Elif Shafak - In One Brief Moment All Eternity
Discussing her dazzling new novel, In One Brief Moment All Eternity, Elif offers a luminous reinvention of Gustave Flaubert’s life and work, told through the forgotten women who shaped him. Spanning 19th-century Paris, Cairo, and Beirut, join one of world literature's most visionary voices for an uplifting, unforgettable meditation on storytelling, freedom, and the enduring human spirit.
| Date | Sunday 15th November 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 7:30 PM | |
| Doors Open | 7:00 PM | |
| Venue | The Dembe Theatre (Formerly The Court Theatre) | |
About the Book: In One Brief Moment All Eternity
During a time of great turmoil, Gustave Flaubert created literature's most scandalous heroine: Madame Bovary. But what if, 175 years later, the women history overlooked could seize the quill and tell their own stories?
In One Brief Moment All Eternity is an extraordinary tale told through the eyes of the women—real and fictional—who shaped Flaubert: a devoted nursemaid, an Egyptian dancer, and a passionate lover who refuses to be forgotten. Spanning decades and continents, from 19th-century Paris during the Revolution to Istanbul, Cairo, Palestine, and Beirut, Shafak tackles vital questions: who gets remembered, who gets erased, and how can literature endure when the world feels broken?
About Elif Shafak
Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist whose books have been translated into 58 languages worldwide. The author of 21 books, her work—including The Island of Missing Trees, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World, and There are Rivers in the Sky—has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and the Orwell Prize.
Appointed President of the Royal Society of Literature and awarded the British Academy President’s Medal, she is a leading global advocate for women's rights and freedom of expression.