Elif Shafak
Elif Shafak FRSL (Turkish: Elif Şafak, pronounced [eˈlif ʃaˈfak]; née Bilgin; born 25 October 1971) is a Turkish-British novelist, essayist, public speaker, political scientist and activist.
Elif Shafak | |
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Shafak in 2021 | |
| Native name | Elif Şafak |
| Born | Elif Bilgin 25 October 1971 Strasbourg, France |
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| Education | Middle East Technical University |
| Period | 1990s–present |
| Genre | Literary fiction |
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Shafak writes in Turkish and English, and has published 19 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 55 languages and have been nominated for several literary awards. She has been described by the Financial Times 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, 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, have led to legal action from authorities in Turkey that prompted her to emigrate to the United Kingdom.
Shafak has a PhD in political science. An essayist and contributor to several media outlets, Shafak has advocated for women's rights, minority rights, and freedom of speech.