May / Nobel Winners Reading: My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

[Scheherazade]

In May, we will be reading My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk.

Please post your thoughts and questions in this thread.

[Paulclem]

Aww, what a great book. I've not been able to take part in the discussions much as I've been really busy at work and studying. I've read this one so I might pop in, if you don't mind.

[Dark Muse]

I just have to say that I think that "I Am a Corpse" is about the best opening for a book ever. Naturally I loved it, and I was hooked by the first chapter. I am really enjoying the writing. In some ways the story seems almost like a puzzle, and I cannot wait to see just where it is going.

I enjoy the way in which, thus far each of the chapters are there own little stories, providing different points of views of the characters, though with it all being in the first person it can be confusing knowing who is the one talking.

[mona amon]

I've got this book and haven't read it yet, so I'll be happy to join.

[bouquin]

For those of us reading the book in English, do we all have the same translation? Mine is by Erdag M. Göknar.

[mona amon]

Mine too.

[Paulclem]

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.

[Charles Darnay]

I enjoy the way in which, thus far each of the chapters are there own little stories, providing different points of views of the characters.

Yes! I really fell in love with this narrative style in the chapter "I Am Dog" and then again in "I Am Tree." Moreover, the flow between chapters, how the narrative of one chapter is almost always a part of the previous chapter is really interesting.

Fantastic book so far - although I find myself more absorbed with the writing and the characters in the moment that I am not paying as much attention to the story as a whole. I think the book is like a painting - you have to look closely to uncover everything but when you are done, take a step back and view it as a whole.

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.

I agree with this. A bit of the politics goes over my head, such as the prophets, which I believe is based in history. Fortunately I have some knowledge of ancient Persian stories, including the story of "Shirin and Husrev" (or what is really, Khosrow and Shirin) that Pamuk references often

[Dark Muse]

Yes! I really fell in love with this narrative style in the chapter "I Am Dog" and then again in "I Am Tree." Moreover, the flow between chapters, how the narrative of one chapter is almost always a part of the previous chapter is really interesting.

That is another thing which I enjoy about the book. I really like the title names, and the fact that it seems most of them start off with these declarations of begining with "I Am {fill in the blank}"

Fantastic book so far - although I find myself more absorbed with the writing and the characters in the moment that I am not paying as much attention to the story as a whole. I think the book is like a painting - you have to look closely to uncover everything but when you are done, take a step back and view it as a whole.

I think that is an interesting observation considering that the story revolves around the art of creating book illustrations. Perhaps that illustray is woven into the way in which the book was crafted. You are right that each of the individual chapters reveals such a fine detail all of its own, it is difficult at times to keep track of where the bits and pieces fit together as a whole to create the bigger picture.

[bouquin]

I just have to say that I think that "I Am a Corpse" is about the best opening for a book ever. Naturally I loved it, and I was hooked by the first chapter. I am really enjoying the writing. In some ways the story seems almost like a puzzle, and I cannot wait to see just where it is going.

I enjoy the way in which, thus far each of the chapters are there own little stories, providing different points of views of the characters, though with it all being in the first person it can be confusing knowing who is the one talking.

Totally agree with you regarding the first chapter, from then on I was grabbed. Have you been to I AM A GOLD COIN (chapter 19)? So droll & so clever! I will never look at a euro cent the same way again!

[Scheherazade]

Considering whether to buy this box set by Pamuk:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Orhan-Pamuk-.../dp/0571236928

Thoughts?

[Dark Muse]

Have you been to I AM A GOLD COIN (chapter 19)? So droll & so clever! I will never look at a euro cent the same way again!

I have not got that far yet. I just finished "I Am Esther" which I loved the chapter. Esther seems like a great character, I wonder if we will get to see more of her. I loved her explanation of the many different ways in which one can read a letter and what is said, and not said.

[Paulclem]

Considering whether to buy this box set by Pamuk:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Orhan-Pamuk-.../dp/0571236928

Thoughts?

Snow was the first book by Orhan Pamuk that i bought a number of years ago. It's one of the few books that I will defintely read again. It concerns a poet who returns to his Turkish hometown from Germany, which gets cut off by winter snow. It was really interesting to read about Pamuk's take on the headscarf issue in Turkey, and other Turkish issues.

My Name is Red is great. I really liked The Black Book too. It's very different from the other two, though, like Red, it concerns a mystery. It;s stuffed full of brilliant description, and the novel is absolutely full of the ordinary things of life in interesting and evocative descriptions of the grungy side of an Istanbul Block.

[bouquin]

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.

That makes the two of us, that's why I feel like I'm really learning a lot while reading this book.

I've looked up the term effendi - it means "lord" or "master"
I'm still looking for the equivalent of enishte. If somebody can come up with it please.

[Scheherazade]

Snow was the first book by Orhan Pamuk that i bought a number of years ago. It's one of the few books that I will defintely read again. It concerns a poet who returns to his Turkish hometown from Germany, which gets cut off by winter snow. It was really interesting to read about Pamuk's take on the headscarf issue in Turkey, and other Turkish issues.

My Name is Red is great. I really liked The Black Book too. It's very different from the other two, though, like Red, it concerns a mystery. It;s stuffed full of brilliant description, and the novel is absolutely full of the ordinary things of life in interesting and evocative descriptions of the grungy side of an Istanbul Block.

Thank you, Paul.

I think I will go ahead and order the box-set and read the other two in time as well.