My Name Is Red
by Orhan Pamuk
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Book Reviews of My Name Is Red
Book Review: Both form and function explore a deeper conversation about the meaning of art
Summary: 5 Stars
Though at first glance My Name is Red is a murder mystery and love story, it's true genius is not found so much in the plot twists and turns but rather in the unusually poetic narrative strategy and voice, and in the brilliant discussion on the purpose and meaning of art. I didn't find any of the characters in this novel to be particularly interesting or relatable, and I had little interest in the outcome of the novel. What really grabbed me about this story was its very nuanced and extensive commentary on art as either a representation of true culture and harsh reality or as an attempt at divine interpretation and idealistic rendering.
As a cellist, I often grapple with the issue of purpose and interpretation of my music. Creating art is a constant battle between creating what you see or hear in your head while doing justice to the reality of the notes on the page or the landscape in front you. Orhan Pamuk cleverly creates his own piece of art within the dialogue and narration of the book. While much of the discussion in the book revolves around a crisis in art and most of a culture's stern opposition to change and individual style, the manner in which Pamuk narrates this story shatters literary convention and drastically changes the way that we, as readers, learn of events. It was by no means an easy read to begin with; the constant change in narrative voice and point of view takes a while to feel comfortable with. However once I understood the process of his story telling, the novel actually came to life in a whole new spectrum of colors. To my surprise, I found this new manner of description to be much more realistic and honest than a traditional singular narrative. In a world where there are no facts, and only interpretations (thank you Nietzsche) hearing every character's interpretation gives a much fuller picture than ever before. Pamuk trashes the idea of omniscient narrator, or having one narrator at all for that matter, and instates a completely original form of narration.
Just like the illustrators in the book question the validity of their traditional "style", Pamuk explores the idea of convention and originality, anonymity and individualism, through example and in depth discussion within the narrative. Both the form and function in this novel exemplify a fundamental and inevitable movement in art: change.
Book Review: Smart, taut, thought-provoking
Summary: 5 Stars
Make no mistake, this is not the easiest or quickest book you will read this year - but the payoff is well worth it. This is one of the most intricate stories I have ever read, but the author, Orhan Pamuk, handles the intricacy with such aplomb that you won't be able to put the book down.
What I loved most about this book was the way that Pamuk is able to weave the disparate voices of the people telling the story together in a way that enhances and shades the tale, instead of just moving the plot along. Hearing the events of the story interpreted by so many different voices (all of them deftly and impressively crafted) gives a panoramic view of the story and of the time and place the story is set in. I found the chapters written by inanimate objects to be both charming and instructive - if you've ever wondered what it's like to be a "fly on the wall," take a look at a painting or vase sometime and think about what that object may have seen in it's lifespan. That's what Pamuk tries to impart. The characters are carefully crafted, and instead of painting one person as the good guy or the bad guy from the beginning, Pamuk takes time to let the characters develop almost organically. You realize, as you read on, that you don't know certain characters as well as you thought you did, and many parts of the book come as a surprise - not just the big "reveal" at the end.
The book is rich with textural detail but the overall feel is stark - this was an interesting time to be alive in that part of the world, and Pamuk deals with the cultural issues deftly. It made me wish I could visit some of the old Ottoman empire and look at the architecture and artwork myself, but unfortunately current world politics make that a dicey proposition. The book does move a little slowly at times, and sometimes you wonder if the pages-long narratives about art or history have a point - they do. I reread this book after I finished it and realized that there are many details that I overlooked in the first reading that mean a lot to the story.
Overall, this book is an absorbing, engaging read. It both tells and interesting story and captures the feeling of what it must have been like to live that life at that time in that place, which I think is what most great books do. I am looking forward to reading other books by Pamuk.
Book Review: Artistic concoction of ideas, musings, and pieces of minds
Summary: 4 Stars
My Name is Red is both a historical and literary fiction. Set in 16th century Turkey, the tale takes place in the Ottoman Empire and encompasses the mysterious murder of a miniaturist named Elegant Effendi though it is not a murder mystery. The Sultan has commissioned a cadre of the most acclaimed artists in the land to create a great book celebrating the glories of his realm. The miniaturist has been working on the illumination of this book in an European style. The figurative art of the illumination clashes with the inveterate religious belief in Turkey for art could be an affront to the Islam. Attempting such a dangerous task, the ruling elites ascertain the complete confidentiality of the project. Panic erupts throughtout the Ottoman Empire as Elegant Effendi disappears. He is murdered and thrown down the well. It is an extremely dense and arduous reading experience as author Orhan Pamuk deftly uses eccentric and non-living narrators, namely a corpse, a tree, a dog and other animals to unveil the truth of the murder, who indeed involves a clandestine manuscript which Effendi worked on.
