Longlisted for the 2008 Orange Fiction Prize, Elif Shafak's "The Bastard of Istanbul" is a tale of an extraordinary family curse and clashing cultural identities in the mystical and mysterious city of Istanbul. One rainy afternoon in Istanbul, a woman walks into a doctor's surgery. 'I need to have a[...]

Winner of the Union of Turkish Writers' Best Novel Prize, Elif Shafak explores what it is to look and be looked at in the humorous and carnivalesque novel "The Gaze". An obese woman and her lover, a dwarf, are sick of being stared at wherever they go and so decide to reverse roles. The man goes out [...]

Populated with vibrant characters, "The Bastard of Istanbul" is the story of two families, one Turkish and one Armenian American, and their struggle to forge their unique identities against the backdrop of Turkey's violent history. Filled with humor and understanding, this exuberant, dramatic novel [...]

A thoughtful and incisive meditation on literature, motherhood, and spiritual wellbeing from Turkey's leading female authorAfter the birth of her first child, Elif Shafak experienced a profound personal crisis. Plagued by guilt, anxiety, and bewilderment about her new maternal role, the acclaimed no[...]

'There were six of us: the master, the apprentices and the white elephant. We built everything together...' Sixteenth century Istanbul: a stowaway arrives in the city bearing an extraordinary gift for the Sultan. The boy is utterly alone in a foreign land, with no wordly possessions to his name exce[...]

Shortlisted for the 2005 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, Elif Shafak's The Flea Palace is a moving and highly original novel about a group of individuals who live in the same building and who together become embroiled in a mystery. By turns comic and tragic, The Flea Palace is an outstandingly or[...]

The Architect's Apprentice is a dazzling and intricate tale from Elif Shafak, bestselling author of The Bastard of Istanbul. 'There were six of us: the master, the apprentices and the white elephant. We built everything together...' Sixteenth century Istanbul: a stowaway arrives in the city bearing[...]

Ella Rubinstein has a husband, three teenage children, and a pleasant home. Everything that should make her confident and fulfilled. Yet there is an emptiness at the heart of Ella's life - an emptiness once filled by love. So when Ella reads a manuscript about the thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi a[...]

Approached with either "indifference" or "panic" in our culture, discussion of childhood sexuality remains submerged within political and moral debates that have historically impeded its understanding. In contrast, "Sexual Development in Childhood" brings together respected researchers and clinician[...]

From the acclaimed author of "The Bastard of Istanbul," a colorful, magical tale set during the height of the Ottoman Empire
In her latest novel, Turkey s preeminent female writer spins an epic tale spanning nearly a century in the life of the Ottoman Empire. In 1540, twelve-year-old Jahan arriv[...]

From the Orange Prize long-listed and award-winning author of "The Forty Rules of Love" and "The Bastard of Istanbul" Elif Shafak, "Honour" is a novel of love, betrayal and a clash of cultures. 'My mother died twice. I promised myself I would not let her story be forgotten...' Leaving her twin siste[...]