Azra Kohen
Azra Kohen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Özge Sarı July 1977 (age 49) İzmir, Turkey |
| Other name | Azra Sarızeybek |
| Occupation | Author |
| Known for | Fi, Aeden, Gör Beni |
| Spouse |
Sadok Kohen (m. 2001) |
| Children | 1 |
Azra "Akilah" Kohen (born 1979) is a Turkish writer. After releasing her first novel, Fi, under the name Akilah, she started to release her subsequent novels, Çi and Pi under the name Azra Kohen. She later published novels Aeden in 2017 and Gör Beni in 2019.
Early life and career
[edit]Azra Kohen was born as "Azra Sarızeybek" in 1979 in İzmir.[1] She graduated from the Faculty of Communication, Radio, Television and Cinema, at Istanbul University. Azra Kohen later studied Economics at Ottawa University in Canada. She said that her main motivation for educating herself was to "learn more about this world". She speaks English and Italian.[2]
Her trilogy narrative series Fi, Çi and Pi were translated to Italian.[3] The series also became popular in the form of an Internet series called Fi,[4] and Kohen expressed her intention to author a book about what happened to her during the production process of Fi.[5] Kohen stated in 2017 that she was working on two other books, Nakar and Dinle Beni.[4]
Personal life
[edit]She married Sadok Kohen in 2001[6] and the couple's son was born in 2009. In 2024 she publicly stated she believed certain Palestinians were responsible for the deaths of their own children in the Gaza Strip. After this statement, publishers denounced her claims and dropped her books.[7]
Controversies
[edit]In June 2018, Kohen became involved in a public dispute with her former publisher, Destek Yayın Grubu, concerning royalty payments. Destek Yayın Grubu publicly rejected her claims, stating that substantial royalty payments had been made and that the disputed amount reported in the press represented only a small portion of the total payments. In the same statement, the publisher also referred to related legal disputes concerning the television adaptation of Fi, including claims involving editor and screenwriter Haluk Bener, Ay Yapım, and a separate plagiarism allegation made by another writer.[8]
In April 2020, Kohen’s use of the title “psychologist” became the subject of public criticism after she appeared on Habertürk during the COVID-19 pandemic and was introduced in connection with that title. Critics questioned whether she had the academic and professional qualifications required to use it.[9]
Kohen initially responded by sharing documents related to her education. However, critics argued that the documents did not establish her eligibility to use the title. She later stated that she was not a clinical psychologist and said that she had studied applied psychology.[10]
In a profile published on 1 June 2024, Serbestiyet discussed the controversy surrounding Kohen’s educational background and use of the title “psychologist”. The article stated that Kohen had shown a bachelor’s diploma during a video interview, and examined questions concerning the name and education details associated with the document by comparing them with publicly available university graduate-list information.[11]
On 30 May 2024, Kohen drew public criticism after responding to a social media user who had questioned her silence regarding Palestine and Rafah. In her response, Kohen made remarks about Palestinian parents and children in Gaza, including claims that children were being taken to bombed areas in order to be filmed. The comments were widely criticized on social media, with many users accusing her of blaming Palestinians and making statements that dehumanized civilians.[12][13]
Following the backlash, Cumhuriyet reported that Everest Yayınları removed Kohen from its author list and withdrew her books from its website. In a public statement, the publisher condemned the genocide against Palestinians and stated that individuals who legitimize or praise such acts could not remain within the publishing group.[14]
Around 30–31 May 2024, several online book retailers and platforms were reported to have removed Kohen’s books from sale or from their listings, including Kitapyurdu, D&R, İdefix and BKM Kitap. Serbestiyet also reported that boycott calls followed the remarks, and that Kohen later defended herself in a video, saying that her comments had been taken out of context and that she had been referring to the exploitation of children in online videos.[15]
On 31 May 2024, Everest Yayınları announced that it had ended its publishing relationship with Kohen.[16]
Awards
[edit]- Elele Avon Author of the Year Award (2018)[17]
Works
[edit]- Fi
- Çi
- Pi
- Aeden
- Gör Beni
References
[edit]- ↑ "Akilah Azra Kohen kimdir?". Sözcü. 21 December 2016. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ↑ Arman, Ayşe (16 August 2015). "Dünyayı değiştirmek için yazdım". Hürriyet Daily News. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- ↑ "PHI, CHI, PI: si completa la trilogia di Azra Kohen - Una storia che ti cambierà la vita, un percorso di autoconsapevolezza" (in Italian). 22 January 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- 1 2 Şener, Nuri Mertcan (8 January 2017). "Akilah Azra Kohen: "Akilah ismi aslında..."". HaberTürk (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- ↑ Doğan, Mustafa (28 December 2017). "Kohen'in itirazı var". HaberTürk. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ↑ "Akilah Azra Kohen'in çok satan Fi Çi Pi kitap üçlemesinden uyarlanan aynı isimdeki diziye sürpriz bir isim daha katılıyor". Posta. 7 March 2017. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- ↑ "'Filistin' yorumu gündem olmuştu: Azra Kohen'in kitapları listeden çıkarıldı" [Her comment on 'Palestine' was on the front burner: Azra Kohen's books have been dropped from publication list] (in Turkish). Cumhuriyet. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ↑ "Yazar Azra Kohen'in iddialarına karşı yayınevinin açıklaması | Edebiyat Haber". Edebiyat Haber (in Turkish). 27 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ Yanardağ, Alp (7 April 2020). "Diploma kavgası büyüyor! Azra Kohen'le ilgili 'sahte psikolog' iddiası". Tele1 Gerçekleri İzleyin (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ "Televizyonlarda psikolog olarak salgını yorumlayan Azra Kohen'den geri adım: Klinik psikolog değilim". T24 (in Turkish). 11 April 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ Erdeğer, Bülent Şahin (1 June 2024). "PORTRE | İzmirli Özge Sarı, nasıl psikolog Azra Kohen oldu?". Serbestiyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ "Azra Kohen'den tepki çeken Filistin açıklaması - Sözcü Gazetesi". Sozcu (in Turkish). 30 May 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ "Yazar Azra Kohen'den Filistinlilerle ilgili ırkçı mesajlar: "Çocuklarını kalkan yapan bir ulus yok olmaya mahkumdur"". Serbestiyet (in Turkish). 30 May 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ "'Filistin' yorumu gündem olmuştu: Azra Kohen'in kitapları listeden çıkarıldı". Cumhuriyet Gazetesi (in Turkish). 30 May 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ "Yayınevleri Azra Kohen'in infiale neden olan sözlerine sessiz kalmadı - ensonhaber.com". Ensonhaber (in Turkish). 30 May 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ "Everest Yayınları, yazar Azra Kohen ile yollarını ayırdı". Gazete Oksijen (in Turkish). 31 May 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ "Azra Kohen Elele Avon Yılın Yazarı ödülünü aldı" (in Turkish). NTV. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
