While I am a little fearful of doing injustice to writing as beautiful and imaginative as My Name is Red is by Orhan Pamuk, I have a painful pinched nerve in my neck and really shouldn’t be sitting in front of a computer at all, let alone spending forever trying to find the right words for this post. So first, please forgive me. Second, go read this book.
Although it’s billed as a murder-mystery and love story, what I loved was going back in time to 16th century Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire and getting a taste of the culture, as well as the political alliances and rivalries of the time. Even better, the novel centers around a group of artists, known as miniaturists and illuminators. Upon being confronted with the ideas behind Western European art — which attempts to depict reality and individualism through the use of perspective, among other techniques — they struggle with the worldview of their own art form. Traditionally, they have seen themselves as charged with portraying the world as Allah sees it, not as man sees it. Anything else would undermine their artistic and religious traditions, and this conflict is what drives the entire narrative. The clash between the need to create art and to believe in a God is utterly fascinating and a bit reminiscent of My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok, which I also loved.
I won’t say too much more about the narrative itself, except that the glorious descriptions of color and detail really made me want to be able to see their work! Below is an awesome example that I found on Wikipedia:
Oh, and you might also be interested in my review from a few year’s ago of one of Pamuk’s other books, Snow. Check it out!
I was looking for random Goodreads posts on twitter, and I didn’t really recognize the name of this book By Pamuk. (I had read the original Turkish version) When I clicked on it, I was surprised.
I think it’s a sign for me to add it to my goodreads account.
This is a very authentic read…
Berke: Glad you found my post! The entire time I was reading the book, I was wishing I could read it in the original language — I imagine it’s even more spectacular!
Noor: I’m totally with you. I read Snow a long time ago, and it a contemporary plot — part of which plays out in Hamburg, where I’m currently living, which was also fascinating.
Oh my God I loved this one. Such an intense book, and I too was definitely fascinated in the whole style conflict between miniatures.
I also loved going back into Istanbul into that time and the experience of reading this book was amazing really.
Definitely looking forward to read more by Pamuk.
Dear Mandi,
I’m inclined to read the English translation. Orhan Pamuk is such a sophisticated writer, and his original style is quite intense and appreciated in a slow pace. I heard all around me many people couldn’t finish reading his books. But that absolutely does not rob him of his talent and ingenuity.