Elif Shafak (Born: October 25, 1971  Strasbourg, France) is a Turkish-British writer, storyteller, essayist, academic, public speaker, and women's rights activist.Shafak was born in Strasbourg to philosopher Nuri Bilgin and Şafak Atayman. In English, she publishes under the anglicised spelling of her pen-name 'Elif Shafak'.Shafak writes in Turkish and English, and has published 17 books, 11 of which are novels, including 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World, The Bastard of Istanbul, The Forty Rules of Love, and Three Daughters of Eve. Her books have been translated into 53 languages, and she has been awarded Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.Shafak is an activist for women's rights, minority rights, and freedom of speech. She also writes and speaks about a range of issues including global and cultural politics, the future of Europe, Turkey and the Middle East, democracy, and pluralism.