Elif Shafak on storytelling in art (+Frida Kahlo, Artemisia Gentileschi, and more!)

The Great Women Artists

Katy Hessel

Arts

4.8 • 877 Ratings

🗓️ 15 November 2023

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I am so excited to say that my guest on the great women artists podcast is one of the most pioneering – and my favourite – writers alive today, Elif Shafak! In this episode, we talk about the power of storytelling, the importance of writing women's lives into history and fighting for their rights. Shafak has said: "...as a young Turkish student, it occurred to me that the history that was taught to me top down could be seen in different ways depending on who is telling the stories..." We speak about Artemisia Gentileschi to Frida Kahlo, Ana Mendieta to Georgia O'Keeffe; Shafak's upbringing and the importance of multitudinous narratives, and the power of images when it comes to writing novels. We explore the similarities between a painting and a novel; how storytelling can be transmitted through so many different artforms, from word of mouth or the written word. As a novelist, Shafak spends so much time dreaming up worlds, and, in a way, this is not that dissimilar from an artist. But we also talk about the importance of emotion, and how stories can give us that, as Shafak has said: “Why is it that we underestimate feelings and perceptions? I think it’s going to be one of our biggest intellectual challenges, because our political systems are replete with emotions … and yet within the academic and among the intelligentsia, we are yet to take emotions seriously…” Shafak is the author of 19 books, which have been translated into 57 languages. A shortlister for the Booker Prize and Women's Prize for Fiction, she holds a PhD in political science and she has taught at universities in Turkey, the US and the UK. A Fellow and a Vice President of the Royal Society of Literature, Shafak is also instrumental in her work as an advocate for women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of expression. A twice TED Global speaker, Shafak contributes to publications around the world, such as the Guardian with her poignant articles on women’s rights in Turkey. Books by Elif: https://www.waterstones.com/book/how-to-stay-sane-in-an-age-of-division/elif-shafak/9781788165723 https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-bastard-of-istanbul/elif-shafak/9780241972908 https://www.waterstones.com/book/three-daughters-of-eve/elif-shafak/9780241978887 https://www.waterstones.com/book/10-minutes-38-seconds-in-this-strange-world/elif-shafak/9780241979464 https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-island-of-missing-trees/elif-shafak/9780241988725 -- THIS EPISODE IS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY THE LEVETT COLLECTION: https://www.instagram.com/famm.mougins // https://www.merrellpublishers.com/9781858947037 ENJOY!!! Follow us: Katy Hessel: @thegreatwomenartists / @katy.hessel Sound editing by Nada Smiljanic Music by Ben Wetherfield https://www.thegreatwomenartists.com/

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello everyone and welcome back to series 10 of the Great Women Artists podcast.
0:05.9	I am so excited to say that this series is supported by the Levit Collection,
0:10.6	a vast and varied art collection of which a major portion is dedicated to fantastic works by women artists.
0:17.4	The Levit Collection support for women in the arts is such that preparations are in full swing for the creation of the new museum, FAMM, FAMM, which will be opening in June 24 in Mujan in the south of France.
0:31.6	It will be the first major museum in mainland Europe dedicated to female artists, and will exhibit a myriad of
0:39.5	artworks all from the collection. Impressionist, surrealist, modern and contemporary art, created by women
0:45.7	from around the world, will take pride of place in the Levitt's New Museum, female artists of the Mujan
0:51.2	Museum. But in the meantime, stay tuned by following at fam.m. Mujan
0:56.1	and Don't Miss the Beautiful Book, Abstract Expressionists, The Women, published by Morel,
1:01.4	which presents a selection of works from the collection, alongside richly illustrated essays by scholars LNG Landau and Joan M. Martyr, all available now.
1:12.5	I hope you enjoy this episode.
1:24.3	Hello everyone and welcome to The Great Women Artists podcast with me, Katie Hessel.
1:28.5	Some of you might know me from The Great Women Artists. An Instagram account,
1:34.3	I set up in October 2015, which celebrates female artists on a daily basis, ranging from young graduates to old masters. Well, in a similar fashion to the Instagram, this podcast is
1:40.5	all about celebrating female artists from a variety of backgrounds and histories.
1:45.0	And I am so excited to be interviewing artists on their career or artists, writers, curators or general art lovers on the women artist who means most of them.
1:54.0	What I want this podcast to do is celebrate female artists in all different capacities so you, the listener, can gain a look into
2:02.3	the greatest female artists working now or from art history.
2:09.0	I am so excited to say that my guest on the Great Women Artist podcast is one of the most
2:14.3	pioneering and my favorite writers alive today, Elif Shafag.
2:19.2	The author of 19 books, 12 of which are novels, including her latest,
2:23.5	The Brilliant Island of Missing Trees, which was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction,
	...

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