My Name Is Red
by Orhan Pamuk
"Books, which we mistake for consolation, only add depth to our sorrow. "
— Orhan Pamuk (My Name Is Red)
My reading enjoyment was increased when I discovered Orhan Pamuk through this novel that is filled with jeweled prose and alluring digressions, nesting stories within stories. But if that was all there was to this book my enjoyment would be severely limited. Instead there is more including a story of an oriental mystery: In Istanbul, in the late 1590s, the Sultan secretly commissions a great book: a celebration of his life and his empire, to be illuminated by the best artists of the day - in the European manner. But when one of the miniaturists goes missing and is feared murdered, their master seeks outside help. Each chapter of the novel has a different narrator, and usually there are thematic and chronological connections between chapters. In addition, unexpected voices are used, such as the corpse of the murdered, a coin, Satan, two dervishes, and the color red. Each of these "unusual" narrators is contributed by specific characters, which detail the philosophical system of 16th century Istanbul. The novel blends mystery, romance, and philosophical puzzles, illustrating the reign of Ottoman Sultan Murat III during nine snowy winter days in 1591. There is also embedded within the miniaturists and their stories and digressions the wonder of literature itself, of the nature of books and of their impact on life, culture and history. This makes for a great book that I would recommend to all.
"A letter doesn't communicate by words alone. A letter, just like a book, can be read by smelling it, touching it and fondling it. Thereby, intelligent folk will say, 'Go on then, read what the letter tells you!' whereas the dull-witted will say, 'Go on then, read what he's written!"
— Orhan Pamuk (My Name Is Red)
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