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14–26 Aug 2019 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31
ELIF SHAFAK Book festival welcomes Booker- longlisted Turkish author
Award-winning novelist Elif Shafak writes in English and Turkish and her books have been translated into more than 50 languages. A political scientist, commentator and women’s and LGBT rights activist, Shafak’s writing blends myth and storytelling with an astute deconstruction and examination of contemporary issues. She will be at Edinburgh International Book
Festival on 23 August speaking with Virago Press publisher Lennie Goodings about her latest book, 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World. Currently longlisted for the Booker Prize 2019, this absorbing novel describes the memories of a sex worker, Tequila Leila, in the handful of minutes her brain continues functioning after death. The years that led up to Leila’s murder are
richly scented and described with deep humour and tenderness, creating a sensual journey through the life of a character often voiceless or consigned to the periphery. Themes of sexual harassment, gender violence and child abuse are handled with grace and described with unfl inching clarity.
Shafak’s choice of material has provoked
social media attacks and legal diffi culties (2006’s The Bastard of Istanbul resulted in a legal trial against her for ‘insulting Turkishness’). In 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds, she reminds us why some voices should never be removed from the narrative – no matter what the cost. (Lynsey May) ■ Charlotte Square Gardens, 23 Aug, 10.15am, £12 (£10).