Demirtas's new book in prison released

The new book of imprisoned Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas has been released. Dad (The book's Kurdish title meaning "fairness" in English), a collection of nine stories, is Demirtas's fifth published work since he he was incarcerated in November 2016.

Demirtas says in the acknowledgment:

"For me, writing has turned into some kind of resistance. It feels like I won't be able to convince myself that I'm alive if I'm not writing. I exist as long as I can write, and as long as I exist I ought to write. Letters, articles, stories, novels, lyrics... Whatever, as long as I'm writing."

He continues:

"This wasn't what I had in mind when I first began. I mean, I never thought of becoming a writer with several books published. But it's turned into a challenge. I will continue to write as long as they hold me here in this cell of 12 square meters; and as long as the people who are always by my side in this adventure continue to exist."

On the back cover of the book it says:

"From an Istanbul dump site to the corridors of a court house, from luxurious country houses to the offices of revenue service, from deserted islands to insane asylums, shifting from science fiction to absurd comedy, adorned with misunderstandings, complicated betrayals, wonderful fantasies; a carousel of imagination that sends the reader into sweet and bitter laughter. Fasten your belts."

About Demirtas

Demirtas was born in Diyarbakir's Sur on 10 April 1973, as the second child of a working father and a housewife mother.

He graduated from Ankara University's Faculty of Law, and was elected the local branch chair of Human Rights Association (IHD) in Diyarbakir in 2004.

He entered the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) as Diyarbakir deputy in the 2007 parliamentary elections.

He was elected the co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) on 23 June 2014, alongside Figen Yuksekdag.

While he was still party's co-chair and served in TBMM as Istanbul deputy for the HDP, he was arrested on 4 November 2016. He has been denied release despite a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.

His previous works include Seher (2017) and Devran (2019), story collections, and novels Leylan (2020) and Efsun (2021).

He is married to Basak Demirtas and the couple have two daughters, Delal and Dilda.