Daily: Author ELIF SHAFAK – “Empathy is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes.”

<p>British-Turkish novelist and academic <strong>Elif Shafak </strong>is an international feminist icon followed by legions of passionate readers. She tells Dorian Lynskey about her latest novel <em>The Island of Missing Trees</em>, a story of identity, belonging and love that takes place between Cyprus and London – and how she too finds comfort in two places, her home city of Istanbul and her adopted home in the UK. Listen for a fascinating exploration of the power of fictional escapism and what it means to a citizen of the world.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>•&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>“Cyprus is a place where the wounds of division are still not healed.”</em></p><p>•&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>“Putting yourself in the shoes of another person is a humbling experience, even if just for a few hours.”</em></p><p>•&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>“Fiction was my way of belonging, of tasting a sense of freedom.”</em></p><p>•&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>“Emotionally I’m very attached to Turkey, but it’s a difficult place to exist when you need freedom to make fun of those in power.”</em></p><p>•&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>“I would like to see myself as a citizen of the world, of humanity. That doesn’t make me a citizen of nowhere.”</em></p><p><em>&nbsp;</em></p><p><em>Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. </em><strong><em>THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production</em></strong></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>