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.
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insights INSIGHT
Connecting with Ancestors
Explore family stories and silences to connect with ancestral knowledge.
Writers and poets act as memory keepers for their societies, preserving cultural heritage.
insights INSIGHT
Novels as Keepers of Facts
Novels are democratic spaces containing facts, not just escapism.
Facts embedded within stories have a more profound and lasting impact.
insights INSIGHT
Fiction and Truth
Fiction conveys truth through emotions and stories, fostering emotional intelligence.
It encompasses various disciplines, enabling a deeper understanding of the world.
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The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak is a novel that weaves together the stories of multiple generations affected by the turbulent history of Cyprus. The narrative is partly told through the voice of a fig tree, which observes the lives of a young Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot couple, Kostas and Defne, who are separated by war. The story also follows Ada, a teenager in London, as she seeks to understand her family's history and ancestry. The novel explores themes of war, division, love, loss, and the search for identity and healing, highlighting the resilience of both human and natural life in the face of trauma and conflict.
There Are Rivers in the Sky
Elif Shafak
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Andrew George
Anonymous
The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the story of Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, who is two-thirds god and one-third human. The gods create Enkidu, a wild man, to counterbalance Gilgamesh's oppressive rule. Enkidu and Gilgamesh become friends after a trial of strength and embark on several adventures, including the slaying of the monster Humbaba and the killing of the Bull of Heaven. Following Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh sets out on a perilous journey to find Utnapishtim, the survivor of the Babylonian Flood, in search of the secret of eternal life. Despite his efforts, Gilgamesh learns that death is inevitable and returns to Uruk, reconciled to his mortality and appreciative of the enduring achievements of humanity[1][3][5].
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
Life and Art from FT Weekend 
