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Elif Batuman on Thoughtfluence

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Elif Batuman

Turkish-American essayist and novelist known for literary criticism and travel writing.

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Elif Batuman11d

On Not Writing

Main character syndrome, other people's trauma, and whether/ how to write about one's spouse

Elif Batuman1mo

Nest-Besmirchers

Mann, "key-novels," autofiction, and the Google-compulsion

Elif Batuman1mo

Kierkegaard, Ice-Cream Garbage Cans, and More

Founding Members bonus post

Elif Batuman1mo

Thomas Mann, Lena Dunham, and Early Success

Plus: vocation v. trauma, and "reading slumps"

Elif Batuman2mo

Solstice Reading

A journey with Valzhyna Mort

Elif Batuman2mo

Didactic v. Ambiguous

ONLY ONE CAN SURVIVE....... (or maybe both)

Elif Batuman3mo

What Genre Am I Even Writing?

Tolstoy, Radical Feminism, Novel v. Essay, and the Dostoevsky Airport

Elif Batuman4mo

Repetition Is the Only Interesting Thing

Try a "mood board"

Elif Batuman5mo

Berlin Album

Founding Member Bonus Post

Elif Batuman5mo

My Travels Through the Twentieth Century, With Cats

Plus: how to access your inner "calm editor"

Elif Batuman5mo

“We Need to Talk About the Bloody Hand”

Remembering Ann Godoff

Elif Batuman6mo

Miss Havisham v. Don Quixote

Lessons from my colonoscopy

Elif Batuman7mo

The "Craft Talk" I Really Needed Right Now

Mayakovsky's "How Are Verses Made?" (1926): writing process and the fight against despair

Elif Batuman7mo

Is Hamlet Annoying?

A reader-submitted question | Watch Now

Elif Batuman8mo

Thank you, Founding Members!

Midwinter Ritual Bonus Video

Elif Batuman8mo

You asked about autofiction! Video Q/A

Cultural identity, Sheila Heti, parasocial relationships, and more

Elif Batuman8mo

Some Things I've Learned from Miranda July

Writing, reality-description, sequels, Substack, and more

Elif Batuman9mo

You Asked About Process

Video Q/A

Elif Batuman9mo

In Conversation with Margaret Atwood

Process, time, history, astrology, and more

Elif Batuman10mo

Who You Calling A Pirate?

Thoughts on "facts," journalism, novels, and the "non-West"

Elif Batuman10mo

Gift Post for Founding Members

Live chat / archival photos

Elif Batuman11mo

Video Q/A is here!

Noir, childhood, and more

Elif Batuman11mo

The Future Bucket

Things to look forward to

Elif Batuman11mo

On Lost Time

Can't always be writing, yo

Elif Batuman12mo

HOW I FOUND MY GODDAMN VOICE

(Thoughts on voice)

Elif Batuman12mo

Against Discipline

"How do I make myself write every day?"

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