The stories we tell, with Elif Shafak

Life and Art from FT Weekend

Forhecz Topher

Tv & Film, Arts, Society & Culture

4.6 • 601 Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2021

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Life & Arts columnist Enuma Okoro explores what our cities tell us about ourselves. Then, Lilah speaks with Elif Shafak—the most widely read woman novelist in Turkey—about writing in countries without freedom of speech, and her new book, The Island of Missing Trees. Plus: our prolific Undercover Economist Tim Harford makes a case for letting go of your to-do list.

Links from the episode:

—Enuma Okoro’s love letter to New York City: https://www.ft.com/content/e2507d84-9a12-4755-a9c7-41c9ea116947

—Lilah’s piece about visiting Armenia: https://www.ft.com/content/2e2f38b0-e7a1-11e8-8a85-04b8afea6ea3

—Review of Elif Shafak’s novel, The Island of Missing Trees: https://www.ft.com/content/1a064a06-bd19-43c7-8237-38931853d0e2

—Tim Harford on to-do lists: https://www.ft.com/content/06ffe40d-fdcc-4be8-b536-810cedce7ed1

—Oliver Burkeman on how not to waste your life (paywall): https://www.ft.com/content/dd0d477b-c1f7-4d74-af68-c1ef1692566c

We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap. Email us at [email protected].

Sound design and mixing is by Breen Turner, with original music by Metaphor Music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to our third episode of the FT Weekend podcast. First, I want to thank you. We have
0:08.3	received really warm feedback and I'm just thrilled the show is resonating. So please stay in
0:14.5	touch with ideas with feedback. There are details for how to reach us in the show notes and at the end
0:20.0	of the episode.
0:24.0	This episode is really close to my heart.
0:27.4	I'm excited to introduce you to two FD columnists that I love.
0:30.5	They both always have something surprising and thoughtful to say.
0:33.2	And also one of my favorite novelists.
0:35.1	You only have so many heroes.
0:37.2	And the writer Elif Shafak is one of mine. In cultures where there is no freedom of speech, maybe words do matter even more.
0:42.4	Maybe stories matter even more.
0:44.5	I honestly think the novel is one of our last remaining democratic spaces.
0:49.4	And I always find my way back.
0:52.1	It's almost like that relationship that you,
0:55.5	you swear, I swear this is the end.
0:58.3	We're broken up for good.
1:01.8	People say life's not a rehearsal,
1:04.0	but life's not a performance either.
1:06.5	Like, who am I supposed to show evidence
1:08.8	of how I've spent my life?
1:12.0	No one cares. It's just me.
1:19.9	On this episode, I speak with the Turkish-British-British writer, Aleph Shafak, about identity and the stories we inherit. We'll also check in with Tim Harford, the FT's undercover economist, on how to
	...

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