The book affords a cast of numerous characters and all of whom are etched and carefully portrayed. What makes the book not a mystery is the fact that murderer of the miniaturist narrates part of the story. Purged by his own conscience he fears of being caught. At the intersection of narratives from different characters and non-living objects one finds a very convoluted plot of the truth. Maybe such is the beauty of a tale of which the author does not spell out the answer to all of the questions in mind but leave the truth of my imagination.
My Name is Red is an artistic concoction of ideas, pieces of mind, apercu, and emotion. While the cast of characters and narrators unveil their perspectives of the murder, woven throughout the novel are relevant subplots that hint at and distantly contribute to the resolving of the murder. Dialogues, monologues and musings on the philosophy of God, death, purge, love, and punishment fill the prose that is comparable to Kant and Joyce. My Name is Red is an obscure reading experience, filled with more philosophical meditation than the actual events and happenings that precede the murder. It is meant to be savored and its pages not meant to be turned quickly.
2000 (20) © MY
Book Review: Ottoman kaleidoscope
Summary: 4 Stars
Reading the backcover of this book, I thought this was a kind of Turkish The Name of the Rose. And I was wrong. Although the main idea we can get from this novel is that we are going to face a mistery novel what we find is much more. Settled in the late years of the XVIth century in Istambul it talks about a murder linked with the famous school of painting that existed in the capital of the Ottoman Empire. But although there is a mistery to investigate the main idea of this book is the concept of painting among the Ottoman artists. And specially comparing it with the different ways of West European artists who were living the end of the glorious Reinassance.
To make a comparison between a painting and this novel, the late would be like one of those wonderful illustrations that flourished in the Muslim world in this time. The representation of life through paintings is a very interesting subject in the Muslim world. Like in Jew culture the representation of human beings was forbidden and it is also curious that this novel takes place in the ancient Byzancium, where the famous iconoclast movement took place.
So what we find here is really a very interesting analysis of the object of painting. If the representation must follow an ideal, or must be attached to reality. A tree should be painted to represent the idea of a tree, or simply paint the one the painter see?. It is really a very interesting point of view, specially when we compare the philosophy of the Ottoman painters with the one the Western painters at the time had.
But also the way of writing of Pamuk is a great pleasure. His writing is fluent and the way that the novel is constructed reminds me of those subtil miniatures on Muslim books where eevry little detail is beautiful by itself but that only has meaning if you see the whole picture.Because there is a lot of secret symbols hidden, a lot of clues that speak by themselves more than words. It is a book to read slowly and tasting all the words and characters. Because here there are no villains and heroes but people. And this is another success from this writer , to present his characters like simple men and women. People of their own time, true, but also people with the same problems and acttitudes we can have today.
Book Review: Faith's Blindness
Summary: 3 Stars
There's surely something for everyone in Orhan Pamuk'sdense historical novel. For readers interested in religion, history, art, philosophy, Ottoman culture, politics, romance, sex, and murder, and how all these forces interact to form human experience, this book delivers. Set in Instanbul in the 16th century, a time when the tenets of early Islam were under assault from creeping Western culture, it resonates with all the tension that results when change threatens faith.
At its core, "My Name is Red" is a murder mystery. A gifted miniaturist, in the midst of a working on a book for the sultan glorifying his reign, is murdered and thrown down the well. His only offense is that he's discarded the ancient prohibition against figurative drawing, falling in line with modern European dicates about art and the human form.
From there the book branches out like the tree of life. Often the question of who murdered poor Elegant Effendi is lost in the oceans of debate, philosophy and speculation over God, art, love and honor. Dialoguess and monologues go on for pages and pages of dense, tortured argument. This is not an easy book to take to the beach and expect to be carried along by brisk and engrossing narrative. If your taste ranges more toward Kant, Hegel, St. Thomas Aquinas and Bernard Berenson and less toward Agatha Christie, you'll find this book a delight.
Of course, it's enlivened every hundred pages or so by the romance between Black and Shekure, the tortured cousins who've loved and lusted after each other for a dozen years, always in the shadow of his art and indecision. Their interaction provides just enough sexual tension and even steaminess to counteract the relentless thought discipline of the rest of the book. If you find yourself skipping pages to catch up with Black and Shekure's assignations, you'll miss everything the book strives for. But for most humans the temptation will be strong.
If you open your eyes to the book's points about color, blindness, and the power of sight, you'll glean much from the experience. But don't expect an easy time of it. Sadly, it seems most people can't really see what this noble work wants them to.