Kadri Görkem Aka was born on 21 April 1990, in Îstanbul, Turkey.
Always having an interest in storytelling and fiction, he received his bachelors degree in American Culture and Literature at Bahçeşehir University, where he then received his masters degree in Advertising and Brand Relations. He went on to pursue an academic career and completed his PhD. in narratology at Istanbul Bilgi University through presenting the original theory of fictional crossover narratives. His academic work centers on narrative and literature theory. He currently teaches courses on literature and storytelling at Istanbul Bilgi University.
Inspired by the games he played with his mother as a child which included many recurring characters and elaboate plots, Aka always loved storytelling. He began writing short stories at an early age as a result. His short stories started to get published in 2017 and continue to be published in various national and international literary magazines. Aka's first published book was his children's novel "Snailing Through" ("Salyangoz Yolculuğu" in Turkish). The story starring Theuns the snail as its protagonist was published in several languages and enjoyed popularity in Turkey as well as around Europe.
In 2020, "Belleville Tacı", Aka's debut full-length thriller novel was published by PKitap. A rite of passage story of its alturistic protagonist Nisan İlkbahar in the setting of the world of professional cycling, the novel was well received both by sporting circles and literary critics, receiving very positive reviews, as well as becoming a commercial success.
From age 8, Aka was also trained as a classical ballet dancer. He completed his formal training at AB Sanat, Mimar Sinan Conservatory and Tan Sağtürk Bale ve Dans Merkezi respectively. He danced professionally, performing in productions such as A Midsummer Night's Dream, Don Quixote, Swan Lake and Lovely. Aka is a certified ballet instructor and has worked as an instructor for a number of years.
After his dancing career, Aka started competing in endurance sports, mainly in road cycling, duathlons and running; winning two national duathlon championship titles in 2014 and 2017. He was selected to the Turkish national team in 2016 and was the first athlete to represent Turkey in the Duathlon World Championships. He is the founder and captain of the multisport relay team Tri-Motion Contraption. Also the winner of the 2020 edition of Sportstats - the World's Largest Virtual Duathlon.
Aka has acquired wins and high placings in numerous major amateur cycling races around the world including Paris-Roubaix Challenge, l'Etape London, UCI Ride of Champions, Chisinau Criterium and North Cyprus Gran Fondo. He is a frequent competitor in the road national championships and has made rare, yet rewarding appearences in mountainbike racing in which he has several podiums to his name in the national cross country circuit as well as finding success in international races such as the Leopard Cycling Challenge and The Rainforest Race. A medalist runner all the way back in middle school, Aka also kept running through the years, earning a fairly sized medal collection competing in road and trail running races.
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Contact E-Mail: gorkemlimail@mynet.com