Elif Shafak ( ; née Bilgin; born 25 October 1971) is a Turkish-British

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

, essayist,

public speaker Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and activist. Shafak writes in Turkish and English, and has published 21 books. She is best known for her novels, which include '' The Bastard of Istanbul'', '' The Forty Rules of Love'', '' Three Daughters of Eve'' and '' 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World''. Her works have been translated into 57 languages and have been nominated for several literary awards. She has been described by the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' as "Turkey's leading female novelist", with several of her works having been bestsellers in Turkey and internationally. Her works have prominently featured the city of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, and dealt with themes of Eastern and Western culture, roles of women in society, and human rights issues. Certain politically challenging topics addressed in her novels, such as child abuse and the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

, have led to

legal action In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the part ...

from authorities in Turkey that prompted her to emigrate to the United Kingdom. Shafak has a PhD in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. An essayist and contributor to several media outlets, Shafak has advocated for

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

, minority rights, and

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

Early life and education

Shafak was born in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, to Nuri Bilgin, a philosopher, and Şafak Atayman, who later became a

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

. After her parents separated, Shafak returned to

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

, Turkey, where she was raised by her mother and maternal grandmother. She says that growing up in a dysfunctional family was difficult, but that growing up in a non-patriarchal environment had a beneficial impact on her. Having grown up without her father, she met her half-brothers for the first time when she was in her mid-twenties. Shafak added her mother's first name, Turkish for "

dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

", to her own when constructing her pen name at the age of eighteen. Shafak spent her teenage years in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

and Germany. Shafak studied an undergraduate degree in

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

Middle East Technical University Middle East Technical University (commonly referred to as METU; in Turkish language, Turkish, ''Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi'', ODTÜ) is a prestigious public university, public Institute of technology, technical university located in Ankara, ...

, and earned a master's degree in

women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on Feminism, feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining Social constructionism, social and cultural constructs of gender; ...

. She holds a Ph.D. in

. She has taught at universities in Turkey. Later emigrating to the United States, she was a fellow at

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

, a visiting professor at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, and was a tenured professor at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

in Near Eastern studies. In the UK, she held the Weidenfeld Visiting Professorship in Comparative European Literature at St Anne's College,

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, for the 2017–2018 academic year, where she is an honorary fellow.

Career

Shafak has published 21 books, fiction and nonfiction.

Fiction

Shafak's first novel, ''Pinhan'', was awarded the Rumi Prize in 1998, a Turkish literary prize. Shafak's 1999 novel ''Mahrem'' (''The Gaze'') was awarded "Best Novel" by the Turkish Authors' Association in 2000. Her next novel, ''Bit Palas'' (''The Flea Palace'', 2002), was shortlisted for Independent Best Foreign Fiction in 2005. After 22 years, in January 2024 Shafak was found guilty of plagiarism in her book ''Bit Palas.'' However, 130 prominent figures from the literary world came together to issue a statement emphasising that this was not a real case. Both Shafak and her publisher in Turkey has appealed the decision of the first court. Shafak released her first novel in English, ''The Saint of Incipient Insanities'', in 2004. Her second novel in English, '' The Bastard of Istanbul'', was long-listed for the Orange Prize. It addresses the

, which is denied by the Turkish government. Shafak was prosecuted in July 2006 on charges of "insulting Turkishness" ( Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code) for discussing the genocide in the novel. Had she been convicted, she would have faced a maximum prison sentence of three years. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' commented that '' The Bastard of Istanbul'' may be the first Turkish novel to address the genocide. She was acquitted of these charges in September 2006 at the prosecutor's request. Shafak's novel '' The Forty Rules of Love'' (''Aşk'' in Turkish) became a bestseller in Turkey upon its release; it sold more than 200,000 copies by 2009, surpassing a previous record of 120,000 copies set by

Orhan Pamuk Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952; ) is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, he has sold over 13 million books in 63 languages, making him ...

