Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak is a novelist and essayist, and currently professor in the department of near-eastern studies at the University of Arizona.

Will Turkey slide into dictatorship?

This weekend's referendum will be a crucial moment for Turkey. Watch novelist Elif Shafak on how her country stopped laughing – and why Sunday’s vote matters for all of us.

By Elif Shafak

/ 13 Apr 2017

Hrant Dink's funeral

Elif Shafak, Hrant Dink's dream Imagine an exquisite dinner scene in Istanbul. A long, long table, at least thirty people. It is kind of breezy outside, the infamous

By Elif Shafak and Rakel Dink

/ 24 Jan 2007

Turkey 's home truths

"Can you go out? Can you walk on the streets without fear of assassination or an assault from Turkish nationalists?" asked the Belgian journalist at the end of

By Elif Shafak

/ 24 Jul 2006