Omer Zulfu Livaneli was born in Ilgin, Turkey in 1946. After being held under military detention for three months during the coup of March 12 th, 1971, he had to leave Turkey and move to Sweden. After Stockholm, he lived in Paris and Athens, and he returned to Turkey in 1984.

Livaneli’s latest novel “Leyla’s House” was published in Turkey in May 2006; as of today it’s in its 45th edition and a number one best-seller.

His third novel “Bliss”, published in 2002, also a number one best-seller, made 44 editions, became almost a cult work and is recently adapted to cinema in Turkey. In 2005, “Bliss” was published in Greece and Sweden, and in 2006, it was published in France by Gallimard, in the United States by St.Martin’s Press and in Italy by Gremese. Immediately after its publication in the latter, Bliss was awarded by Barnes & Noble, the biggest bookstore chain in the world, with the annually given “Discover Great New Authors” award due to its “superior literary value”. Bliss will soon be published in Norway by Gylendal and in Netherlands by Prometheus/ Bert Bakker. His second novel “One Cat One Man One Death”, his first novel “The Eunuch of Constantinople” and a collection of his stories titled “A Child in Purgatory” have also been published abroad.

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Born north of Izmir (Turkey) on 25.09.1960, Osman Engin came as a twelve-year-old boy to Germany in 1973. He studied social studies at Bremen and graduated in 1989.

Between 1983 and 2003, Osman Engin wrote satirical short stories every month for the city magazine “Der Bremer” (”The Bremener)”, after which he switched to the Hamburg magazine “Oxmox”. He has already published twelve books. “Kanaken-Gandhi” is so far the most successful and will soon be made into a film. His newest book, “A Turkish Christmas”, came out last year.

Osman hopes through his satires to make the reader aware of injustices in society. He wants to provoke reflection. At the same time, he wants to tackle the issue of German-Turkish relations. “The Germans would call it holding up a mirror,” he says.

Last year, Engin recieved the ARD Media prize for his satire I am the Pope. This is an important acknowledgment of his work. His satire, according to the jury, “makes fun of everyday prejudices and clichés.” He wonders, admittedly, what Germany’s Turkish population thinks of his literary work. “The best recognition of my satires is the laughter of my audience,” grins Osman.

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