's '' The New Life''. In France, it was awarded a Prix ALEF* – Mention Spéciale Littérature Etrangère. It was also nominated for the 2012 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. In 2019, it was listed by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

as one of the 100 "most inspiring" novels and one of the "100 novels that shaped our world". Her 2012 novel ''

Honour Honour (Commonwealth English) or honor (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is a quality of a person that is of both social teaching and personal ethos, that manifests itself ...

'', which focuses on an honour killing, was nominated for the 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize and 2013

Women's Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–2012), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017) is one of the United Kingdom's ...

, followed by '' The Architect's Apprentice'', a historical fiction novel about a fictional apprentice to

Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan (; , ; – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman ...

, in 2014. Her novel '' Three Daughters of Eve'' (2017), set in Istanbul and Oxford from the 1980s to the present day, was chosen by London Mayor

Sadiq Khan Sir Sadiq Aman Khan (, ; born 8 October 1970) is a British politician serving as Mayor of London since 2016. He was previously Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Tooting (UK Parliament constituency), Tooting ...

as his favourite book of the year. American writer Siri Hustvedt also praised the book. The book explores themes of secular versus orthodox religious practice, conservative versus liberal politics and modern Turkish attitudes towards these . Following

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...

, David Mitchell and Sjon, Shafak was selected as the 2017 writer for the Future Library project. Her work ''The Last Taboo'' is the fourth part of a collection of 100 literary works that will not be published until 2114. Shafak's 2019 novel '' 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World'', revolving around the life of an Istanbul sex worker, was shortlisted for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

. In 2019, Shafak was investigated by Turkish prosecutors for addressing child abuse and sexual violence in her fiction writing. Shafak released her twelfth novel '' The Island of Missing Trees'' in 2021. Her latest novel is ''There are Rivers in the Sky'', a split-timeline novel about water, that reaches from the Assyrian king ''

Ashurbanipal Ashurbanipal (, meaning " Ashur is the creator of the heir")—or Osnappar ()—was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 669 BC to his death in 631. He is generally remembered as the last great king of Assyria. Ashurbanipal inherited the th ...

'' to a hydrologist in present day London.

Non-fiction

Shafak's non-fiction essays in Turkish have been collected in four books: ''Med-Cezir'' (2005), ''Firarperest'' (2010), ''Şemspare'' (2012) and ''Sanma ki Yalnızsın'' (2017). In 2020, Shafak published ''How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division''.

In the media

Shafak has written for ''Time'', ''

'', ''

La Repubblica (; English: "the Republic") is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper with an average circulation of 151,309 copies in May 2023. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and l ...

'', ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

'' and ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

''. Shafak has been a panellist or commentator on BBC World,

Euronews Euronews (stylised in lowercase) is a pan-European television news broadcasting, news network, headquartered in Lyon, France. It is a provider of livestreamed news, which can be viewed in Europe and North Africa via satellite, and in most of the ...

and

Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera English (AJE; , ) is a 24-hour English-language News broadcasting, news channel operating under Al Jazeera Media Network, which is funded by the government of Qatar. Al Jazeera introduced an English-language division in 2006. It is ...

. Until 2009 when she transferred to '' Habertürk'', Shafak was a writer for the newspaper '' Zaman'', which was known for its affiliation with

Fethullah Gülen Muhammed Fethullah Gülen (27 April 1941 – 20 October 2024) was a Turkish Ulama, Muslim scholar, preacher, and leader of the Gülen movement who as of 2016 had millions of followers. Gülen was an influential Neo-Ottomanism, neo-Ottomanist, A ...

. In July 2017, Elif Shafak was chosen as a "castaway" on BBC Radio 4's ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...

''. Shafak has been a TEDGlobal speaker three times.

