The Architect's Apprentice

By (author) Shafak, Elif
Short description/annotation:
Sixteenth century Istanbul: a stowaway arrives in the city bearing an extraordinary gift for the Sultan. The boy is utterly alone in a foreign land, with no worldly possessions to his name except Chota, a rare white elephant destined for the palace menagerie.
Description:

A dazzling and intricate tale from the Booker-shortlisted author of The Island of Missing Trees, and 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World.

''There were six of us: the master, the apprentices and the white elephant. We built everything together...''
Sixteenth-century Istanbul: a stowaway arrives in the city bearing an extraordinary gift for the Sultan. The boy is utterly alone in a foreign land, with no worldly possessions to his name except Chota, a rare white elephant destined for the palace menagerie.

So begins an epic adventure that will see young Jahan rise from lowly origins to the highest ranks of the Sultan''s court. Along the way he will meet deceitful courtiers and false friends, gypsies, animal tamers, and the beautiful, mischievous Princess Mihrimah. He will journey on Chota''s back to the furthest corners of the Sultan''s kingdom and back again. And one day he will catch the eye of the royal architect, Sinan, a chance encounter destined to change Jahan''s fortunes forever.

The Architect''s Apprentice is a magical, sweeping tale of one boy and his elephant caught up in a world of wonder and danger.

''A gorgeous picture of a city teeming with secrets, intrigue and romance'' The Times

''Exuberant, epic and comic, fantastical and realistic . . . like all good stories it conveys deeper meanings about human experience'' Financial Times

''Fascinating. A vigorous evocation of the Ottoman Empire at the height of its power'' Sunday Times

''Intricate, multi-layered, resplendent, vividly evoked, beautifully written'' Observer

*** PRE-ORDER ELIF SHAFAK''S NEW NOVEL IN ONE BRIEF MOMENT ALL ETERNITY NOW ***

Review quote:
''A gorgeous picture of a city teeming with secrets, intrigue and romance''
Review quote:
''Shafak''s most ambitious novel yet her best - generous and imaginative''
Review quote:
''Exuberant, epic and comic, fantastical and realistic . . . like all good stories it conveys deeper meanings about human experience''
Review quote:
''Fascinating. A vigorous evocation of the Ottoman Empire at the height of its power''
Review quote:
''Intricate, multi-layered, resplendent, vividly evoked, beautifully written''
Review quote:
''Sumptuous, absorbing, moving''
Biographical note:
Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist, whose work has been translated into fifty-seven languages. The author of twenty books, fourteen of which are novels, she was awarded the Halldór Laxness Prize for her contribution to the art of storytelling. Shafak''s previous novel, THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY, was the UK’s bestselling literary hardback novel of 2025, selling over 500,000 copies. Widely read in many countries around the world, her writing has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the RSL Ondaatje Prize, the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, and Prix Femina Etranger, amongst others, and she was nominated for ‘Author of the Year’ at the British Book Awards. Elif Shafak was appointed President of the Royal Society of Literature in 2025. She was awarded the British Academy President’s medal for bravely tackling sensitive subjects and for her body of work which demonstrates an incredible intercultural range.
Promotional headline:
Sixteenth century Istanbu