Elif Shafak is a multi award-winning France-born Turkish writer who writes in both Turkish and English.

Şafak's first novel, 'Pinhan' ('The Mystic') was published in 1998, winning her the Rumi Prize in Turkey. The writer's first novel in English was 2004's 'The Saint of Incipient Insanities'. Other works include 'The Bastard of Istanbul', 'The Forty Rules of Love', 'Honour' and 'Black Milk'.

Elif is also an internationally-renowned TEDGlobal speaker.