Themes

Istanbul

has been prominent in Shafak's writing. She depicts the city as a

melting pot A melting pot is a Monoculturalism, monocultural metaphor for a wiktionary:heterogeneous, heterogeneous society becoming more wiktionary:homogeneous, homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" with a common culture; an alternative bei ...

of different cultures and various contradictions. Shafak has remarked: "Istanbul makes one comprehend, perhaps not intellectually but intuitively, that East and West are ultimately imaginary concepts, and can thereby be de-imagined and re-imagined." In the same essay written for ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine Shafak says: "East and West is no water and oil. They do mix. And in a city like Istanbul they mix intensely, incessantly, amazingly." ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'' said of Shafak, "she has a particular genius for depicting backstreet Istanbul, where the myriad cultures of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

are still in tangled evidence on every family tree." In a piece she wrote for the

, Shafak said, "Istanbul is like a huge, colourful Matrushka – you open it and find another doll inside. You open that, only to see a new doll nesting. It is a hall of mirrors where nothing is quite what it seems. One should be cautious when using categories to talk about Istanbul. If there is one thing the city doesn't like, it is clichés."

Eastern and Western cultures

Shafak blends Eastern and Western ways of storytelling, and draws on

oral The word oral may refer to: Relating to the mouth * Relating to the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that primarily receives food and liquid **Oral administration of medicines ** Oral examination (also known as an oral exam or ora ...

and written culture. In ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', Ron Charles Wrote: "Shafak speaks in a multivalent voice that captures the roiling tides of diverse cultures."

Mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...

and specifically

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

has also been a theme in her work, particularly in '' The Forty Rules of Love''.

Feminism

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

and advocate for

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

, Shafak's writing has addressed numerous feminist issues and the role of women in society. Examples include motherhood and

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence (GBV) or sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), violent, violence primarily committed by Man, men or boys against woman, women or girls. Such violence is often considered hat ...

. In an interview with William Skidelsky for ''The Guardian'', she said: "In Turkey, men write and women read. I want to see this change."

Human rights

Shafak's novels have explored

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

issues, particularly those in Turkey. She has said: "What literature tries to do is to re-humanize people who have been dehumanized ... People whose voices we never hear. That's a big part of my work". Specific topics have included persecution of Yazidis, the

and the treatment of various minorities in Turkey.

Views

Freedom of speech

Shafak is an advocate for

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

. While taking part in the Free Speech Debate, she commented: "I am more interested in showing the things we have in common as fellow human beings, sharing the same planet and ultimately, the same sorrows and joys rather than adding yet another brick in the imaginary walls erected between cultures/religions/ethnicities."

Political views

Shafak has been critical of the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

, describing his tenure as leading to increased

authoritarianism Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...

in Turkey. She signed an open letter in protest against Turkey's Twitter ban in 2014, commenting: "the very core of

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

... is lacking in today's Turkey". Shafak has spoken and written about various global political trends. In the 2010s, she drew parallels between Turkish political history and political developments in Europe and the United States. Writing in ''The New Yorker'' in 2016, she said "Wave after wave of nationalism,

isolationism Isolationism is a term used to refer to a political philosophy advocating a foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality an ...

, and tribalism have hit the shores of countries across Europe, and they have reached the United States. Jingoism and xenophobia are on the rise. It is an Age of Angst—and it is a short step from angst to anger and from anger to aggression." Shafak signed an open letter in protest against Russian persecution of homosexuals and

blasphemy laws A blasphemy law is a law prohibiting blasphemy, which is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of Reverence (attitude), reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. According to Pew Re ...

before Sochi 2014.

Personal life

Shafak had lived in

, and in the United States before moving to the UK. Shafak has lived in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

since 2013, but speaks of "carrying Istanbul in her soul". As of 2019, Shafak had been in self-imposed

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

from Turkey due to fear of prosecution. Shafak is married to the Turkish journalist Eyüp Can Sağlık, a former editor of the liberal newspaper ''

Radikal ''Radikal'' () was a daily liberal Turkish language newspaper, published in Istanbul. From 1996 it was published by Aydın Doğan's Doğan Media Group. Although Radikal did not endorse a particular political alignment, it was generally consider ...

