My Name Is Red: A Novel

"My Name is Red" would be a fascinating novel in any era, but in this time of profound, and seemingly growing, disconnect between East and West, it is all the more compelling. By using the clash between traditional Islamic art and the budding realism of the Renaissance, Pamuk strives to shed light on the conflicted nature of Islam and traditional societies in general. In using the Ottoman Empire of the late 16th century as his setting, he sets the reader into a place and time where the Western world and the Islamic world were in conflict both intellectually and militarily, much as they are today. This conflict operates on three levels. The first is the most obvious, and drives the story, which is a brilliantly conceived and diabolically executed murder mystery. The reader follows the trail of the murderer through the voices of a host of different characters, including the murderer himself, and some of the artwork he and his fellow artisans have created. As the novel progresses, the reader comes to realize that this murder has occurred because of a conflict between the traditional method of manuscript illumination and the method of using perspective to create lifelike images. What is unclear is whether the murder occurred to protect or overthrow tradition. The reason for this obscurity is that the killer himself seems uncertain as to the correctness of his actions and thus engages in a running internal moral debate. His internal conflict is in many ways a microcosm of the conflict in the era in which he lives. The second conflict is found in the love story that underlies the mystery. As Black, one of the murder victim's nephew, pursues the killer, he is also pursuing his uncle's daughter, Shekure, who he has loved for most of his life. However, she is trapped, both by a tradition that leaves her bound to her husband, who presumably has died in battle, and by her uncertain feelings towards Black. Shekure is perhaps the most remarkable character in the book, as she struggles to make her own path in a society that has little tolerance for the needs or opinions of women. While not the core argument of the book, Pamuk makes a strong argument for how absurd it is to completely disenfranchise half of society for the sole reason that they happen to be female. The final conflict is more subtle, but lies at the heart of the novel's message. It is a consideration of the results of cultures colliding and merging, and what happens when they are either unable or unwilling to adapt. Pamuk seems to suggest that Islam, while an inherently good religion, is far too rigid for its own good. By exploring the torment of artists who must choose between the traditional methods they have preserved for centuries, and the European method that is clearly the future, he parallels the crisis society as a whole faces when it fails to change. His characters feel compelled to make their choices based upon obscure religious dictates that have long since masked the true purpose of Islam's teaching: that God's creation is beautiful, and that man does Him honor by acknowledging it and living a good life. In the end "My Name is Red" cuts to the heart of the conflict in which we find ourselves today. Islam, as a religion is deeply spiritual and has the potential to be a profound force for good. Unfortunately, Islam as a dogma has reverted to medieval forms that are completely incompatible with modern life. Pamuk uses the Ottoman Empire because it became rigid and collapsed, and it therefore serves as a cautionary tale to those who would attempt to stop time in its tracks. He has created a beautifully written, thoroughly researched and fiendishly clever mystery that also carries a message of profound importance. "My Name is Red" is a rare novel that is both entertaining and thought provoking, and I highly recommend it.

The story events are of 1591 during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Murat III in Istanbul, Turkey today. The Sultan ordered Istanbul's masters of art to draw a book in which to show the power and prosperity of Islam to his neighbors "the Franks", who were in the surge of the art Renaissance revolution of Italy; However,this is to be done secretly to avoid the anger that might be aroused among the Islamic conservatives who consider art nothing more than "Heresy and Evil". As a result of doubt, conflict of beliefs and greed, one of those artists will be murdered by this mysterious " I will be called a murderer" who turns at the end of the novel to be a surprising person. At the end and by the secret of art and the distinctive style of drawing; the murderer will be caught but the bitter reality also is revealed: There is a huge cultural gap between the eastern and the western cultures and love will keep almost every character going in the tough times! I thought the story overall was good, Its stream of consciousness writing technique and multiple narrators by different people was magical on occasions;However, there were many short stories in each chapter that was so repetitive and boring especially when you advance further in the book.

