My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of My Name Is Red
Book Review: A book of very special qualities
Summary: 5 Stars
I find this to be a very special book for different reasons. One reads novels and stories, and one may find them engaging and interesting. But this is different. It is more than just this. One must 'get' into the style before starting to enjoy the reading and appreciate its beauty and dept. What caught my spirit most was the many reflections on the philosophy of art that Pamuk expounds along the way. Particularly, I was very much impressed by his views on what one may call the 'darkness of God'. One may find literature on the 'silence' of God, or even on the 'humility', and 'suffering', of God - all paradoxical concepts of a somewhat mystical nature. But one may rarely, if ever, come across reflections, and, moreover, so simple and profound, on the 'darkness' of God. This book is just one of them. Most of us are familiar with the image of God as light; with the vision that God bestows light on the human intellect to 'see' or 'behold' things. But Pamuk gives a much more interesting and captivating perspective to this. In order for us to 'see' God bestows pitch darkness, and in the darkness of our physical vision we 'see' the unseeable. This concept is analogous to those of God's eloquence in perfect silence, greatness in extreme humility, and impassibility in his impressive suffering. Pamuk gives the concept of darkness a new interpretation, inviting the reader to explore the 'darkening away' of the world from the vision of the physical eye, or, better still, from the distracted view of our 'intellectual eye', in order to concentrate or focus entirely our faculties on the mystery of God. And Pamuk gives us this and much, much more - including a beautiful love story, and a fascinating murder investigation -, within a narrative that delves into the diverse, but maybe complimentary, world-view of the Islamic East and the Christian West. You will find various aspects of this book returning to you over and over again after finishing it. In a good sense, its reflections are surprisingly haunting.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: A modern classic
Summary: 5 Stars
"To God belongs, the East and the West"
In this richly layered narrative, Orhan Pamuk explores east/west cultural struggle, resistence to western cultural invasion and the impact of religious fundamentalism. A well researched book, with abundance of complex characters, historically accurate setting and a captivating plot, it is an instant classic and a must read. Although the story takes place in the dark and narrow alleyways of 16th century Istanbul, questions raised by this book are intentionally resonant in the cultural struggles of today's world.
Book Review: A promising story but a disastrous translation
Summary: 1 Stars
I tried very hard to complete this book but the American translation is frankly ridiculous. Turkish words are routinely translated into the most vulgar English equivalent. Not to mention the clumsy use of Americanisms like 'Quit it' and 'Jerk off' at least once per chapter.If you can get over the poor translating it's probably a great story but I couldn't stomach it.
Book Review: A wonderful story told in a fresh, original way
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was amazing. Pamuk's rotating frame of reference was a fantastic literary device with which to highlight all the well-developed and interesting characters. The story was dark and mysterious, with bits of humor interspersed to liven the mood. After reading this book, I have no doubt that Pamuk's Nobel was well-deserved.