English born Frances Kazan is a writer, lecturer, producer and arts supporter. Her most recent novel The Dervish (published April 2013 by Opus Press, New York) is an adventure story set in Istanbul and Angora ,modern day Ankara, in 1919, during the rise of Ataturk and the creation of Modern Turkey.
Previous novels include Halide’s Gift (Random House New York 2001)a vibrant fusion of history and fiction based on the early life of the Turkish nationalist and writer Halide Edib Adivar. Edib was the daughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid’s first secretary. Educated at the American Girls College in Istanbul, Edib’s conflicted allegiance to the spritual and traditional world of her mother and grandmother mirrored the changing world swirling around her in Constantinople during the dying years of the Ottoman Empire. Halide’s Gift was translated into six languages.
Goodnight Little Sister (New York Stein and Day 1986), her debut novel, drew on her experience as the wife of a rock manager. Set in England and America during the late 60’s it tells the story of Alex Hughes, an Oxford educated English woman, who marries rock star Stevie Barnes.
Other writings include Halide Edib ve Amerika (Baglam Press, Istanbul1993,) an academic study of Halide Edib Adivar, and her unique relationship with the American community in Istanbul in the early nineteenth century . Mrs. Kazan has also written for Cornucopia, Self magazine; and the Gallatin Review. She has presented her lectures on late Ottoman Istanbul and Halide Edib in New York, London and Ottawa.
In 2004-5, Kazan co-produced a retrospective of the movies of Elia Kazan, with the Tribeca Institute and Tribeca Film Festival. In 2010, she co-produced a play, in conjunction with Target Margin Theater, about the unique collaboration between Tennessee Williams and Elia Kazan on the play Camino Real.
Frances Kazan has two adult children, and has lived in New York City for many years. Her love of the arts is reflected in her support of numerous organizations including the International Contemporary Ensemble, Juilliard Historical Performance, The Metropolitan Opera, Film Forum, Danspace , and Target Margin Theater.
Her travels have taken her to almost every country in the Middle East, India, Bhutan, Tibet, Russia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and many countries in Europe.
Frances Kazan holds undergraduate and Masters degrees from and New York University, and is a member of PEN and the Turkish American Society. Mrs. Kazan is currently researching her fifth book and studying plant drawing at the New York Botanical Gardens.
