A tale about art, craftsmanship, mystery and fantasy woven with such beautiful words.

I want to read more of him. That's a sure sign that I've just fallen in love with (yet another) author. At first I wanted to read his "Snow", but - considering my antipathy for things cold in the present weather where Los Angeles competes with the Arctic - I've decided to track down his "New Life" instead. How could I possibly resist a book which begins: "I read a book one day and my whole life was changed"? That's my autobiography!
"My Name Is Red" has a pretty interesting start to it too. The title of the opening chapter is "I Am a Corpse" - now it can't get more gripping than that! The book is many things; including a murder mystery set on discovering at first the identity of the corpse and then the one who made it so by depriving it of life.
Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the various characters in the book - living and non-living. This shifting perspective is enthralling and constantly challenges your perspective. In fact, the reason I bought the book was that when skimming through it I came across the narrative of a tree, which had the following line: "And not because I fear that if I'd been thus depicted all the dogs in Istanbul would assume I was a real tree and piss on me: I don't want to be a tree, I want to be its meaning." I didn't know this then, but the tree is talking about art: about two different styles. One is that of the Venetians - realistic; the other is that which was prevalent in Istanbul - miniature.
Art is but one of the layers of this delicious work, albeit a crucial one. You have romance - Shekure is one of the most interesting characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading. She's not simplistic or simple. The book also has the poignancy of the end of an era, a way of life, without being melodramatic; I suppose that a good part of that is due to the narrative technique.
His narrative technique reminds me of why I love post-modern styles which casually brush aside traditional modes for something more fun and challenging. He is beguiling in the lightness of his touch. This is not a book to read if you're only interested in the what-happens-next sort of deal - although it does get rather thrilling at times: it is a murder mystery after all. This is a good book: not something you have to race to end to find out what happened. It is something you savour the experience of, the taste of words lingering on your palate. It's something that makes you think.
The book has a certain...resonance. Though set in sixteenth century Istanbul, it still captures one's imagination. I suppose that is what good authors do. They seem to have this capacity to take what is within people - which they can't quite articulate - and put it into words. I presume it struck a strong chord in me as you can sense the love that this person has for his city - his home; and there is the manner in which he deals with the meeting of two different cultures. I imagine my own longing for home and coming to terms with a new way of life (while still hopelessly in love with the old) was one of the reasons why I felt such a connection to, such a prejudice in favour of, the book. Nonetheless, it is a great read! Try Orhan Pamuk, you won't regret it!

Well, whole world talks about Orhan Pamuk, now the he received Nobel Prize for literature, so why shouldn't I say couple of words. Don't answer that one. I will not talk about him, it is neither time nor place, I will try to say thing or two, about his book, the one you are browsing for right now.

There have been too many comparisons with Umberto Eco's "Name of the rose." There should be, cause this books is much similar to it. And yet, so much different. For example, while the reader with fair ammount of knowledge of western tradition and literature cna move himself with more or less ease trough Eco's pages, his entire knowledge will be of little help whilst reading Pamuk. For on to understand the novel in all it's views, one should be educated in old Persian poets, in arabic literature and tradition, in constant and many feuds and debates over religion and the right way to interpret Kur'an. One should be educated in history of Art and much, much more.

But, like in Eco, one does not need all of that to enjoy the novel on a certain level. It is still very intriguing mistery that unravells on these pages, voices of characters are numerous and one has to change his viewpoint allmost eratically to gras them all. But in this ordered chaos lies the whole beauty of the novel.

Whilst it may be true that this novel does not actually grasp the 16th century Istambul, it still gives away that special feeling when one reads about places that are not so far away in time but are nevertheless looked upon as somethign exotic and wondrous. With a slight pinch of mystery and decadence, and marvel of arabian culture that you just have to stop and apreciate in full.

And that, amongst other thing which we could chat about all day long, is what makes thin novel special. If you truly give yourself to the world of Orhan Pamuk, you'll want to learn more, you'll want to expand yourself. And, somehow, as the time goes by, I have found that to be the most wondruous impact that literature can have.

It's not often that a book can change the way that you view the world. If What My Name is Red has to say about perspective, the clash of cultures between West and East, and the philosophy of art doesn't change the way you look at the world, it will certainly change the way you look at art. In addition to the philosophical meditations of the novel, the prose is magnificent, the world of 16th century Turkish miniaturists that Pamuk creates is both exotic and fascinating, the murder mystery is as good as any potboiler, and the multiple narrators and levels of the story are breathtaking. All in all, My Name is Red is an unforgetable read and solid evidence for why Orhan Pamuk won the Nobel Prize for literature. Highly recommended.

It is impossible not to pause and think how "death" can write about itself (this was one of those chapters that I had to read over and over again), or admire the red ink to describe itself in the sentences of Pamuk. This is certaily a very special book, one of those books that you will always remember. A "fiction" that makes one think about the realities of cultural changes and clashes, human spirit and unbounded creativity of the artists.