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''My Name Is Red'' ( tr, Benim Adım Kırmızı) is a 1998 Turkish
novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...
by writer
Orhan Pamuk Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952) is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, his work has sold over thirteen million books in sixty-three lan ...
translated into English by Erdağ Göknar in 2001. Pamuk would later receive the 2006
Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...
. The novel, concerning miniaturists in the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
of 1591, established Pamuk's international reputation and contributed to his Nobel Prize. The influences of Joyce,
Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typi ...
,
Mann Mann may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Mann (chess), a variant chess piece which moves as a king * ''Mann'' (film), a 1999 Bollywood motion picture * ''Mann'' (magazine), a Norwegian magazine * Mann Theatres, a theatre chain corp ...
,
Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born ...
and
Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel '' In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous ...
and above all Eco can be seen in Pamuk's work. The book has been translated into more than 60 languages since publication. The French translation won the French Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger and the Italian version the
Premio Grinzane Cavour The Grinzane Cavour Prize (1989–2009) was an Italian literary award established in 1982 by Francesco Meotto. The annual award ceremony took place in the medieval castle of Grinzane Cavour. The goal of the prize was to attract young people to re ...
in 2002. The English translation, ''My Name Is Red'', won the
International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
in 2003. In recognition of its status in Pamuk's oeuvre, the novel was re-published in Erdağ Göknar's translation as part of the
Everyman's Library Everyman's Library is a series of reprints of classic literature, primarily from the Western canon. It is currently published in hardback by Random House. It was originally an imprint of J. M. Dent (itself later a division of Weidenfeld & N ...
Contemporary Classics series in 2010.
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...
broadcast an adaptation of the novel in 2008.


Outline

The main characters in the novel are miniaturists in the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
, one of whom is murdered in the first chapter. From this point, Pamuk—in a postmodern style reminiscent of
Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known b ...
—plays with the reader and with literary conventions. The novel incorporates
metafiction Metafiction is a form of fiction which emphasises its own narrative structure in a way that continually reminds the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work. Metafiction is self-conscious about language, literary form, and stor ...
in such ways as making frequent reference to the reader and to the narrators' awareness that they are characters in a book. Each chapter of the novel has a different
narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...
, 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 Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...
, two
dervishes Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...
, and the color red. Each of these "unusual" narrators is contributed by specific characters, who detail the philosophical system of 16th century
Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...
. The novel blends mystery, romance, and philosophical puzzles, illustrating the reign of Ottoman
Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...
Murat III during nine snowy winter days in 1591. Enishte Effendi, the maternal uncle of Kara (Black), is reading the '' Book of the Soul'' by Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya, a Sunni commentator on the
Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...
, and continuous references to it are made throughout the book. Part of the novel is narrated by Elegant Effendi, the murdered miniaturist. Al-Jawziyya argues, in the same fashion as Islamic doctrine, that the souls of the dead remain on earth and can hear the living. Pamuk suggests that, to some of the characters, viewing miniatures or "perfected art" is a way to achieve a kind of glimpse of eternity. Thus Shekure seeks to look upon the reader like women who view miniatures of a distant time and place do, thereby escaping time and place—"...just like those beautiful women with one eye on the life within the book and one eye on the life outside, I, too, long to speak with you who are observing me from who knows which distant time and place." Elegant Effendi accused his murderer of producing sacrilegious illustrations that offend
Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", a ...
.


Characters

* ''Elegant Effendi'', murdered miniaturist who speaks from the afterlife to the reader in the opening chapter. * ''Kara'' (''Black''), miniaturist and binder. Recently returned from 12 years away in Persia. Nephew of Enishte ("Uncle"). * ''Enishte Effendi'', maternal uncle of Black, who is in charge of the creation of a secret book for the Sultan in the style of the Venetian painters. * ''Shekure'', Enishte's beautiful daughter with whom Black is in love; Shekure (related to English 'sugar' refers to Shirin, meaning 'sweet', also the name of Pamuk's mother). * ''Shevket'', Shekure's older son (also the name of
Orhan Pamuk Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952) is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, his work has sold over thirteen million books in sixty-three lan ...
's older brother). * ''Orhan'', Shekure's younger son (also Pamuk's first name). * ''Hasan'', the younger brother of Shekure's husband. * ''Hayriye'', slave girl in Enishte's household, Enishte's concubine. * ''Master Osman'', head of the Sultan's workshop of miniaturists. This character is based on Nakkaş Osman. * ''Butterfly'', one of three miniaturists suspected for the murders. * ''Stork'', one of three suspect miniaturists. * ''Olive'', one of three suspect miniaturists. This character is based on Veli Can * ''Esther'', a Jewish peddler, a matchmaker, carries lovers' letters. * ''Nusret Hoja'', a Conservative Muslim leader who may be based on an historical figure. Opposes coffee and coffeehouses, bawdy stories, and figurative paintings.