'', with whom she has a daughter and a son. In 2017, Shafak came out as

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

. Following the birth of her daughter in 2006, Shafak suffered from postnatal depression, a period she addressed in her memoir ''Black Milk''.

Awards and recognition

Book awards

* ''Pinhan'', The Great Rumi Award, Turkey 1998. * ''The Gaze'', Union of Turkish Writers' Best Novel Prize, 2000; and * ''The Flea Palace'', shortlisted for Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, United Kingdom 2005; * ''Soufi, mon amour'' (Phébus, 2011), Prix ALEF – Mention Spéciale Littérature Etrangère; * '' The Forty Rules of Love'', nominated for 2012 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award; * ''Crime d'honneur'' (Phébus, 2013), 2013 Prix Relay des voyageurs; * ''Honour'', second place for the Prix Escapade, France 2014; * '' The Architect's Apprentice'', shortlisted for RSL Ondaatje Prize, 2015; *'' 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World'', shortlisted for the

, 2019; *''10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World'', shortlisted for Ondaatje Prize, 2020; * ''The Island of Missing Trees'', shortlisted for the Costa Book Award, 2021; * Halldór Laxness International Literature Prize, 2021; * ''The Island of Missing Trees,'' shortlisted for the

, 2022; * ''The Island of Missing Trees,'' shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards, 2022; * ''The Island of Missing Trees,'' shortlisted for the

British Book Awards The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by ''The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the Na ...

, 2023; * "There Are Rivers in The Sky", Fiction with a Sense of Place Award at the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2025

Other recognition

* Maria Grazia Cutuli Award – International Journalism Prize, Italy 2006. * Turkish Journalists and Writers Foundation "The Art of Coexistence Award, 2009"; * Marka Conference 2010 Award; * Women To Watch Award, Mediacat & Advertising Age, March 2014; * Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2015: Global Empowerment Award; * 2016 GTF Awards for Excellence in Promoting Gender Equality; *

's 100 most inspiring and influential women, 2021. * British Academy President's Medal, 2024 * Speaking at the launch of the Frankfurt International Book Fair, 2024https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/books/2024/10/15/elif-shafak-gaza-frankfurt-book-fair/

Bibliography

{, class="wikitable sortable" , - !colspan="4", Turkish !!colspan="4", English , - ! Name !! Year !! Publisher !! ISBN !! Name !! Year !! Publisher !! ISBN , -style="background:lightgreen;" , ''Kem Gözlere Anadolu'' , , 1994 , , Evrensel , , , colspan="4", , - , ''Pinhan'' , , 1997 , , Metis , , , colspan="4", , - , ''Şehrin Aynaları'' , , 1999 , , Metis , , , colspan="4", , - , ''Mahrem'' , , 2000 , , Metis , , , '' The Gaze'' , , 2006 , , Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd , , , - , ''Bit Palas'' , , 2002 , , Metis , , , '' The Flea Palace'' , , 2007 , , Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd , , , - , ''Araf'' , , 2004 , , Metis , , , ''The Saint of Incipient Insanities'' , , 2004 , , Farrar, Straus and Giroux , , , - , ''Beşpeşe'' (with Murathan Mungan, Faruk Ulay, Celil Oker and Pınar Kür) , , 2004 , , Metis , , , colspan="4", , -style="background:lightyellow;" , ''Med-Cezir'' , , 2005 , , Metis , , , colspan="4", , - , ''Baba ve Piç'' , , 2006 , , Metis , , , '' The Bastard of Istanbul'' , , 2007 , , Viking , , , -style="background:lightpink;" , ''Siyah Süt'' , , 2007 , , Doğan , , , ''Black Milk: On Writing, Motherhood, and the Harem Within'' , , 2011 , , Viking , , , - , ''Aşk'' , , 2009 , , Doğan , , , '' The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of

Rumi Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (), or simply Rumi (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century poet, Hanafi '' faqih'' (jurist), Maturidi theologian (''mutakallim''), and Sufi mystic born during the Khwarazmian Empire ...

