Born in Ankara, Turkey, in 1950, Ahmet Altan is the son of renowned writer and politician Çetin Altan and elder brother of economist Mehmet Altan. A working journalist for more than twenty years, he has served in all stages of the profession, from being a night shift reporter to editor in chief in various newspapers.

In addition to having written columns in several prestigious Turkish newspapers, including Hürriyet, Milliyet and Radikal, Altan has produced news programming for television. He is currently the editor in chief and lead columnist of Taraf, a daily Turkish newspaper.

He was fired from Milliyet after writing a column on 17 April 1995 titled "Atakurd", which presented an alternate history of Turkey.

In September 2008 when Altan published an article titled "Oh, My Brother" dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, he was charged under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for "denigrating Turkishness". The judicial claim was initiated by the far-right "Great Union Party."

Altan, along with some of his Taraf associates, carries a firearm for self-protection.

Novels

• K?l?ç Yaras? Gibi (Like a Sword Wound)
• Dört Mevsim Sonbahar (Four Seasons of Autumn)
• Yanl?zl???n Özel Tarihi (A Private History of Loneliness)
• Sudaki ?z (Trace on the Water)
• Aldatmak (To Cheat)
• ?syan Günlerinde A?k (Love in the Days of Rebellion)
• En Uzun Gece (The Longest Night)
• Tehlikeli Masallar (Dangerous Tales)

Collections of Essays

• Gece Yar?s? ?ark?lar? (Midnight Songs)
• ?çimizde Bir Yer (Somewhere Inside Us)
• Karanl?kta Sabah Ku?lar? (Morning Birds in Darkness)
• Kristal Denizalt? (Crystal Submarine)
• Ve K?rar Gö?süne Bast?r?rken (And He Breaks While Holding Down To His Chest)