Yadé Kara was born in 1965 in Cayirlu, Turkey, where she studied English and German. She works as an actor, teacher, manager, and journalist in Berlin, London, Istanbul, and Hong Kong. She lives in Berlin. Her 2003 novel, Selam Berlin, was awarded the Deutscher Buecherpreis for best debut and the Adelbert-Chamisso-Foerderpreis, and has been translated into several languages