'' , , 2010 , , Viking , , , -style="background:lightyellow;" , ''Kâğıt Helva'' , , 2010 , , Doğan , , , colspan="4", , -style="background:lightyellow;" , ''Firarperest'' , , 2010 , , Doğan , , , colspan="4", , -style="background:lightyellow;" , colspan="4", , ''The Happiness of Blond People: A Personal Meditation on the Dangers of Identity '' , , 2011 , , Penguin , , , - , ''İskender'' , , 2011 , , Doğan , , , ''Honour'' , , 2012 , , Viking , , , -style="background:lightyellow;" , ''Şemspare'' , , 2012 , , Doğan , , , colspan="4", , - , ''Ustam ve Ben'' , , 2013 , , Doğan , , , '' The Architect's Apprentice'' , , 2014 , , Viking , , , -style="background:lightblue;" , ''Sakız Sardunya'' , , 2014 , , Doğan , , , colspan="4", , - , ''Havva'nın Üç Kızı'' , , 2016 , , Doğan , , , ''Three Daughters of Eve'' , , 2016 , , Viking , , , -style="background:lightyellow;" , ''Sanma ki Yalnızsın'' , , 2018 , , Doğan , , , colspan="4", , - , ''On Dakika Otuz Sekiz Saniye'' , , 2019 , , Doğan , , , '' 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World'' , , 2019 , , Viking , , , -style="background:lightyellow;" , ''Aşkın Kırk Kuralı'' (compilation based on ''Aşk'') , , 2019 , , Doğan Novus , , , colspan="4", , -style="background:lightyellow;" , ''Bölünmüş Bir Dünyada Akıl Sağlığımızı Nasıl Koruruz'' , , 2022 , , Doğan , , , ''How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division'' , , 2020 , , Welcome Collection /

Profile Books Profile Books is a British independent book publishing firm founded in 1996. It publishes non-fiction subjects including history, biography, memoir, politics, current events, current affairs, travel and popular science. Profile Books is distribu ...

, , , - , ''Kayıp Ağaçlar Adası'' , , 2023 , , Doğan , , , '' The Island of Missing Trees'' , , 2021 , , Viking , , , - , , , , , , , {{, , ''There Are Rivers in the Sky'' , , 2024 , , Viking , , {{ISBNT, 978-024-143-501-4 {{legend, white,

Novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

{{legend, lightyellow,

Essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

Anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

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Autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

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Children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

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Short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

NOTE: Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd was bought out by Viking in 2011.

Notes

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References

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External links

{{wikiquote {{Commons category, Elif Şafak * {{Official website, https://www.elifsafak.com.tr/ {{in lang, en
Elif Shafak
at Curtis Brown Literary and Talent Agency * {{TED speaker, 2=Elif Shafak
Elif Shafak's Istanbul
{dead link, date=May 2025, bot=medic{{cbignore, bot=medic, CNN International
Elif Shafak 'Read My Country'
BBC Radio World Service The Strand
Urdu Translations of Elif Shafak's books
Jumhoori Publications
Elif Shafak: 'In Turkey, men write and women read. I want to see this change'
* Short BBC documentary on Elif Shafa

{{Elif Shafak {{Turkish Literature {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Shafak, Elif 1971 births Living people 21st-century British essayists Academics of the University of Oxford Bisexual women writers Bisexual novelists Exophonic writers British free speech activists Freedom of expression in Turkey French people of Turkish descent British LGBTQ academics Turkish LGBTQ novelists Turkish bisexual people Middle East Technical University alumni New Statesman people Writers from Ankara Turkish academics Turkish feminists Turkish non-fiction writers Turkish women novelists Women political scientists Turkish emigrants to the United Kingdom University of Arizona faculty

Early life and education

Career

Fiction

Non-fiction

In the media

Themes

Istanbul

Eastern and Western cultures

Feminism

Human rights

Views

Freedom of speech

Political views

Personal life

Awards and recognition

Book awards

Other recognition

Bibliography

Notes

References

Further reading

External links