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Elif Shafak & Robert Macfarlane: Two Novelists Have an Epic Conversation | How I Write

How I Write

4 DAYS AGO
How I Write

How I Write

4 DAYS AGO

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Learn more about Alpha School at ⁠https://go.alpha.school/howiwrite Elif Shafak and Robert Macfarlane are two of the most dreamy and articulate writers I know. Elif has written 21 books, 13 of which are novels, and she’s the president of the Royal Society of Literature. Robert writes about the natural world, and he does so in such a poetic and enchanted way. His writing is infused with wonder. I’ve had both of them on the show individually, but I said, “Hey, I know you’re really good friends. Let’s all get together for one conversation. What I want to do is hear the kind of conversation you would have over a cup of coffee or over lunch.” And so here I’m like you, a fly on the wall for a conversation between two really interesting writers. About the host Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. Follow me Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv X: https://x.com/david_perell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Highlights

This conversation explores writing as a way of paying closer attention to the world, moving between literature, nature, memory, and the responsibilities of artistic work.
12:58
Attention dissolves the boundary between self and other.
22:09
Stories carry knowledge across generations
35:05
Wonder often begins with mistaken explanations.
45:02
Nature can unsettle inherited political memories
1:02:30
Writing must answer the crises of its time

Chapters

Learning to See: How Writing Deepens Our Attention
00:00
What Gilgamesh Reveals About Grief, Mortality, and Change
16:04
Finding a Literary Voice Through Rhythm, Intuition, and Wonder
25:31
How Rivers, Nature, and Memory Transform Our Sense of Time
38:22
Why Literature Must Offer Wonder—and Answer to the World’s Crises
48:51

Transcript

David Perell: Elif Shafak and Robert Macfarlane are two of the most dreamy and articulate writers I know. Elif has written 21 books, 13 of which have been novels. And she's the president of the Royal Society of Literature. Robert Macfarlane. He writes abou...