Award-winning novelist Elif Shafak shares her top five influential books, discussing empathy, gender identity in Virginia Woolf's 'Orlando,' embracing diversity in storytelling, the timely tale of 'Persepolis,' and the power of resilience and compassion in literature.
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Fiction Trains Empathy
Fiction builds emotional intelligence and empathy that help us understand the world better.
Elif Shafak says readers need fiction to connect with others and themselves.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Research Widely Before Writing
Do rigorous research before you start writing a novel and read across disciplines.
Shafak says patience in craft and interdisciplinary reading strengthen a novelist's work.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Make Craft Your Daily Habit
Sit at your desk and do the work; craft matters more than inspiration alone.
Shafak emphasizes daily discipline over romantic notions of inspiration.
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Award-winning British-Turkish novelist and 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlisted author Elif Shafak reveals the five books that have shaped her life and career.
Elif has published 19 books, 12 of which are novels, including The Island of Missing Trees, shortlisted for the Costa Award, British Book Awards, RSL Ondaatje Prize and 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Elif 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 also holds a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Bard College and is a Fellow and a Vice President of the Royal Society of Literature and has done two Global TED talks, gaining millions of views.
Elif has been chosen as one of the BBC’s 100 most inspiring and influential women and in 2016 she was a judge for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She is an advocate for women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of expression and her new book There are Rivers in the Sky is out in August.
Elif’s book choices are: ** Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier ** Orlando by Virginia Woolf ** A Gate At the Stairs by Lorrie Moore ** Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi ** A Woman Looking At Men Looking At Women by Siri Hustvedt
Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season seven of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.
Don’t want to miss the rest of season seven? Listen and subscribe now!
This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.
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