Author Elif Shafak on uprooting | A Drink with the Idler

‘Nature speaks all the time, sometimes even screams.’

British-Turkish author Elif Shafak discusses the uprooting of trees, cultures, and identities in her new novel ‘The Island of Missing Trees’.

Elif Shafak is the author of 19 books, which have been translated into 54 languages. Her stories appeal beyond borders, making her a bestselling author in many countries around the world. Elif’s novel ‘10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World’ was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and RSL Ondaatje Prize; longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award; and chosen as Blackwell’s Book of the Year. Her previous novel ‘The Forty Rules of Love’ was chosen by the BBC as one of 100 Novels That Shaped Our World. This year, ‘The Architect’s Apprentice’was chosen for the Duchess of Cornwall’s inaugural book club, The Reading Room.

In this conversation, Elif discusses her new book, a tale of love and belonging which begins in war-torn Cyprus. Tom Hodgkinson also quizzes Elif on her affinity for heavy metal music, and how it helps her writing process. She considers the multiplicity of identity, and explains her desire to give voices to people who have been systematically marginalised, emphasising that we are all ‘living through liquid times.’

Her new book, ‘The Island of Missing Trees’, is out now.

This conversation was recorded as part of the Idler’s weekly online event, A Drink with the Idler. The full recording is available to magazine and Academy subscribers via idler.co.uk. Visit the website to join.

Thank you to Prestel, our sponsors for this event.