In One Brief Moment All Eternity

From the Booker and Women's-Prize shortlisted author of There Are Rivers in the Sky and The Island of Missing Trees, comes In One Brief Moment All Eternity, a luminous reinvention of an iconic male writer told through the eyes of the women who shaped him. This hardcover edition is available to pre-order now.

During a time of great turmoil, Gustave Flaubert created literature's most scandalous heroine: Madame Bovary. But what if, 175 years later, Emma – and the women history overlooked – could seize the quill from his hands and tell a different story? Through their voices, visionary author Elif Shafak creates both an intimate portrait of a great artist and an epic meditation on storytelling itself: who gets remembered, who gets erased, and how can literature endure through political upheaval, war and injustice?

Shafak takes readers on an extraordinary journey through time and space, from Flaubert's unusual childhood to nineteenth-century Paris during the Revolution, and onwards to Istanbul, Cairo, Palestine and Beirut. This exhilarating tale explores who gets to speak, and what would the silenced have said?

Boldly inventive, transporting and illuminating, spanning decades and continents, In One Brief Moment All Eternity is a dazzling love letter to literature, untold stories, neglected communities and the enduring spirit of humanity.

Praise for Elif Shafak:

• 'Make place for Elif Shafak on your bookshelf. Make place for her in your heart too. You won't regret it' - ARUNDHATI ROY
• 'A unique and powerful voice in world literature' - IAN MCEWAN
• 'One of the best writers in the world today' - HANIF KUREISHI

Specifications:

• Author: Elif Shafak
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Page Count: 608 pages
• Dimensions: 13.8 x 3.6 x 22.2 cm
• Weight: 523 g
• Publisher: Viking
• Publication Date: 15 October 2026
• ISBN-10: 0241745462
• ISBN-13: 978-0241745465

Summary:

A powerful and inventive novel exploring storytelling, memory, and the voices of women throughout history, from a critically acclaimed author.