About Christina
Christina Ståhle is a political scientist and the author of the upcoming historical drama, Before He Was Red, set in the crumbling Ottoman Empire of 1876.
A graduate of Lund University with a BA in Economics and Johns Hopkins University with an MA in International Relations, she has pursued a career in international affairs, focusing on the environment and agriculture. Christina is also an alumna of the UCLA Professional Programme in Screenwriting, where she wrote six feature screenplays. Her work has been selected for participation in leading European screenplay development programs, and she is an active member of writing groups in Brussels and online.
Christina’s writing is informed by her passion for politics and history, and examines issues of migration, living between two worlds, and gender roles and expectations, particularly in relation to women's experiences.
Born in London to Swedish parents, she was raised in various countries, including the UK, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, and speaks four languages. Since over thirty years, she resides in Belgium with her husband, their three children, and their mischievous dog, Suki. When she's not writing, Christina enjoys reading, forest walks, and tending to her garden.
Before He Was Red is her first novel.
Before He Was Red
“ A richly researched novel that brings a pivotal moment in Ottoman history vividly to life.
Inspired by true events that took place in 1876 in Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire's turbulent summer-of-three-sultans, Before He Was Red is a multi-character narrative, at once an intimate portrait of a secret love affair and the tale of a crumbling empire. An entertaining and vividly immersive novel about passion, political intrigue, and the enduring struggle for the freedom to shape one’s own destiny.