Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak is a Turkish and American writer.

Born in France into a diplomat’s family, she stayed with her mother after her parents’ divorce, lived in Spain and Jordan, and later came to Turkey. She graduated from the Technical University in Ankara and defended a dissertation in philosophy devoted to issues of gender identity. She spent a year as a visiting scholar in the United States and later taught as a visiting lecturer at a number of American universities. She lives in Turkey and the United States, writes in Turkish and English, and contributes to the press in the United States and Europe. She is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

After the publication of the novel The Bastard of Istanbul (2006), which mentioned the Armenian genocide, she was twice accused of insulting the nation and faced up to three years in prison. Both charges were dropped for lack of evidence.

Most of Shafak’s books are historical novels associated with Sufism. She also writes songs and essays on politics and culture.