Kemal Varol was born in Diyarbakır in 1977.
He began his literary career as a poet, publishing the poetry collections Yas Yüzükleri, Kin Divanı, Temmuzun On Sekizi, and Bakiye. Later he published the short story collections Demiryolu Öyküleri and Memleket Garları, followed by his novels Jar (2011), Haw” (2014) and Ucunda Ölüm Var (2016). His newest work is a short-story collection entitled Sahiden Hikâye. The novel Haw”(English: “Wûf”) received the Cevdet Kudret Literature Prize, the Bursa Contemporary Journalists’ Association 2015 Peace Prize, and the 2017 PEN/HEIM Translation Fund Grant. The same work was named the best novel of 2014 by Sabit Fikir magazine and among the top five novels of 2000–2015 by Milliyet Sanat Dergisi.