Archaeologists of Memory: Europe’s Repressed History

Being a writer is a bit like being an archaeologist. You have to dig deep through layers of silence to uncover the buried stories and bring them into the light. Elif Shafak and Sofija Andrukhovych have written novels that explore Europe’s untold past and its collective amnesia and repression. How do you write about what doesn’t appear in the history books? How do you give voice to those who have been overlooked or silenced? In this conversation, we meet two authors who, with literary force and historical sensitivity, uncover the memories that shape Europe—and show how the novel can become a tool to resist forgetting, challenge the narratives of power, and create new understanding.