Books by Elif Shafak
Elif Shafak is an award-winning novelist. She is the most widely read writer in Turkey and writes fiction in both English and Turkish. Shafak is also a political scientist, focusing mainly in contemporary western political thought and Middle Eastern studies.
There Are Rivers in the Sky
by Elif Shafak
The interconnectedness of water and human experience are beautifully expressed in Elif Shafak’s epic century-spanning novel, taking in Nineveh and London, the Thames and the Tigris, Gilgamesh and Dickens. This is truly ambitious and profound writing, in which a number of political and moral questions, about religion, heritage, imperialism and the climate, are elegantly raised and explored.
“I’m intrigued by the fact that this is a second or third language; she seems to have absolute control of the poetry, and at the same time the ability to conjure characters who, in a way, absolutely don’t feel at all like characters. They feel like people. It’s a great trick of fiction, and she does it beautifully.” Read more...
Interviews with Elif Shafak
The best books on Turkey, recommended by Elif Shafak
Turkey’s most read author, Elif Shafak, describes Istanbul as ‘a she-city with a female personality’. She chooses five books on Turkey, including a biography of the she-city in all its vibrant energy and intensity.
Interviews where books by Elif Shafak were recommended
The Best Fiction of 2019, recommended by Peter Florence
Each year, a panel of esteemed judges reads over 100 novels to determine which titles will vie for the award of the Booker Prize for Fiction. Peter Florence, chair of the 2019 judges and founder of the famous Hay Festival, tells us why the books on this year’s shortlist are gripping, enthralling must-reads.
The Best Political Novels of 2025: The Orwell Prize for Fiction
From a book based on the actual love letters a British prime minister sent to his mistress in the run-up to World War I, to a fantastical tale that takes its cue from the Epic of Gilgamesh, there’s a wide variety of novels to choose from on the shortlist of this year’s Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. The comments are from the judging panel, chaired this year by British novelist Jim Crace.
