Elif Shafak is an acclaimed British-Turkish novelist, known for her profound storytelling and wide-ranging contributions to literature. She has authored 21 books, including 13 novels, and her works have been translated into 58 languages. Among her most notable books, The Island of Missing Trees was a finalist for prestigious awards like the Costa Award and the Women’s Prize for Fiction and was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick. Her novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and named Blackwell’s Book of the Year, while The Forty Rules of Love was selected by the BBC as one of the 100 Novels That Shaped Our World. Shafak’s work The Architect’s Apprentice was chosen for The Queen’s Reading Room.
A PhD holder in political science, Shafak has taught at universities in Turkey, the US, and the UK, including St Anne’s College at Oxford University, where she is an honorary fellow. She is a Fellow and Vice President of the Royal Society of Literature and has been recognized as one of BBC’s 100 most inspiring and influential women. As a passionate advocate for women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and freedom of expression, Shafak is a sought-after public speaker, having given two TED Global talks.
Shafak has judged numerous literary prizes, including The PEN Nabokov Prize, and was awarded the Halldór Laxness International Literature Prize for her contributions to storytelling. In 2024, she received the British Academy President’s Medal for her outstanding body of work. She can be followed through her website at www.elifshafak.com and her Substack, “Unmapped Storylands.”
