One of the most influential Turkish writers of the 20th century, Leylâ Erbil was an innovative literary stylist who tackled issues at the heart of what it means to be human, in mind and body. A Strange Woman, first published in 1971, is considered the first feminist novel to come from a Turkish author. Erbil ventured where few writers dared to tread, turning her lens to the tides of social norms and the shaping of identities, getting down to the nitty gritty of emotional conflict, and plumbing the depths of history and psyche. In 2002 and 2004 Erbil was nominated as candidate for the Nobel Literature Prize by Turkey PEN. She died in Istanbul in 2013.