My Name Is Red in Around the Year in 52 Books

Feb 21, 2021 Marta rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio, historical-fiction, region-middle-east, library, lgbtqia

This is such a marvellously layered, luminous novel from a master storyteller, that I find myself at a loss to describe it. It is set in 16th century Istanbul, and centers on the master illustrators working on books for the sultan. Pamuk immerses us in the atmosphere of the city, its people, and also in the work of the artists, and the artistic disputes of the time that leads to two murders. As the novel progresses, we piece together the artwork, created in pieces by many artists, and the soluti This is such a marvellously layered, luminous novel from a master storyteller, that I find myself at a loss to describe it. It is set in 16th century Istanbul, and centers on the master illustrators working on books for the sultan. Pamuk immerses us in the atmosphere of the city, its people, and also in the work of the artists, and the artistic disputes of the time that leads to two murders. As the novel progresses, we piece together the artwork, created in pieces by many artists, and the solution to the murders. There is also a love story of the beautiful Shakura, her two husbands and two suitors and two sons.

The story is narrated by its characters, the point of view changing with each chapter, often describing the same event from two angles, which leads to an interesting comparison of what each thought and in ways they misinterpreted each other’s behavior. Both murders are described from the point of view of both the murderer and the victim, lending it an eery, orherwordly character. Our murderer is one of the narrators - yet he does not reveal his identity, so the reader does not know it until the end.

Not only people, but animals, a gold coin, a tree, even the color red narrates - each coming with its own story, thoughts and character. Only after a while we realize they are part of the artwork. Much of the book is about old books and the craft of the miniaturists who illustrated them. We are looking at ancient art, magnificiently colored with bright inks and gold leaf, each book many years of work by many artists, a piece of treasure among the most valuables of the sultan. The discussion is whether artists should draw what they see, as the latest European fashion, or they should follow the style of old, established traditions. The book is set during the period where figurative art flourished in the Ottoman empire - only to be abandoned later due to representational art being blasphempus to Islam.

Orhan Pamuk celebrates these artists, their art, their time, while weaving a masterful story and enchanting tale. It is a book that cannot be described, but must be read. ...more

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Mar 14, 2018 Book Concierge rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery, audio, religion, concierge, strong-women, art, library, turkey

Book on CD performed by John Lee

Set in 16th-century Instanbul, this is a murder mystery, an art history lesson, and a love story all in one. The Sultan has commissioned a new book and directs Enishte Effendi to appoint a group of acclaimed miniaturists to illuminate the manuscript “in the style of the Franks.” But figurative art can be seen as an affront to Islam, so it’s a dangerous commission that must remain secret, and no one in the group knows the full scope of the project. When one of the ...more

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Jun 03, 2015 Bea rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is a book set in Istanbul (Turkey) during the 16th century and is about the artists that painted the miniature paintings that decorated the books of that time.

Although the book has no illustrations, much of the text describes the miniatures that were created, so that the reader has a picture of the miniature in mind at any one time running through that part of the story.

The text tells the story of two murders, a search for the murderer, and a love that once had been thwarted but now was rea ...more

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