in the UK undergoing rehabilitation. He now divides his time between Istanbul and Cambridge, UK.
