On the first day of the prestigious Jaipur Literature Festival, one of the highlights of the 29-session long day was Turkish author Elif Shafaq in conversation with Nandini Nair. The Booker shortlisted author talks in a fascinating conversation about her latest work, The Island of Missing Trees, and the place for politics, tradition and human values in the world of storytelling.
The author emphasized the importance of the novel in its ability to remind people of the world and its complexities. Shafaq said, “In today’s world you don’t have the luxury of being apolitical, when so much is happening outside the window, you can’t take your eyes off it. At least about the core issues – human rights, Women’s rights, LGBT rights, rule of law, loss of media freedom – we can’t keep silent.”
He said that in times like these, when one writes about these issues, the politics of the world happens unconsciously. “I am a feminist, I have learned many things from feminist movements from the past generation. One of the central things is that we need to redefine politics. Where there is an imbalance of power, there is politics. In this, the personal is also political. For example, you can write about sexuality or gender discrimination. That automatically becomes political. The novelists who are writing about a larger canvas cannot be apolitical,” she said. said.
Shafaq says that talking only about political parties is a dry way of looking at the bigger scheme of things. “I do not mean that politics is my guide. I do not like party politics. What I am saying is that writers have to ask political questions, but leave the answers to the readers,” she explained.
The author went on to elaborate on her upbringing and how it played a vital role in making her who she is. What he described as a “distinctive, traditional, patriarchal Turkish family” made a deep impression on him.
“I was born in France to Turkish parents. My parents later separated and my father lived and married in France. I grew up without seeing him for a very long time. Met half brothers in my mid 20s. So, something was broken there. Meanwhile, I was raised by two very strong women. The neighborhood was very religious and introverted. So I didn’t think we fit at all. But grandma The house was very isolated and matriarchal,” she recalled.
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In her latest novel ‘The Island of Missing Trees’, author-activist Elif Shafak pays a delicate tribute to the agony of war, displacement & undying hope while following the journey of two Cypriot lovers & a fig tree which remains the only connection to their lost home. pic.twitter.com/4manndgAdu— jaipurlitfest (@JaipurLitFest) March 5, 2022
When asked about superstition in his latest work, Shafaq said that it is a cornerstone for many families. “Of course, we always need to focus on knowledge and information and wisdom. My home was full of folklore and some superstitions about the spiritual elements of life, which people might call irrational. I loved that I connected with that I feel. No. We can try to understand where it comes from. Sometimes superstition comes from our deepest fear,” said the author.
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