Elif Shafak Livres

Istanbul, XVIe siècle. Le jeune Jahan débarque dans cette ville inconnue avec pour seul compagnon un magnifique éléphant blanc qu'il est chargé d'offrir au sultan Soliman le Magnifique. En chemin, il rencontrera des courtisans trompeurs et des faux amis, des gitans, des dompteurs d'animaux ainsi que la belle et espiègle Mihrimah. Il attirera bientôt l'attention de l'architecte royal, Sinan : une rencontre fortuite qui va changer le cours de son existence. Au coeur de l'Empire ottoman, quand Istanbul était le centre grouillant de la civilisation, L'architecte du sultan est un conte magique où l'on découvre le destin extraordinaire d'un garçon aux origines modestes qui se verra élevé au plus haut rang de la cour.

« Ma mère est morte deux fois. » C'est par ces mots qu'Esma, jeune femme kurde, commence le récit de l'histoire de sa famille née sur les rives de l'Euphrate et émigrée à Londres en 1970. L'histoire, d'abord, de sa grand-mère dans le village de Mala Çar Bayan, désespérée de ne mettre au monde que des filles, elle qui sait combien la vie ne les épargnera pas. L'histoire de sa mère, Pembe la superstitieuse, et de sa tante, Jamila la guérisseuse, soeurs jumelles aux destins très différents. L'histoire des hommes aussi, celle de son père, tour à tour aimant, violent, fuyant, et celle de ses frères, Yunus le rêveur, et Iskender. Iskender, l'enfant chéri de sa mère, la « prunelle de ses yeux », son sultan. Son meurtrier. Enfin, l'histoire de ces immigrés qui ont choisi l'exil pour vivre de miracles et croire aux mirages, qui ont choisi la liberté et l'amour quand d'autres restent ancrés dans les traditions et portent au pinacle l'honneur d'une famille.

A la fin des années 1990, chez les Kazanci, famille turque d'Istanbul, les femmes sont de grandes amoureuses, tandis que les hommes ne vivent pas vieux. Chez les Tchakhmakhchian, installés à San Francisco, Rose abandonne son époux et se remarie avec un Turc. Armanouch, sa fille, se rend à Istanbul et rencontre Asya, la plus jeune des Kazanci, la bâtarde. Peu à peu des secrets se révèlent.

Bienvenue à Bonbon Palace ! Jadis bâti par un riche Russe pour son épouse dépressive dont le regard vide ne s'allumait plus qu'à la vue de friandises, cet immeuble d'Istanbul semblait promis à un avenir paisible... Pourtant, si l'édifice a gardé son élégance d'antan, il est aujourd'hui infesté par la vermine et les ordures, au grand dam de ses habitants. Et les coups de sang ne sont pas rares à Bonbon Palace ! Appartements après appartements, le numéro 8 de la rue Jurnal se fait le témoin des vicissitudes de ses occupants : le religieux gérant Hadji Hadji ; la desperate housewife Nadja ; la cafardeuse Maîtresse bleue ; ou encore les jumeaux coiffeurs Djemal et Djelal.... Après La Bâtarde d'Istanbul, Elif Shafak, conteuse hors pair, s'empare des contrastes de la société turque contemporaine pour composer une inoubliable galerie de portraits.

The new novel from the Booker-shortlisted, internationally bestselling author of The Island of Missing Trees and 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World ***** There Are Rivers in the Sky is a rich, sweeping novel set between the 19th century and modern times, about love and loss, memory and erasure, hurt and healing, centred around three enchanting characters living on the banks of the River Thames and the River Tigris - their lives all curiously touched by the epic of Gilgamesh. ***** 'Elif Shafak is a unique and powerful voice in world literature' Ian McEwan 'Shafak makes a new home for us in words' Colum McCann 'One of the best writers in the world today' Hanif Kureishi

