Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist and the most widely read female author
in Turkey. She writes in both Turkish and English and has published seventeen books eleven of
which are novels. Her work has been translated into fifty languages. Shafak holds a PhD in
political science and she has taught at various universities in Turkey the US and the UK
including St Anne's College Oxford University where she is an honorary fellow. She is a
member of World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Creative Economy and a founding member
of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). An advocate for women's rights LGBT
rights and freedom of speech Shafak is an inspiring public speaker and twice a TED global
speaker each time receiving a standing ovation. Shafak contributes to many major publications
around the world and she has been awarded the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. In
2017 she was chosen by Politico as one of the twelve people who would make the world better.
She has judged numerous literary prizes and is chairing the Wellcome Prize 2019. Find out more
about Elif Shafak on her website: www.elifshafak.com
