We’re at the British Consulate General in Istanbul for “an evening with Elif Shafak”, jointly organised by Kingston University in London and the British Council. Elif Shafak is one of Turkey’s most prominent modern writers. Her books, some written originally in Turkish and some in English, have been translated into more than 30 languages. She currently lives in London and teaches creative writing at Kingston University.
One of the priorities for any diplomat working in Turkey is to try and understand this magnificent, complex and culturally rich country as well as possible. It’s a privilege as part of that process to have contact with people from all walks of life, from business people and religious leaders to journalists, politicians and writers. I am intrigued to meet Elif Shafak as during my preparations for coming to Istanbul I read two of her novels, The 40 Rules of Love and The Bastard of Istanbul. I look forward to reading The Honour, which I have this week purchased and downloaded to my Kindle.
The evening also demonstrates the important work Kingston University, like many other British educational institutions, is doing in Turkey. Kingston’s activities include sample master classes hosted by Turkish universities and an entrepreneurship competition for undergraduate students offering tuition fee discounts for winning team members. Their website gives a good indication of how international UK education has become, including for their many creative writing courses. If I could sign up for a creative writing course at which Elif Shafak was teaching, I’d do it like a shot.