Orhan Pamuk

[Stewart]

I finally managed to get around to reading a novel by Orhan Pamuk and the one I read was your five-star: The White Castle. Can't say I enjoyed it as much as you, although there was much East/West to consider and, given the historical context in which it was presented, this was enjoyable. Perhaps it was that I read it peacemeal, with elements from the story forgotten at the next sitting. The conceit of the two identical guys representing both sides was a clever construct and, while I wasn't too enamoured in the reading, I think I'm getting the most out of it in the reflection.

[Daniel del Real]

Hey Stewart, I'm glad you finally got to read Pamuk. This a very early novel by him (his second I think) and you'll see a quite different author if you read some of his later works. I think this is quite enjoyable novel for all of us Borges lovers as he manages the theme of the double in a very interesting perspective (the allusion of West/East). IMO don't think this is his major work but a good introduction to his works; My Name is Red and The Black Book are way more achieved in many terms.

[kpjayan]

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper...cle3413869.ece

Interview with Pamuk in today's Hindu, on "Museum of Innocence"and other stuff..

[Eric]

I read that interview with Pamuk for The Hindu. I'm beginning to wonder whether it isn't time to have a few more writers representing Turkey. I am beginning to wonder why we only seem to listen to the words of one, male, upper-class (i.e. very privileged) Turk, who happens to have won the Nobel Prize and can therefore make easy allusions to Proust, without being thought of as twee.

As everyone seems to love feminists from Iran, Palestine and anywhere else in our troubled world where women are treated as second-class citizens, why do we never hear more from Turkish women writers, Elif Shafak, for instance?

[Aldawen]

Perhaps we are a little bit more lucky on that in Germany because many people of Turkish origin live here. There's a (not massive but constant) flow of Turkish literature translated to German. Much of this happens through smaller publishers so these books are rarely placed in the large bookstores but you have to ask for them, but at least they exist. The Unionsverlag (Switzerland) even published a whole Turkish Library consisting of 20 volumes by various authors, including some women as well. For those of you able to read German this might be a good starting point.

[Liam]

Truth be told, I am not interested in Pamuk's books from what little I've read about them, but to be fair, it's not like he's elbowing every other Turkish novelist, male or female, out of the picture to be the Queen of the Ball always. The fact that newspapers are hunting him down to conduct interviews is a reflection of the public's fascination with this Nobel Prize winner, and not really an indication that he is a shameless attention whore. I'm sure if the same newspaper asked Elif Shafak instead, she would happily oblige, but the paper would sell less copies because her name is not as well known as Pamuk's. Business, as usual.

[Eric]

Aldawen may have a point. Germany has a substantial exile or émigré Turkish population, between about 3 and 4 million, out of a total population of around 80 million. So there are bound to be more writers translated or, like Emine Özdamar, write in German. I am not particularly interested in Turkey, but it would be healthy for our perception of that country if more Turkish fiction and non-fiction were to appear in English. Switzerland clearly puts the USA and UK to shame with its Turkish library series.

But Liam may have a point. As journalists are not really interested in literature, but love celebrity, Pamuk will win every time. I am very reluctant to read anything by Pamuk, because you get the feeling that he is being hyped and that if you took the trouble to find other Turkish authors, you would get quite a different picture of that country.

[kpjayan]

Silent House(1983) is set to release in English, as I understand from my seller. Any idea, if it was published earlier or is this a new translation ?