Alev Croutier
Encyclopedia
Alev Lytle Croutier, known in Turkey as Alev Aksoy Croutier, (born Izmir
, Turkey) is a writer based in San Francisco, US. Her books have been translated into 22 languages. She is the author of the non-fiction books Harem: the World behind the Veil and Taking the Waters and the novels The Palace of Tears, Seven Houses, and The Third Woman.
in Istanbul, and left Turkey at the age of 18 in 1963 to study Art History at Oberlin College
in the US. She has taught at Dartmouth
, Goddard
, and San Francisco State University
, and lectures at universities, museums, libraries, and conferences on Orientalism
, Middle Eastern women, harem
s, and Turkey.
Croutier co-founded Mercury House
publishing company in San Francisco in 1986 and worked as the executive editor for almost a decade.
for the screenplay to the 1980 film Tell Me a Riddle
based on Tillie Olsen's novella.
Her second non-fiction book, Taking the Waters: Spirit, Art, Sensuality, published in 1992 by Abbeville, was an exploration of mythological, theraputic, social, and aesthetic aspects of water.
Seven Houses, her second novel, took seven years to write and was published in 2002 to comparisons with Gabriel Garcia Marquez
, Carlos Fuentes
, and Isabel Allende
. Allende praised Croutier for "braiding history and fiction in an intricate pattern", although the Washington Post noted an "occasional heavy-handedness with pop culture and historical figures." The San Francisco Chronicle said her "measured prose is artistic and sensuous."
Her novel for young readers, Leyla: The Black Tulip, was published in 2003 as part of the American Girl
series along with a historical Turkish doll produced by Mattel.
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, Turkey) is a writer based in San Francisco, US. Her books have been translated into 22 languages. She is the author of the non-fiction books Harem: the World behind the Veil and Taking the Waters and the novels The Palace of Tears, Seven Houses, and The Third Woman.
Career
Croutier studied Comparative Literature at Robert CollegeRobert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
in Istanbul, and left Turkey at the age of 18 in 1963 to study Art History at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in the US. She has taught at Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, Goddard
Goddard College
Goddard College is a private, liberal arts college located in Plainfield, Vermont, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Goddard College currently operates on an intensive low-residency model...
, and San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
, and lectures at universities, museums, libraries, and conferences on Orientalism
Orientalism
Orientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
, Middle Eastern women, harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
s, and Turkey.
Croutier co-founded Mercury House
Mercury House (publishers)
Mercury House, a project of Words Given Wings Literary Arts Project, a 501 nonprofit corporation, is an independent trade book publishing company, based in San Francisco, California. The press is distributed by Perseus Books Group and Small Press Distribution.The press has published over 130 titles...
publishing company in San Francisco in 1986 and worked as the executive editor for almost a decade.
Film
Before becoming a writer, Croutier was a screenwriter and documentary filmmaker in Japan, Turkey, Europe, and the US, and was awarded a Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
for the screenplay to the 1980 film Tell Me a Riddle
Tell Me a Riddle
Tell Me a Riddle is a 1980 American drama film directed by Lee Grant. The screenplay by Joyce Eliason and Alev Lytle is based on Tillie Olsen's collection of four short stories of the same name which won the 1961 O. Henry Award. This is Grant's first film as director...
based on Tillie Olsen's novella.
Writing
Her articles have appeared in literary and mainstream magazines, such as Art & Antiques, Harper’s, London Telegraph, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Gourmet, Le Monde, Die Woche, Focus, and Zyzzyva, as well as anthologies including Roots & Branches, Istanbul, I Should Have Stayed Home, and Food. She contributed to A Window over the Mediterranean for the 2001 G8 summit in Genoa among writers such as Amos Oz, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Max Gallo, Amin Malouf, and Luis Sepulveda.Media
Croutier has appeared in numerous radio and TV shows. She was a commentator for the Canadian Film Board series The Powder Room, the BBC’s Mozart in Turkey, and Channel 4's The Reign of Women, and Harem.Awards
She has received the National Women’s Political Caucus, the McGrew Hill Film award, the Daughters of Ataturk 2000 Women of Distinction Award, the American Turkish Council cultural award, Rotary Exceptional Achievement Award.Books
Croutier's first non-fiction book, Harem: The World Behind the Veil, was published by Abbeville Press in 1989. Croutier's own grandmother grew up in a Turkish harem in Macedonia. The New York Times said "this is a serious history, yet an immensely readable one," while the LA Times wrote: “This book is like a marvelous box of expensive chocolates, or rather, perfumed Turkish Delight.” And the Boston Globe: “A book of breathtaking beauty, written in an ingratiating prose.”Her second non-fiction book, Taking the Waters: Spirit, Art, Sensuality, published in 1992 by Abbeville, was an exploration of mythological, theraputic, social, and aesthetic aspects of water.
Seven Houses, her second novel, took seven years to write and was published in 2002 to comparisons with Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
, Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes Macías is a Mexican writer and one of the best-known living novelists and essayists in the Spanish-speaking world. He has influenced contemporary Latin American literature, and his works have been widely translated into English and other languages.-Biography:Fuentes was born in...
, and Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende Llona is a Chilean writer with American citizenship. Allende, whose works sometimes contain aspects of the "magic realist" tradition, is famous for novels such as The House of the Spirits and City of the Beasts , which have been commercially successful...
. Allende praised Croutier for "braiding history and fiction in an intricate pattern", although the Washington Post noted an "occasional heavy-handedness with pop culture and historical figures." The San Francisco Chronicle said her "measured prose is artistic and sensuous."
Her novel for young readers, Leyla: The Black Tulip, was published in 2003 as part of the American Girl
American Girl
American Girl is a line of dolls, books, and accessories.American Girl may also refer to:* American Girl , a magazine published by the American Girl company* American Girl , a 2002 American film...
series along with a historical Turkish doll produced by Mattel.