Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish writer, novelist and one of today’s most influential public intellectuals. Her internationally acclaimed work explores identity, belonging, freedom, memory keeping and the power of storytelling to bridge cultural divides. Published in 58 languages, she is the recipient of the British Academy President’s Medal for “the incredible intercultural range” of her writing and of the Halldor Laxness International Literature Prize for her contribution to “the renewal of the art of storytelling.”

At Hay Festival Kunstsilo, Shafak discusses ‘the Age of Imagination’: why humanities, arts and literature matter more than ever in a world shaped by polarisation, uncertainty, rapid technological change and climate crisis, and how the literary imagination can expand our sense of possibility, nurture empathy and help us connect beyond borders and boxes of identity.