The Bastard of Istanbul

One rainy day in Istanbul, a woman walks into a doctor’s surgery. ‘I need to have an abortion,’ she announces. She is nineteen years old and unmarried. What happens that afternoon will change her life.

Twenty years later, Asya Kazanci lives with her extended family in Istanbul. Due to a mysterious family curse, all the Kazanci men die in their early forties, so it is a house of women, among them Asya’s beautiful, rebellious mother Zaliha, who runs a tattoo parlour; Banu, who has newly discovered herself as a clairvoyant; and Feride, a hypochondriac obsessed with impending disaster. And when Asya’s Armenian-American cousin Armanoush comes to stay, long-hidden family secrets connect with Turkey’s turbulent past begin to emerge.

Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak was born in Strasbourg, France, in 1971. She is an award-winning novelist and the most widely read woman writer in Turkey. Her books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages. Shafak has published nine books, seven of which are novels. She writes in both Turkish and English. 

Shafak's first novel, Pinhan (The Mystic) was awarded the "Rumi Prize" in 1998, which is given to the best work in mystical literature in Turkey. Her second novel, Şehrin Aynaları (Mirrors of the City), brings together Jewish and Islamic mysticism against a historical setting in the 17th century Mediterranean.

Shafak greatly increased her readership with her novel Mahrem (The Gaze), which earned her the "Union of Turkish Writers' Prize" in 2000. Her next novel, Bit Palas (The Flea Palace), has been a bestseller in Turkey.  The book was followed by Med-Cezir, a non-fiction book of essays on gender, sexuality, mental ghettoes, and literature. 

Shafak's next novel was written in English. The Saint of Incipient Insanities was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Her second novel written in English is The Bastard of Istanbul, which was the bestselling book of 2006 in Turkey. The novel brought Shafak under prosecution but the charges were ultimately dismissed. 

Following the birth of her daughter in 2006 she suffered from post-natal depression, an experience she addressed in her first autobiographical book, Black Milk. In this book Shafak explored the beauties and difficulties of being a writer and a mother. The book was received with great interest and acclaim by critics and women readers alike, being an instant bestseller.

In addition to writing fiction, Shafak is also a political scientist and assistant professor, having graduated from the program in International Relations at Middle East Technical University. She holds a Masters degree in Gender and Women's Studies and a Ph.D. in Political Science. Her thesis on "Islamic Mysticism and the Circular Understanding of Time" was awarded by the Social Scientists Institute. Today Shafak continues to write for various daily and monthly publications in Turkey. She also writes lyrics for rock musicians in her country. She lives in Istanbul with her husband and two children. 

Elif Shafak's Q & A

What sparked The Bastard of Istanbul?
 
At the time I started writing The Bastard of Istanbul I was living in Arizona, Tucson. It was a strange and inspiring experience for me to be so close to the desert after living in a city as crowded, vibrant and colourful as Istanbul. Istanbul and Arizona seemed so far away and so different from each other. I guess through the art of fiction I wanted to connect these two worlds. I also wanted to write a novel in which women, and in this case generations of Armenian and Turkish women, were the primary characters. I didn't focus on big political issues but on ordinary daily life and its facets, such as oral culture, folk tales, lullabies, food, cuisine etc. As I kept writing it was my intention to write a constructive story and to show the common ground between these women.
 
Where and when is the novel set?
 
Like several of my novels,  The Bastard of Istanbul travels in time and space and brings together people from different cultures and religions. The novel is set in San Francisco, Arizona and Istanbul. The reader travels as the characters travel. It is mostly a modern story but one that goes back in time and memory.
 
Do you have a favourite character in the novel?
 
I do not.   From my point of view every character, no matter how small or big her or his role might seem at first glance, is essential for the story. Instead of associating myself with this or that character from the beginning  to the end, I feel each and every character in my heart . For me writing fiction is not about telling `my` story to readers. I am not that interested in myself. Just the opposite,  fiction for me requires transcending the Self and the limits of the Self.  I like to put myself in  other people`s shoes until there is no such thing as `the Other.` I believe the art of storytelling is about `connections`. Writers feel connected to other people when they write and readers feel connected the same way as they read.
 
What's your favourite children's book and why?
 
I actually have several favourite children`s books, and I also discover new ones with my kids. But when I look back at my own childhood my number one book would be The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. Throughout my teenage years I read this novel God knows how many times and loved it and still do. It is the story of an introvert, unhappy boy and his trips to a parallel world called Fantastica.