Author • Turkish literature

Melis Sena Yılmaz

Melis Sena Yılmaz was born in Bursa in 1997. She completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Boğaziçi University, Department of Economics in Istanbul. She wrote the script of a children’s play and her stories were published in various platforms. She was influenced by Karaköy and Şişhane districts of Istanbul, where she worked during her studentship years. The surreal world that came to her mind while walking through the streets of Beyoğlu transformed into a children’s novel titled Istanbul Below (Aşağİstanbul, 2022). Her second novel, The Third Week of May (Mayısın Üçüncü Haftası, 2023), which narrates a mysterious adventure set in Bozcaada, received the Best National Children’s Novel of the Year 2023 by Kayıp Rıhtım. Her latest novel, Ba’s Extraordinary Bookshop (Ba’nın Olağanüstü Kitabevi, 2024), highlights the magical world of books. Yılmaz lives in Istanbul with her husband, searching for the path that leads to Istanbul Below.