The author was born Ömer Okçu in 1932 in Erzincan. He adopted the pseudonym Hekimoğlu Ismail, which was actually his grandfather’s name and has come to be known by this name. He has periodically been prosecuted for his articles since 1950. Since 1953, when he quit smoking, he has spent his ‘cigarette money’ on books, and has worked all his life like a student. After graduating from high-school, he began to specialize in electronics in the United States. He wrote his famous novel Minyeli Abdullah in 1967. Having written articles for a large number of magazines and newspapers ever since, Hekimoğlu has by now published more than 30 books. He has also given hundreds of conferences both in and out of the country. Given the title ‘Doctor of Literature’ by Harran University, Hekimoğlu Ismail currently writes for the Zaman newspaper. He is also the founder of Timaş Publishing Group.