'My mother died twice. I promised myself I would not let her story be forgotten . . .' Pembe and Adem Toprak leave Turkey for London. There they make new lives for their family. Yet the traditions and beliefs of their home come with them - carried in the blood of their children, Iskender and Esma. Trapped by past mistakes, the Toprak children find their lives torn apart and transformed by a brutal and chilling crime. Set in Turkey and London in the 1970s, Honour explores pain and loss, loyalty and betrayal, the clash of tradition and modernity, as well as the love and heartbreak that can tear any family apart. Praise for Elif Shafak: 'Vivid storytelling, a gripping novel . . . scenes blaze with the force of parable.' Sunday Telegraph 'A stunning novel. Exotic, evocative and utterly gripping.' The Times 'Moving, subtle and ultimately hopeful, Honour is further proof that Shafak is the most exciting Turkish novelist to reach western readers in years.' Irish Times 'Extraordinarily skilfully crafted . . . with Shakespearean twists and turns, omens and enigmas, prophecies and destinies.' Independent

"'In the first minute following her death, Tequila Leila's consciousness began to ebb, slowly and steadily, like a tide receding from the shore. Her brain cells, having run out of blood, were now completely deprived of oxygen. But they did not shut down. Not right away ... ' Our brains stay active for ten minutes after our heart stops beating. For Tequila Leila, each minute brings with it a new memory - growing up with her father and his two wives in a grand old house in a quiet Turkish town; watching the women gossip and wax their legs while the men went to mosque; sneaking cigarettes and Western magazines on her way home from school; running away to Istanbul to escape an unwelcome marriage; falling in love with a student who seeks shelter from a riot in the brothel where she works. Most importantly, each memory reminds Leila of the five friends she met along the way - the friends who are now desperately trying to find her."--Publisher description

In this lyrical, exuberant tale, acclaimed Turkish author Elif Shafak, author of The Island of Missing Trees (a Reese's Book Club Pick), incarnates Rumi's timeless message of love Ella Rubenstein is forty years old and unhappily married when she takes a job as a reader for a literary agent. Her first assignment is to read and report on Sweet Blasphemy, a novel written by a man named Aziz Zahara. Ella is mesmerized by Zahara's tale of Shams of Tabriz's search for Rumi and the dervish's role in transforming the successful but unhappy cleric into a committed mystic, passionate poet, and advocate of love. She is also taken with Shams's lessons, or rules, that offer insight into an ancient philosophy based on the unity of all people and religions, and the presence of love in each and every one of us. As she reads on, she realizes that Rumi's story mir­rors her own and that Zahara—like Shams—has come to set her free. The Forty Rules of Love unfolds two tantalizing parallel narratives—one contemporary and the other set in the thirteenth century, when Rumi encountered his spiritual mentor, Shams, the whirling dervish—that together explore the enduring power of Rumi's work.

It feels like the world is falling apart. So how do we keep hold of our optimism? How do we nurture the parts of ourselves that hope, trust and believe in something better? And how can we stay sane in this world of division?In this beautifully written and illuminating polemic, Booker Prize nominee Elif Shafak reflects on our age of pessimism, when emotions guide and misguide our politics, and misinformation and fear are the norm. A tender, uplifting plea for optimism, Shafak draws on her own memories and delves into the power of stories to reveal how writing can nurture democracy, tolerance and progress. And in the process, she answers one of the most urgent questions of our time.

In 1974 Cyprus, two teenagers from opposing sides of a divided land meet in secret at a taverna, a refuge from the turmoil surrounding them. Kostas, a Greek Christian, and Defne, a Turkish Muslim, find solace in the vibrant atmosphere filled with the best food, music, and wine. The taverna, adorned with garlic, chili peppers, and wild herbs, allows them to escape the harsh realities of their world, even if just for a few hours. A fig tree growing through the roof stands as a silent witness to their joyful meetings and the inevitable separation that war will bring. Decades later, in north London, sixteen-year-old Ada Kazantzakis longs to understand her family's past, having never visited the island of her parents' birth. She grapples with the weight of secrets and silence, her only link to her heritage being a Ficus Carica in her garden. The narrative weaves together themes of belonging, identity, love, trauma, and the destruction of nature, ultimately exploring the journey toward renewal. Through this rich and magical tale, the author captures the enduring impact of memory and the quest for connection across generations.