Kışlalı completed his primary and secondary education in Kilis, and graduated from "Kabataş Erkek Lisesi" high school in Istanbul in 1957.

[2] Kışlalı received a degree from the School of Political Sciences at Ankara University, in 1963, where he was the assistant editor of College newspaper Yeni Gün.

[7] During his term of ministry, he restarted the effort of printing classical works by the state press, making these available to masses at reasonable prices.

Starting from 1991, he had a regular column in the leftist newspaper Cumhuriyet with the title "Haftaya Bakış" ("A View of the Week").

On 21 October 1999, shortly after having faxed his article to Cumhuriyet at 9:40 h local time, Ahmet Taner Kışlalı left his home and headed for his car.