Shafak, Elif, 1971-

Elif Shafak (Turkish: Elif Şafak [eˈlif ʃaˈfak]; née Bilgin; born 25 October 1971) is a Turkish-British novelist, essayist, public speaker, political scientist, and activist. Shafak writes in Turkish and English, and has published 21 books. She is best known for her novels, which include The Bastard of Istanbul, The Forty Rules of Love, Three Daughters of Eve, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, and The Island of Missing Trees. As of 2025, her work had been translated into almost sixty languages, and 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. In December 2025, she was named as the new president of the Royal Society of Literature, taking over the role from Bernardine Evaristo, and in 2026 she was awarded the Helena Vaz da Silva European Award for Raising Public Awareness on Cultural Heritage by Europa Nostra and the Centro Nacional de Cultura in Portugal.