View Poll Results: "My Name is Red" : Final Verdict

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  • * Waste of time. Wouldn't recommend.

    0 0%
  • ** Didn't like it much.

    0 0%
  • *** Average.

    1 16.67%
  • **** It is a good book.

    2 33.33%
  • ***** Liked it very much. Would strongly recommend it.

    3 50.00%
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Thread: May / Nobel Winners Reading: My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

  1. #16
    tea-timing book queen bouquin's Avatar
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    There's this -
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s54tn

    Haven't listened to it yet, will do so after reading book
    "He lives most gaily who knows best how to deceive himself. Ha-ha!"
    - CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
    (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

  2. #17
    Beyond the world aliengirl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paulclem View Post
    The only drawback with reading this was my own lack of knowledge of Turkish culture. I did get the strong impression that I wa missing a lot of the cultural references. It's still an amazing book.
    In fact Pamuk uses a lot of old Persian stories and also draws from Sufism. The relationship between the master painter and his disciples parallels the relation between a Peer (Sufi teacher) and his Murid (disciple). Pamuk uses Turkish version of Persian names which makes recognizing the names somewhat difficult. Nevertheless My Name is Red is a marvelous read.
    I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man's. ~ William Blake

    Captivity is consciousness,
    So's liberty. ~ Emily Dickinson

  3. #18
    TobeFrank Paulclem's Avatar
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    Thanks Aliengirl.

    That link to the interview looks good too.

  4. #19
    The Poetic Warrior Dark Muse's Avatar
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    I really enjoyed the three different stories each told by Butterfly, Stork and Olive, in answer to Black's questions about what makes a greater illustrator. I particularly enjoyed, in the story about blindness and memory, the idea about painting the horse, and even if you look at the horse first, you are still drawing the horse of your memory and not the horse you see.

    I think the stories within the story gives if an almost fairy tale like feeling particularly with the reoccurring theme of the story of Shirin and Husrev. There are points when the book does remind me of Arabian Nights.

    I wonder is there any significance in the fact that there were three questions asked of three individuals whom each responded by telling three different stories?

    And on a different subject, I wonder why Esther gave Black's letter to Hasan?

    Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe

  5. #20
    In the fog Charles Darnay's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dark Muse View Post
    I really enjoyed the three different stories each told by Butterfly, Stork and Olive, in answer to Black's questions about what makes a greater illustrator. I particularly enjoyed, in the story about blindness and memory, the idea about painting the horse, and even if you look at the horse first, you are still drawing the horse of your memory and not the horse you see.

    I think the stories within the story gives if an almost fairy tale like feeling particularly with the reoccurring theme of the story of Shirin and Husrev. There are points when the book does remind me of Arabian Nights.

    I wonder is there any significance in the fact that there were three questions asked of three individuals whom each responded by telling three different stories?

    And on a different subject, I wonder why Esther gave Black's letter to Hasan?
    I also enjoyed the stories - I particularly liked Stork's stories.

    I think the grouping of 3s does give it a fairy tale like quality, which may be the point. I am not familiar enough with Islam to know if 3 is as significant a number as it is elsewhere.

    I am still trying to figure Esther out. I have not read far enough to solidify my judgement, but based on where I am right now there is a bit of that "Renaissance idea of the Jew" like you find in Merchant of Venice - that is, Jews only care about money. Esther seems to deliver the letter to Hassan for monetary profit (even though she denies it) - but she also regrets doing it after.

    That being said, it seems like all "Infidels" are corrupted by money (the Venetians and Franks) - and even some of the miniaturists. Esther seems to fit it with the theme that money is a truly destructive force in this world.
    I wrote a poem on a leaf and it blew away...

