Suat Derviş (1905–1972) was a Turkish novelist, journalist, and political activist, who was among the founders of the Socialist Women’s Association in 1970.
A reviewer stated that "[Suat Derviş], who is more objective and modern than Halide Edib [the most famous woman writer of the time], is by no means less profound”.
In this work, which was met with astonishment and amazement in the literary world, she explained the inner voices and feelings of a beautiful and sensitive young girl who was condemned to death, indicating her desire to live until her last breath.
In these novels, she presented sections from the high-level life of Istanbul; talked about relationships; she examined the social position of women and the demand for freedom.
She made her first interview with Refet Bey, who came to Istanbul in 1922 as the representative of the Ankara government, for the Alemdar newspaper.
After a while, she left Alemdar and moved to İkdam and became a pioneer in this matter, preparing a women's page in the newspaper.
Published in 1957 as Le Prisonnier d'Ankara, the work was translated into eighteen languages and was so well received that it was found by critics even better than Ivo Andric's Bridge on the Drina.
[1] While working for Cumhuriyet, she undertook a project of interviewing twelve international feminists, among whom was Dutch activist Rosa Manus.
[10] She traveled to the Soviet Union twice, and wrote a book about her experiences titled Niçin Sovyetler Birliği’nin Dostuyum?
[1] Derviş had at least three marriages,[1] to Selami İzzet Sedes, Nizamettin Nazif Tepedelenlioğlu, and to Reşad Fuat Baraner.
[1] Due to her political views and her arrest, Derviş had difficulty finding a job, and took to using a pseudonym in her published work.
[1] Although well received in France, her work was controversial in Turkey due to her support for women's rights, which was often a matter of debate even among leftist individuals.
[11] Derviş became known for her outspokenness in response to discriminatory statements made about her, once remarking "I am not ashamed of being a woman, and I am proud of being a writer.