It was wonderful to catch up with Elif Shafak, a globally acclaimed writer and activist, at the exclusive launch of her new book, “The Architect’s Apprentice” (Viking, 2014) this morning. The event was held at Soho House as part of the Books For Breakfast series, connecting business leaders with authors and their work.

Elif is a distinctive (and often controversial) voice on cultural politics, history and storytelling across physical and spiritual borders – her TED talk on the politics of fiction has over 1.3 million views. In this Q&A, she discussed the themes of this novel, such as relationships with the “other” and city space, with broadcaster, sustainable cities expert and special guest host Leo Johnson.

Described by the Independent as her “best and most ambitious” novel to date, Elif illuminates the scale and style of 16th-century cosmopolitan Istanbul. Click here for a synopsis of “The Architect’s Apprentice”.

For more information, or to book Elif Shafak as a keynote speaker or panellist for your conference or event, please contact Leo von Bülow-Quirk at [email protected] or call 0044 (0) 20 7792 8000.