Elif Shafak is the new president of the Royal Society of Literature books

Novelist Elif Shafak has been appointed as the new President of the Royal Society of Literature, succeeding Bernardine Evaristo at the end of her four-year term.

The appointment of British-Turkish writer Şafak, author of novels including “The Island of Lost Trees” and “There Are Rivers in the Sky,” to the position was announced on Friday after a vote among his colleagues at the association’s general assembly on Thursday.

“I was very moved and humbled when they collectively elected me as the new president,” Shafak told The Guardian.

“For me, the word ‘fellowship’ doesn’t just mean joining an organization of exceptional value and history. I also want to focus on the second meaning of the word. Fellowship, as in comradeship, solidarity, and togetherness. I find this very important because we live in an increasingly turbulent and harsh world where many people working in the arts feel very alone.” There are “a lot of challenges” facing writers, librarians and others who have dedicated their lives to the “love of literature.”

The writer explained that although she has ideas and plans for her term as president, she would like “first and foremost” to “listen to everyone, and get the ideas and suggestions of my fellow writers and poets.”

Evaristo, whose term ended during the annual general meeting, said Shafak is a “very inspiring choice” for president, and her appointment is an “exciting moment” for the community. “An international bestseller with a celebrated reputation as a writer, educator, and public speaker, she is a long-time advocate for literature and the power of storytelling to bridge differences and illuminate multiple perspectives.”

Shafak has been 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 doctorate in political science.

Shafak’s 2019 novel, 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World, about a sex worker in Istanbul, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the RSL Ondaatje Prize. Her 2021 novel, The Island of Lost Trees – the story of a forbidden love between Costas, a Greek Christian, and Defne, a Turkish Muslim, in Cyprus in the 1970s – has been shortlisted for the Costa Novel Prize, the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the British Book Awards, and the RSL Ondaatje Prize.