Our Alumna Beste Gürel Publishes Her Fifth Book

Özyeğin University alumna Beste Gürel has published her fifth book, marking her first work for adult readers. A 2020 graduate of the Undergraduate Interior Architecture and Environmental Design Program at Özyeğin University, Gürel later completed her master’s degree (with thesis) in City and Architecture at Özyeğin University in 2025. She is also the author of four previously published children’s books.

Following her fantasy short story collection İki Yolcu (Two Travelers), which she wrote while still an undergraduate student, Gürel participated in the TUDEM Short Story Competition in 2019. Her first professional illustration project was I Magnifici Tesori della Turchia, published by Casa Editrice Altano, a publishing house dedicated to introducing Turkish literary works to Italy. The book was released in a bilingual English–Italian edition, marking an important milestone in her illustration career.

In 2023, she published her first children’s book, Güneşe Adını Veren Çocuk (The Child Who Named the Sun). This was followed by two illustrated P4C (Philosophy for Children) picture books for ages 3–6, Ertelediğim Şeyler (Things I Postponed) and Kovaladığım Şeyler (Things I Chased), both written and illustrated by Gürel and published by Uçanfil Publishing. Her most recent book, Pako ve Evler (Pako and the Houses), released in January 2026, was inspired by an academic paper she developed as part of her graduate coursework.