Ali Çiftçi
Ali Çiftçi has published more than 90 Kurdish children’s books in since 1988. In 1992, acclaimed Swedish author Astrid Lindgren personally chose him to publish the Kurdish version of her classic children’s book, Pippi Longstocking. In recognition of his longstanding efforts to promote literacy and to preserve Kurdish dialects, Ali received a special award from Sveriges Författarfond (The Swedish Authors Foundation) in 1999.
Elizabeth Nolan
While working with Kurdish refugees after the first Gulf War, writer Elizabeth Nolan heard the “Myth of the 500 Virgins” for the first time. As a descendant of generations of Scottish and Irish-American authors, she has a keen interest in folklore and the preservation of endangered languages. Grania’s Tears is her first book for children.
Saar Keunen
Born in Belgium, artist Saar Keunen studied Textile Design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. In 2008, she participated in an Erasmus program at Marmara Fine Arts University in Istanbul. Ms. Keunen has been living and working in Turkey since 2010, where her paintings have been featured on the CD covers of two popular musical artists: Sedat Anar and Mizikci Melodiler.
Anna Sjöstrand Hedström
Anna Sjöstrand Hedström is a writer, editor, translator and communications executive with deep cross-cultural experience. As the mother of two very gregarious and pomegranate-loving children, Anna was delighted to translate Grania’s Tears into Swedish.