#125: Elif Shafak, novelist

<p>Rachel and Simon speak with award-winning novelist Elif Shafak. The author of 12 novels and 7 works of non-fiction, her work has been translated into 55 languages. <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1177356/the-forty-rules-of-love/9780241373941.html" target="_blank">"The Forty Rules of Love"</a> (2009) was chosen by the BBC as one of 100 novels that have shaped the world; <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/303783/10-minutes-38-seconds-in-this-strange-world/9780241979464.html" target="_blank">"10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World"</a> was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the RSL Ondaatje Prize in 2019; her latest novel, <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/316722/the-island-of-missing-trees/9780241988725.html" target="_blank">"The Island of Missing Trees"</a>, was shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards in 2021 and chosen for Reese Witherspoon's influential book club in November. We spoke to Elif about writing in both Turkish and English, <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/561/56167/the-bastard-of-istanbul/9780241986448.html" target="_blank">"The Bastard of Istanbul"</a> and the accusation that she had "insulted Turkishness" and why heavy metal is the perfect music to write to.</p> <p>This episode is sponsored by Writing Magazine, who are offering our podcast listeners 20% off any of their courses throughout the whole of December and January. To claim your discount, simply email: <a href="mailto:writingcourses@warnersgroup.co.uk" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">writingcourses@warnersgroup.co.uk</a> with the code PODCAST20 and the course you’d like to enrol on. For full course details, visit their website: <a href="https://www.writers-online.co.uk/writing-courses" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.writers-online.co.uk/writing-courses</a></p> <p>You can find us online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alwaystakenotes.com/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">alwaystakenotes.com</a>, on Twitter&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/takenotesalwa