Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist with 19 books published, including 12 novels. She is a bestselling author internationally and her works are available in 55 languages. Her novel 'The Island of Missing Trees' was shortlisted for several awards including the Costa Award, RSL Ondaatje Prize, and Women’s Prize for Fiction. Her book '10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World' was a contender for the Booker Prize and was named Blackwell’s Book of the Year, while 'The Forty Rules of Love' was included in BBC’s '100 Novels that Shaped Our World'. Shafak holds a PhD in political science, has taught at multiple universities, and is an honorary fellow at St Anne's College, Oxford University. She is a Fellow and Vice President of the Royal Society of Literature, and a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations. Additionally, Shafak is an advocate for women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and free speech, recognized for her public speaking, including two TED Global talks. She has contributed to major publications and received the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Shafak has been involved in judging several prestigious literary prizes.