These Truths: Fighting Words with Elif Shafak and John Freeman
Critic and poet John Freeman and novelist Elif Shafak discuss the power of language and storytelling in these challenging times. More
DARE: Addressing Bigotry from the White House
As President Trump attacks four Democratic Representatives of color with ever starker language of racism and nativism, news organizations are critiqued... More
DARE: Judge Awards $4.1 Million in Neo-Nazi Website Lawsuit
Federal judge finds neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer did not engage in protected speech when falsely accusing radio show host of terrorism. President Trump... More
Writing in Another Language
As unrest continues in Turkey, we revisit Elif Shafak’s thoughts on her experience of transitioning to English from her native tongue and rediscovering the richness of an extinct Turkish… More
Turkish Translator and Publisher on Trial: Take Action!
Last year, I reported on the trial of Turkish publisher İrfan Sancı and translator Süha Sertabiboğlu for their January 2011 publication of William S. Burrough’s 1961 novel The Soft… More
Turkish Translator and Publisher on Trial: Take Action!
[caption id="" align="none" width="320" caption="Turkish editions of Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs and Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk"][/caption] Last year, I reported on the trial of Turkish publisher ?rfan Sanc?… More
The Way We Love Now: Who Wrote the Book of Sex?
WAYNE KOESTENBAUM: This panel’s title pays oblique homage to the late Susan Sontag, whose 1986 short story “The Way We Live Now” itself honored Anthony Trollope’s 1875 novel, The… More
Elif Shafak: Crossover Artists: Writing in Another Language
I want to talk about how I made the journey from the Turkish to the English language. Before doing that, I would like to draw a historical framework—how literature… More
Acquittal for Turkish novelist
Shafak told Guardian Unlimited that she was "very happy with the outcome", but still concerned about threats to freedom of expression in Turkey. >> Read the story More