Elif Shafak, a Turkish-British novelist, unveils her latest work titled “There are Rivers in the Sky,” an adventure of a lost poem, a duo of magnificent rivers, and three distinct lives tied together by water through the centuries. In the saga, a lone raindrop falls on the head of Ashurbanipal, the ancient Assyrian king, a moment which sparks a journey through time, transfiguring into a snowflake, a cloud, or a teardrop as it circumnavigates the globe repeatedly.
The raindrop serves as a metaphor underscoring the profound inter-relation between human existence and nature. As Shafak articulates, we can comprehend our shared connectivity by simply tracing the path of a single raindrop. The story is a “valentine to water”, as she puts it, but it simultaneously mirrors the global climate crisis and the emerging problems related to fresh water availability.
The novelist explains that while the world is awash with water and faced with escalating sea levels and persistent urban flooding, there might be an erroneous belief of surplus water. In reality, we are slowly but surely moving towards severe water scarcity. The decay of our rivers has widespread implications, most acutely affecting women, children, and minorities. Hence, no water droplet can be overlooked, she insists.
In Shafak’s view, the readers should rethink their personal relationship with the environment. It is important to revive our bond with nature, and drop the assumption that we are its masters or exploiters. Rather than placing ourselves above it, we need to acknowledge that we are a small piece within a fragile ecosystem.
In this extensive dialogue, the writer shares insights about her peripatetic childhood and its influence on her identity. She also discusses her choice to never go back to her native land, Turkey, and her unexpected fondness for melodic death metal. You have the option to revisit this episode using the player positioned above or any podcast platform available to you.