‘Elif Shafak’

With almost 2 million Facebook fans and more than 1.6 million followers on Twitter Elif Shafak is a star in the literary firmament. Shafak writes in both Turkish and English and is well-known for best-selling novels such as The Bastard of Istanbul, The Forty Rules of Love and Honour. Her books have been translated into more than 40 languages. Shafak combines Western and Eastern story-telling traditions and expresses the voice of women, minorities, subcultures, immigrants and world souls. Her work challenges clichés and crosses borders; it is inspired by cultures and cities, and shows a great interest in history, philosophy, culture, mystique, intercultural dialogue and sexual equality. 

Shafak will be present at the Centre for Fine Arts as a result of her collaboration on the BOZAR exhibition The Sultan’s World. She put together a literary visitor guide for the exhibition and wrote a foreword for the catalogue. At BOZAR Shafak will be speaking to MO* journalist Tine Danckaers about her latest novel The Architect’s Apprentice, which is set during the heyday of the Ottoman Empire.