Güneli Gün was born in Urfa in 1939. She grew up in Izmir and graduated from the American College in Izmir. She then went to the United States, studying at Hollins College, Virginia. She later obtained a masters from Johns Hopkins University. She taught writing and women's studies at Oberlin College. She has written two novels in English, influenced by magic realism. She has also translated Turkish authors into English, in particular Orhan Pamuk.
