Elif Shafak: There Are Rivers in the Sky
Join us on the publication day of the breathtaking new novel from the Booker Prize-shortlisted author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.
Much of Elif Shafak’s new book, There Are Rivers in the Sky, unfolds on the banks of the River Thames.
Sweeping across centuries, continents and cultures, it is the story of one lost poem, two great rivers, and three remarkable lives – all connected by a single drop of water.
Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist whose work has been translated into 55 languages. The author of 19 books, 12 of which are novels, she is a bestselling author in many countries around the world.
Shafak is in conversation with Alev Scott, a journalist and author previously based in Istanbul and Athens, who was barred from Turkey in 2017 for her journalism.
Alev Scott writes for numerous publications, including the Financial Times, The Guardian and Newsweek, and has been a regular panel guest on the BBC World Service. She is also the author of three books: Turkish Awakening, Ottoman Odyssey and Power and the People, co-authored with Andronike Makres. She is currently writing a book about the commercialisation of motherhood.
Need to know
Copies of There Are Rivers in the Sky are available to purchase as an optional add-on for £14.99 (RRP £18.99) when you buy a ticket to the talk. The book must be collected on the night of the event, as we’re unable to distribute copies afterwards.
For your visit
This event is held at the Purcell Room Southbank Centre
The Purcell Room is located in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.
Plan your visit
The Purcell Room is an auditorium located within our Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.