I chose the title only because of a couple of scenes....read the book and you find out why This book is about 14th century art in Istanbul. It is a murder mystery that blends the life stories of miniaturist … artist that created the beautiful artwork and gold leaf edging in books of that era. Today’s miniaturist is better known as an illustrator of books. The author takes a unique approach in beginning a chapter with a title “I am”. Then each chapter is told in the voice of the name of what would follow “I am”; a first person story told by many different first persons. The name is not necessarily a person. It could be an object like a coin that would then set the setting for the commerce that crosses both Venetian or Ottoman, Christian or Muslim, of that era. There are love dramas, conspiracies, Greek tragedies, (so apropos a term for a setting in Istanbul), and a lot of art history in novel form. Any reader would be intrigued enough to start fact checking and eventually planning a trip to Istanbul to discover firsthand the art of an era so over looked by us Westerners. Bikaner Miniature Painting You'll have to go to my blog cigarroomofbooks to see the picture. Apparently it would post here. The murder and conspiracy spins around a real plot on a person’s conceit. Imagine a person of wealth having his portrait painted and hung on the walls of his palazzo. Take it a step further and imagine a famous scene, say a battle, and that a Doge would have himself painted in to the scene, though having not been there. It would be a false rendering of the story. And then imagine the concern of the miniaturists who see the betrayal of truth and Allah himself. Remember in the 1500’s there were no other material media for stories to get told in color. You then begin to appreciate how grave the crime might be. Of course Hollywood does this all the time, so one must question the sliding scale of the virtue of man. And then weigh in on the moral consequences in what may be a justified murder. Or was it just for the money after all? As the murder plot thickens, the reader is rendered as the sleuth to figure out who the murderer is. The information is presented in first person of the prime character of any chapter. And the detectives are describing drawing styles of art that could be linked to one miniaturist or another. The reader cannot help but learn to become an art critic. The author, like in the book, sneaks up on you with art education while distracting you with a multi faced plot. The 14th century Muslim art critic’s primary objection was in defense of Allah. It was not the goal to paint a scene objectively, but rather the painting should be rendered as though seen through the eyes of Allah. As the plot unfolds the objection unravels. To determine the author you had to examine all the artists for style. Style was at that time in the Ottoman Empire dictated by the masters of any given schools. Somehow a master artist would at the end of his career go blind from so much dedication to Allah’s work and he could still somehow be able to instruct his students. It was an achievement to go blind. Somehow the actors in the drama fail to see that Allah is really the master artist forcing his style on his students. The real tragedy is the suspect artists feud with each other as they witness art from the Venetians who capture scenes objectively. Their feud is fueled with the competition of who would succeed their murdered master. Poor Black who is strapped with the job to figure out who done it so that he may earn the love and hand of the dead master’s daughter, finds himself being convinced, one by one by the arguments of each suspect. Every argument brings two themes. Fist is the sacrilege of their brethren actually painting with their own style. And second is that unique style is exactly evidence found in the murder scene painting. The book is clearly poetry in prose. It is word art. It is a Walt Whitman rant style of poetry. The only thing missing is the artwork.

I got through this very quickly because I couldn't put it down. Yes, the content is provoking. Yes, the literary style is tight. If the literature of Central and Eastern Europe is of interest, this is a must.

I love reading Pamuk novels. They are fascinating. This is one of my favourites.

First book I've read by Orhan Pamuk and certainly it won't be the last! I think like Salman Rushdie, you need to understand the writer's psyche to enjoy books like this. That said, I found the Satanic Verses a tricky read but then again, I've been told by Muslims you need to understand the Koran. I am not religious so I'm not going to comment on that. My Name Is Red is not like the Satanic Verses so let's clear that up. It is in its entirety a great read. I read over the Christmas period and I was literally devouring great swathes of it at any time. When I finished it I gave it to my brother who wouldn't really read this sort of book but even though he's older, he's now prone to experiment with his reading. I haven't heard back from him on it. He may not read it for months! I love historical fiction and Orhan Pamuk does it as good as any one else. Umberto Eco springs to mind while I read this.

Zum Inhalt; habe das Buch leider noch nicht viel gelesen. Aber da der Prof. von Harvard dieses Werk zu einem Weltliteratur zählt, gehe ich mal davon aus, dass es Wert ist reinzuschauen. Content: Since the Prof. in Harvard dealt with this Book as World-Literature, I think it is worth to look at it

Oğlum istedi. aldım. Ben kendi adıma eve sokmam :)