Novelist Elif Shafak has been named the new president of the Royal Society of Literature (RSL), taking over from Bernardine Evaristo as she reaches the end of her four-year term.
British-Turkish writer Shafak, the author of novels including The Island of Missing Trees and There Are Rivers in the Sky, was announced in the role on Friday after a vote among fellows at the society’s AGM on Thursday.
“I was very touched and humbled when they collectively elected me as the new president,” Shafak told the Guardian.
“For me, the word ‘fellowship’ does not only mean joining an organisation of such exceptional value and history. I also want to focus on the second meaning of the word. Fellowship, as in companionship, solidarity, togetherness. I find this very important because we live in an increasingly turbulent and harsh world where many in the arts feel very lonely.” There are “too many challenges” facing writers, librarians and others who have dedicated their lives to “the love of literature”.
The author explained that while she has ideas and plans for her time as president, she would “first and foremost” like to “listen to everyone, have the thoughts and suggestions of my fellow writers and poets”.
Evaristo, whose term ended at the AGM, said Shafak is a “terrifically inspired choice” for president, her appointment marking “an exciting moment” for the society. “A global bestseller with a renowned reputation as a writer, intellectual and public speaker, she is a longstanding advocate for literature and the power of storytelling to bridge differences and illuminate multiple perspectives.”
Shafak has been a vice-president of the RSL since 2020. She is the author of 21 books, including 13 novels; her works have been translated into 58 languages. She also holds a PhD in political science.
Shafak’s 2019 novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, about a sex worker in Istanbul, was shortlisted for the Booker prize and RSL Ondaatje prize. Her 2021 novel, The Island of Missing Trees – a story of forbidden love between Kostas, a Greek Christian, and Defne, a Turkish Muslim, in 1970s Cyprus – was shortlisted for the Costa novel award, the Women’s prize for fiction, the British book awards and the RSL Ondaatje prize.
