Novelist Elif Shafak: ‘Writers are the memory keepers’
Dec 16, 2024
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Elif Shafak, a celebrated novelist with 13 novels, discusses her latest work, which intertwines stories across centuries, highlighting how fiction can illuminate forgotten histories. She shares insights on the role of oral traditions in preserving memory, especially within the Yazidi community. The conversation dives into nostalgia's dual nature, revealing how storytelling fosters connection amid identity struggles. Elif emphasizes the writer's role as a memory keeper and the importance of acknowledging emotions in today's complex societal landscape.
Elif Shafak emphasizes storytelling's power to preserve cultural legacies through the perspective of family memory keepers across generations.
The podcast connects fiction with vital global issues, illustrating how narratives about water scarcity reflect broader themes of social injustice and inequality.
Deep dives
The Importance of Ancestral Connections
Connecting with ancestral heritage is highlighted as a powerful yearning many people feel. The speaker emphasizes that while meeting ancestors in person may not be possible, exploring family stories and silences is crucial. This exploration often varies across generations, with the eldest family members holding memories that remain unspoken, while younger generations grapple with understanding their roots. The idea that each family has at least one 'memory keeper,' often a writer or poet, illustrates the role of storytelling in preserving cultural legacies.
Fiction as a Route to Truth
Fiction is framed as a vital medium that encapsulates truths about life, providing insights into politics, history, and emotional intelligence. The speaker expresses concern that many readers dismiss fiction as irrelevant while focusing solely on nonfiction, which limits their understanding of the world. By intertwining facts with storytelling, novels can convey complex truths more convincingly than dry historical accounts. This connection between narrative and truth underscores the need for emotional engagement with literature to fully grasp human experiences.
Water Scarcity and Gender Violence
The critical issue of water scarcity, especially in the Middle East, is connected to broader themes of gender violence, racial inequality, and social injustice. The discussion stresses that women, often tasked with collecting water for their communities, face increased risks when freshwater becomes scarce. The novel explores these challenges through characters linked by the theme of water, illustrating how seemingly minor elements can symbolize broader societal issues. By addressing these connections, the narrative aims to shed light on urgent global crises such as environmental degradation and social inequities.
Elif Shafak’s new novel brings together four stories set in three different centuries: ancient Mesopotamia, 19th century London, a Yazidi village in 2014, and the present day. It connects them through the epic of Gilgamesh, and a single drop of fresh water. Making history come alive is one of Elif’s many talents, and today she shares her thoughts on how novels can fill in the gaps in authorised history. She also talks with Lilah about the importance of the unwritten word — and why she looks to oral traditions to make sense of the past.
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As you know, the show is ending in early January – we’re still collecting your cultural questions. What’s rolling around in your head? How can we help? Email Lilah at lilahrap@ft.com or message her on Instagram @lilahrap.
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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):
– Elif Shafak’s new novel There are Rivers in the Sky, is out now in the US and the UK
– Lilah spoke with Elif about her previous novel The Island of Missing Trees and the stories we tell ourselves back in 2020. Listen to that interview here