  6. #21
    The Poetic Warrior Dark Muse's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Charles Darnay View Post
    I am still trying to figure Esther out. I have not read far enough to solidify my judgement, but based on where I am right now there is a bit of that "Renaissance idea of the Jew" like you find in Merchant of Venice - that is, Jews only care about money. Esther seems to deliver the letter to Hassan for monetary profit (even though she denies it) - but she also regrets doing it after.

    That being said, it seems like all "Infidels" are corrupted by money (the Venetians and Franks) - and even some of the miniaturists. Esther seems to fit it with the theme that money is a truly destructive force in this world.
    Perhaps it is all just for the money in spite of her cliams to otherwise.

    Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe

  7. #22
    J'etudie le francais Drone's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bouquin View Post
    There's this -
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s54tn

    Haven't listened to it yet, will do so after reading book
    It is amazing to hear the author talking about the book. I was a little surprised to learn his idea of the Islamic culture as community-based in contrast with the individualistic Western culture. I always thought Turkey as in-between the Western and Asian cultures.

    I just started reading the first few chapters and I like the surprising change of narrators and exotic fairy tales.

  8. #23
    Beyond the world aliengirl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paulclem View Post
    Thanks Aliengirl.

    That link to the interview looks good too.

    Welcome Paulclem.

    I'll check out that interview bouquin. I regret I can't join reading this wonderful novel with all of you. But I'd drop by to see what others think of it.
    I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man's. ~ William Blake

    Captivity is consciousness,
    So's liberty. ~ Emily Dickinson

  9. #24
    tea-timing book queen bouquin's Avatar
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    Master Osman and the whole lot of artists ,they're all actually extremely conceited, aren't they? The author very effectively brings home this point.
    "He lives most gaily who knows best how to deceive himself. Ha-ha!"
    - CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
    (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

  10. #25
    The Poetic Warrior Dark Muse's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bouquin View Post
    Master Osman and the whole lot of artists ,they're all actually extremely conceited, aren't they? The author very effectively brings home this point.
    I was quite amused by all their petty bickering's, and jealousies of each other, and constantly worrying about who was the most skilled, or who had the greatest favor of the master. It does rather contrast with the ideas of humility which are presented within the allegorical stories which are told.

    Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe

  11. #26
    tea-timing book queen bouquin's Avatar
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    Don't you just wish that the book came with the illustrations described in it?
    "He lives most gaily who knows best how to deceive himself. Ha-ha!"
    - CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
    (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

  12. #27
    The Poetic Warrior Dark Muse's Avatar
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    I am finding Shekure to be quite irksome, I cannot grasp just what the heck it is she wants, and maybe she herself does not know. But she seems to be playing some game with Black, and I have no conception of just what her feelings may or may not be for him. And as much as she says she despises Hasan she seems to still be keeping her options open with him. She seems to want to get married, and not want to get married.

    When her father gives her his blessing to marry Black she refuses wanting to do so, and says she would not marry against her father's will, than lies about her correspondence wit him. First she declares herself to be a married woman still, but a couple sentences later asserts her assurance that her husband is dead.

    Is she just hoping what some better prospect will come along then she current suiters, but wants to keep her options open so she will have someone to fall back on if she dose not get a better offer?

    Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe

  13. #28
    tea-timing book queen bouquin's Avatar
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    Shekure sure is erratic and fickle, and there's something sly about her at the same time. In chapters 48 & 53 she's at the peak of her powers.
    Last edited by bouquin; 05-13-2012 at 02:25 PM.
    "He lives most gaily who knows best how to deceive himself. Ha-ha!"
    - CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
    (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

  14. #29
    In the fog Charles Darnay's Avatar
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    I'm enjoying how everyone seems to be cast in an "impure" light. There is not one human pov character that is not flawed in one way or another. Even Elegant who we ought to sympathize with because he starts off dead, we begin to see his death as a good thing.
    I wrote a poem on a leaf and it blew away...

  15. #30
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    I haven't read any posts here because I don't like risking spoilers, but I'm a hundred pages in and I have one word to describe the book so far: brilliant.

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