Elif Shafak is Turkey's most widely read female author. Her books explore identity, language and gender, and she believes that literature reminds us of our common humanity. 

Elif Shafak - Our Common Humanity was produced by In Focus Productions for NHK World's Direct Talk. 

In Focus Productions' films for Direct Talk have profiled leading thinkers from the fields of international diplomacy, economics, climate change and medicine, to humanitarian causes, science, literature and fashion. 

Past interviewees include: Primatologist Dr Jane Goodall, Designer Thomas Heatherwick, Mountaineer Chris Bonington, Rescue coordinator Nick Romaniuk, British Museum director Hartwig Fischer, EU commissioner Margrethe Vestager, OECD General Secretary Angel Gurría, and Christiana Figueres, former UN Climate Change envoy.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/directtalk/

Our Direct Talk films are produced and directed by Mark Galloway, Peter Gordon, Paul Mitchell, Teresa Cherfas and Alison Rooper.