Elif Shafak appointed new president of the Royal Society of Literature

Writer Elif Shafak has been appointed the new president of the Royal Society of Literature (RSL), taking over from Bernardine Evaristo, who is completing her four-year term. 

British-Turkish writer Shafak, author of the novels "The Island of the Vanishing Trees" and "There Are Rivers in the Sky," was announced in this position on Friday after a vote among the Society's members. 

"I was very touched and humbled when they collectively elected me as the new president," Shafak said. 
"For me, the word 'association' does not only mean membership in an organization with so much value and such an extraordinary history. I also want to focus on the second meaning of the word. Association, as in society, solidarity, unity. I find it very important because we live in an increasingly turbulent and harsh world where many people in the field of art feel very lonely," she said. 

There are "many challenges" facing writers, librarians and those who have dedicated their lives to "the love of literature." 

The author explained that although she has ideas and plans for her time as president, she "first and foremost would like to hear from everyone, to have the opinions and suggestions of fellow writers and poets." 

Evaristo, whose term at the institution ended, said that Shafak is an "extremely inspiring choice" for president and that her appointment marks "an exciting moment" for the association. 

"A global bestseller with a renowned reputation as a writer, intellectual, and public speaker, she is an early advocate of literature and the power of storytelling to bridge differences and illuminate multiple perspectives," she said. 

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Shafak has been the vice president of the Association since 2020. She is the author of 21 books, including 13 novels. Her works have been translated into 58 languages. She also holds a doctorate in political science.

Shafak’s 2019 novel “10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World,” about a prostitute in Istanbul, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the RSL Ondaatje Prize. Her 2021 novel, “The Island of the Vanishing Trees” — a story of forbidden love between Costas, a Greek Christian, and Defnes, a Turkish Muslim, in 70s Cyprus — was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Prize, the Women’s Prize for Literature, the British Book Awards and the RSL Ondaatje Prize.