‘Water remembers what we try to forget.’
Her Majesty Queen Camilla has chosen ‘There Are Rivers In The Sky’ by Elif Shafak to open the spring season of The Queen’s Reading Room Book Club.
Elif Shafak is a much loved novelist who writes brilliantly in both Turkish and English. Shafak is known for her thoughtful exploration of identity, memory, and belonging; beautifully weaving together personal stories with broader social ideas. In both her novels and her nonfiction writing, Shafak has advocated for women's rights, minority rights and freedom of speech. In December 2025, she was named as the new president of the Royal Society of Literature.
Elif Shafak joined us to talk about all of these themes and more.
‘Water remembers what we try to forget.’
Her Majesty Queen Camilla has chosen ‘There Are Rivers In The Sky’ by Elif Shafak to open the spring season of The Queen’s Reading Room Book Club.
Elif Shafak is a much loved novelist who writes brilliantly in both Turkish and English. Shafak is known for her thoughtful exploration of identity, memory, and belonging; beautifully weaving together personal stories with broader social ideas. In both her novels and her nonfiction writing, Shafak has advocated for women's rights, minority rights and freedom of speech. In December 2025, she was named as the new president of the Royal Society of Literature.
Elif Shafak joined us to talk about all of these themes and more.