{"id":2888,"date":"2024-07-30T12:48:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T07:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelotusflowerdiary.com\/?p=2888"},"modified":"2024-07-30T12:57:40","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T07:27:40","slug":"author-spotlight-elif-shafak-tbr-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelotusflowerdiary.com\/?p=2888","title":{"rendered":"AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: ELIF SHAFAK # TBR CHALLENGE"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you ever google Elif Shafak <\/em><\/strong>this is what you will find:<\/p>\n

Elif Shafak<\/em> is a leading British- Turkish novelist, essayist, and political activist. Apart from her bestselling books like The Forty Rules of Love, The Bastard of Istanbul, The Architect\u2019s Apprentice <\/em>and 10 Minutes 38 seconds in This Strange World, <\/em>she has a total of 21 books to her name. She is the recipient of many prestigious international honours. Two of her books 10 Minutes 38 seconds in This Strange World, and The Island of Missing Trees, <\/em>were shortlisted for the Booker prize<\/strong> 2019, and the Women\u2019s Prize for Fiction <\/strong>2022, respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But this was not the reason I began reading her books. A decade ago, I found myself seated next to a young girl reading Shafak\u2019s most popular book The Forty Rules of Love, <\/em>during a flight. Time was a luxury for me in those days, reading books more so. My eight-month-old daughter, ensured that. Either I asked a lot of questions about the book or I had my eyes glued to the pages she was turning; I do not remember the details. What I do remember is the girl leaving me with a smile and an advice before deplaning \u2013 You must buy the book. You must read her. She\u2019s good.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

And here I accept I am adept at embarrassing myself at random public places. I am a natural at that.<\/p>\n

Moving on. I almost forgot about it for another couple of years until I found myself in a bookstore staring at the book in the bestseller section. I bought it and read it with great expectations. I was not disappointed. The novel is a beautiful window to a contemporary American mother\u2019s journey to break away from her mundane, colourless life to find love. It is also a story of a larger-than-life friendship between a bohemian dervish and the Sufi poet Rumi in 13th century.<\/p>\n

At the end, I realised what the young girl from the flight said was true.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a quick look at my fondness for her work.<\/p>\n

Titles I have read so far<\/strong>:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0The Forty Rules of Love, Honour, The Bastard of Istanbul, The Island of Missing Trees, 10 Minutes 38 seconds in This Strange World, Black Milk on Motherhood and Writing<\/em><\/p>\n

Titles on my desk waiting to be read<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u00a0Three Daughters of Eve<\/em><\/p>\n

My favourite\/ Recommendation:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Island of Missing Trees<\/em><\/p>\n

Please find the link to the book review here<\/a><\/p>\n

Why do I read her work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In one of her interviews the author states, \u201cAs a writer I am not only interested in stories and storytelling, I am also drawn to silences \u2013 and the silenced. There is a part of me that wants to understand where are the silences in my society and who are the silenced<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

After reading several of her works, I can vouch for her words because I see that happening in all her books. And that is probably the reason I feel so drawn to her work. Her intent of creating not just a powerful piece of literature but literature that brings to the fore the struggles and silences of women across the globe, is commendable. I see her writing as an act of courage because her stories do raise some poignant questions, and challenge the norms. I read her because she is a brilliant storyteller.<\/p>\n

Why should you read her? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Because she writes about everyone- women, men, flora and fauna, and the universe.\u00a0 All her books are meticulously researched, splendidly narrated, and always carry an element of intrigue. Also, because her writing digs deeper into the aftermath of war, atrocities on women, sexual and ethnic identities, and mental health, without being overwhelming. The emotion of empathy is at the heart of her stories. Her books reek of truth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was seven years old, we lived in a green house. One of our neighbours, a talented tailor, <\/em>would often beat his wife. In the evenings we listened to the shouts, the cries, the swearing. In the mornings we went on with our lives as usual. The entire neighbourhood pretended not to have heard, not to have seen.<\/em><\/p>\n

This novel is dedicated to those who hear, those who see.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n