My book "She Reads" is a journey through the pages of history, tracing the intimate connection between women and books. I try to peel back the layers on how society has perceived women reading - sometimes as dreamers, sometimes as rebels, often as vessels for the text. Painters have caught these moments, freezing women in the act of reading, and I have noticed something brilliant: each facial expression, each tilt of the head, each curve of the body reveals a universe of emotions. Curiosity sparks in their eyes, sadness pools in the downturn of a lip, excitement radiates from a leaning posture. It's like watching a silent movie of the soul. And the books themselves - morphing through the centuries from scrolls to codices to leather-bound tomes - each form shaping how women (and readers in general) interact with the words.
ASUMAN KAFAOĞLU-BÜKE graduated from the Philosophy Department at California State University, Long Beach. Worked as a lecturer at ODTÜ, then at the Bogaziçi University Philosophy Department. She made translations from English (John Updike and Vikram Seth novels).
Wrote weekly literature criticism at national newspapers for over 30 years. Teaches creative writing and still works as a literary critic.
Instagram: asuman.kafaoglu