My Name Is Red
by Orhan Pamuk
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Book Reviews of My Name Is Red
Book Review: A masterful contemplation on 16C Ottoman miniaturist art
Summary: 5 Stars
The red in the title refers to the color red. The red whose secret of manufacturing passed through Persia from China to arrive in Istanbul. And this red is as much of a narrator and character as any other human being that appears in the book.
Yes, this is a mystery (and a good one at that). It evolves around the making of The Book of the Festivities commissioned by the Ottoman Sultan Murat III. Each chapter is narrated in turns by the miniature artists (most of them were historical figures, albeit they didn't live in the same period), the text writer, his widowed lover, her sons (one of whom I suspect is a cameo appearance of the author, Pamuk), a Jewish lady messenger, and the murderer. Depictions of the characters' emotions, inner convictions, and pursuit of readers by the characters were captivating.
However as noted, the book is as much about paintings as it is about these characters. Subjects of paintings -- dogs, horses, trees, Venetian coins, even death -- boasts to the readers of their beauty, and speaks of their respective positions within the Islamic world from their allotted chapters. It is as if each of these chapters were a picture frame, viewed paradoxically through a from-the-ground perspective (Islam artists supposedly were only allowed to draw in the bird eyes view perspective, in the manner Allah sees the world). The human characters constantly ponder over philosophic questions about style, meaning, and representation of the world through the eyes of God. The question of how to adapt to artistic influence from the infidels (Franks and Venetians) is also dealt in great detail.
This is a book of both ideas and emotions. It was easy to see why Updike likens Pamuk to the late Jorge Luis Borges and Italo Calvino.
Book Review: Read "SNOW" first, then read "Red"
Summary: 4 Stars
I find the writing of Urhan Pamuk to be captivating.
My attempt to read 3 of Pamuk's Books in the order he wrote them failed. I was not able to enjoy "My Name is Red" until after I had read "Snow" and had acquainted myself with his writing style. I then re-began `Red and found myself enjoying a different type book - a mystery set in 16th Century Istanbul, each chapter written from the different perspective of each character. At times, the lengthy ancestry lines being cited of shahs and miniaturists meant little to me and I admit to skimming over them. The novel way [to me] many scenes were written is quite enjoyable. I now feel I have visited 16th Century Istanbul with all its color and gore.
"Snow" cannot be skimmed or `speed read'. Every sentence paints a picture that may or may not be critical to the book, but in itself gives pleasure. The simple plot set in modern times in a remote NE village of Turkey is mostly revealed in the beginning, so there is no need to collect files of information in the reader's head to solve a mystery. Just sit back, enjoy the writing and allow a longer than usual time with the book and with the people snowbound in the small village of Kars. The political intrigues of rural Turkey have changed in the decade since this book was written, but this book of fiction and the history it paints is certainly destined to be kept with the classical writings of all ages.
The latest of Pamuk's books is his autobiographical Istanbul , a third genre that I have only just begun and am enjoying in a different way. But I feel I have read them in the best order and "Snow" is my recommendation for anyone's first or only read of Pamuk's books.
Book Review: Compelling Reading
Summary: 5 Stars
Orhan Pamuk was born in Istanbul in 1952 and grew up in a large family. As Orhan Pamuk writes in his autobiographical book Istanbul, from his childhood until the age of 22 he devoted himself largely to painting and dreamed of becoming an artist. After graduating from the secular American Robert College in Istanbul, Orhan Pamuk studied architecture at Istanbul Technical University for three years, but abandoned the course when he gave up his ambition to become an architect and artist. Thankfully for his many readers he decided that his first love was writing and now has several excellent books to his name.
It is the late 1590's the great city of Istanbul, where east meets west is a thriving multi cultural metropolis, the gateway to Asia and all the delights unknown to the people of the west. The Sultan secretly commissions a great book, a book that is to be a celebration of his own life and his mighty empire. He wishes the book to be illuminated by the best artists of the day, but in the European manner. But when one of the artists goes missing and it is feared that he may well have been murdered, their master seeks help in solving the mystery.
This book is essentially a murder mystery, but by its very existence it gives the reader a powerful insight into one of the oldest and certainly one of the most beautiful cites in the world. A place that on one hand can compete with other modern cities in both its architecture and culture and on the other hand stays dreamily unchanged through the centuries. The book also raises the tensions between east and west that have simmered over time.
Book Review: Art and Murder
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was chosen for book group, but unfortunately we were never able to meet to discuss it. I brought the book with me on the drive from MA to TX and had started reading it even before the trip, but it took me some time. I wondered initially if the reason why it took me so long was that it was translated from Turkish (and we all know that sometimes translations can be more difficult to read than a novel that is read in its first language). I forced myself to read at least one chapter per night, and when I told my best friend that I was having trouble she told me, "It's not you, it's just slow." When I repeated my worries she reiterated, "No, it's JUST SLOW." So I set off on a mission to "finish" this slow book. I definitely agree with her that the start of the book meanders and is slow to pick up in pace. Each chapter is written by a different person (or object or animal), so you get very different perspectives of the story from every which way. The strange thing is that each new person in the story knows that you're reading the story and that you thus already know X, Y, and Z. But once you get into the actual story it's very rich and interesting. The story describes lost love, art, Islam, religion, duty, and drawing (among other things), but is also a mystery story (the "who done it" of 16th century Islamic art if you will). Once I got into the story (about halfway through the book) I truly did want to know what happened to the characters and how the story would turn out, so I'm glad that I didn't put the book away when I was originally feeling frustrated.Book Review: flawed,captivating...
Summary: 4 Stars
i won't bother recounting the story ~ it's well documented below.
i began reading this in Istanbul while visiting for the first time recently. pamuk's voice(s) drew me in instantly and it's a shame i couldn't have gotten further along or finished the book before my trip was over.
now after having finished it today, i'm somewhat disappointed, yet i admire his writing greatly. i have two qualms with the book:
unless i misunderstood the ending completely (a real possibility), i found the identity of the murderer extremely anticlimactic. while reading the book, i thought that the pay-off had better be good.....REAL good. pamuk's gifts as a story teller led me to expect more, and i had suspected the *answer* would be more mysterious, metafictional, or metaphysical (i.e. the culprit is Time, Modernity, etc.). however, that's just my preference.
my other quibble was the use of excessive details, or should i say, fables. many of the tales the narrators recite are intriguing, but after awhile i found myself struggling with the prose, trying to properly place all of the minute shards of history being recalled. perhaps if i was well versed in the Koran, or Islamic culture, it would have been more familiar and easier to grab hold of.
still, it's a fascinating read (particulary if you were trained in the arts) and i look forward to reading more of his work. like all good books, i'll re-read it at some point to see what more i can learn.