Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
By drawing upon multiple disciplines and weaving these threads into the broader practice of literary arts, the Turkish-British writer Elif Shafak offers an inspirational talk about our world today, the stories that bring us together, and the silences that keep us apart.
For a long time, philosophers and artists have asked the question: how can we balance vita activa (the active life) and vita contemplativa (the contemplative life)? Now an additional challenge is added to the equation: vita apathetica (life of apathy/life without passions). Too much information causes an emotional and intellectual fatigue, exacerbating this state of apathy—numbness, indifference. Literature is the antidote to this state. In this AFSEE Keynote Lecture, Elif Shafak, joined by discussant Lily Jamaludin, will reflect on what literature and art, more specifically the art of storytelling, can offer us at this moment.
Speaker:
Elif Shafak
Discussant:
Lily Jamaludin
Chair:
Professor Armine Ishkanian
#Storytelling #Events #London
Full details/attend: lse.ac.uk/events/stories
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Sign up for news about upcoming LSE Events: lse.ac.uk/Events/signup
By drawing upon multiple disciplines and weaving these threads into the broader practice of literary arts, the Turkish-British writer Elif Shafak offers an inspirational talk about our world today, the stories that bring us together, and the silences that keep us apart.
For a long time, philosophers and artists have asked the question: how can we balance vita activa (the active life) and vita contemplativa (the contemplative life)? Now an additional challenge is added to the equation: vita apathetica (life of apathy/life without passions). Too much information causes an emotional and intellectual fatigue, exacerbating this state of apathy—numbness, indifference. Literature is the antidote to this state. In this AFSEE Keynote Lecture, Elif Shafak, joined by discussant Lily Jamaludin, will reflect on what literature and art, more specifically the art of storytelling, can offer us at this moment.
Speaker:
Elif Shafak
Discussant:
Lily Jamaludin
Chair:
Professor Armine Ishkanian
#Storytelling #Events #London
Full details/attend: lse.ac.uk/events/stories
To turn on captions, go to the bottom-right of the video player and click the icon. Please note that this feature uses Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology, or machine generated transcription, and is not 100% accurate.
Sign up for news about upcoming LSE Events: lse.ac.uk/Events/signup
