Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak is a Turkish-British novelist, essayist, public speaker, political scientist and activist.

Shafak writes in Turkish and English, and has published 19 works. 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 books have been translated into 55 languages and been nominated for several literary awards. Described by the Financial Times as "Turkey's leading female novelist", several of her works have been bestsellers in Turkey and internationally.