Books within the book

A number of books illustrated by famous miniaturists are referenced by the characters in ''My Name is Red'': Several of the specific manuscripts described (most prominently the ''Shahnama'' of ''Shah Tahmasp'', more commonly known in the west as the Houghton ''shahnama'') are real and survive in whole or part. * '' Book of the Soul'' by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya * '' Surname-i Hümayun'' – ''Book of Imperial Festivities'', by Nakkaş Osman (miniatures) and Seyyid Lokman Çelebi, in the story still under completion * ''
Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book of Kings, ) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 5 ...
'' or the ''Book of Kings'' by the Persian poet Firdawsi, is the national epic of the Persian-speaking world. * ''Chronicle of Sultan Selim'' * ''The Convergence of the Stars'', ordered by
Sam Mirza Safavi Abolnasr Sam Mirza Safavi (16 October 1517 – 1566) was a Safavid prince, a son of king ('' shah'') Ismail I (r. 1501–1514). He was an art lover and was the author of the book ''Tazkare ye Sami'' or ''Tohfe ye Sami'' about poetry and poets. Car ...
, son of Shah Ismail * '' Hüsrev and Shirin'' by
Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
n Nizami (English: Khosru and Shireen), this love story forms the central idea behind the love story in ''My Name is Red'' * ''Book of Equines'' by the Bukharan scholar Fadlan (a drawing of a horse is the key to finding the murderer in ''My Name is Red'') * ''The Illustration of Horses'', three volumes on how to draw horses: ''The Depiction of Horses'', ''The Flow of Horses'', and ''The Love of Horses'' by Jemalettin of Kazvin * ''The Blindman's Horses'', a critique on the prior three volumes, by Kemalettin Riza of Herat * ''History'' ''of Tall Hasan'', Khan of the Whitesheep by Jemalettin * '' Gulestan'' by
Sadi Saadi, Sadī, Sadi, or SADI may refer to: People * Sadi (name) * Saadi dynasty, a dynasty of Morocco Places * Sədi, village in Azerbaijan * Sadi, East Azerbaijan, a village in Iran * Sadi, Marand, a village in Iran * Sadi, Kerman, a village in ...
* ''Book of Victories'' with the funeral ceremonies of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent * ''Book of Skills''


Reception

''My Name Is Red'' received favourable reviews when published in English. A reviewer for ''Publishers Weekly'' admires the novel's "...jeweled prose and alluring digressions, nesting stories within stories" and concludes that Pamuk will gain many new readers with this "...accessible, charming and intellectually satisfying, narrative." A ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' critic describes the novel as "...a whimsical but provocative exploration of the nature of art in an Islamic society. . . . A rich feast of ideas, images, and lore." Jonathan Levi, writing in the '' L.A. Times Book Review'', comments that "...it is Pamuk’s rendering of the intense life of artists negotiating the devilishly sharp edge of Islam 1,000 years after its birth that elevates ''My Name Is Red'' to the rank of modern classic." Levi also notes that the novel, although set four hundred years ago, reflects modern societal tensions. For this reason he calls it "...a novel of our time.’’ In ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'',
Richard Eder Richard Gray Eder (August 16, 1932 – November 21, 2014) was an American film reviewer and a drama critic. Life and career For 20 years, he was variously a foreign correspondent, a film reviewer and the drama critic for '' The New York Times''. ...
describes Pamuk's intense interest in East-West interactions and explains some of the metaphysical ideas that permeate the novel. He also comments that the novel is not just about ideas: "Eastern or Western, good or bad, ideas precipitate once they sink to human level, unleashing passions and violence. ‘Red’ is chockfull of sublimity and sin." Eder also praises the characterization of Shekure, which he regards as the finest in the book. She is "...elusive, changeable, enigmatic and immensely beguiling." Eder concludes: "They (readers) will . . . be lofted by the paradoxical lightness and gaiety of the writing, by the wonderfully winding talk perpetually about to turn a corner, and by the stubborn humanity in the characters’ maneuvers to survive. It is a humanity whose lies and silences emerge as endearing and oddly bracing individual truths".


English translation

Erdağ M. Göknar's translation of ''My Name Is Red'' gained Pamuk international recognition and contributed to his selection as Nobel laureate; upon publication, Pamuk was described as a serious Nobel contender. The translation received praise from many reviewers including
John Updike John Hoyer Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth Tar ...
in ''The New Yorker'': "Erdağ M. Göknar deserves praise for the cool, smooth English in which he has rendered Pamuk's finespun sentences, passionate art appreciations, sly pedantic debates, (and) eerie urban scenes." Many readers and critics consider ''My Name Is Red'' to be Pamuk's best work in English translation. It won the
International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
in Dublin in 2003, where Göknar accepted the award on behalf of Pamuk. As is customary with this award, Göknar received a quarter share of the prize. A recent research studied the loyalties of the novel's translations using quantitative methods.Caliskan, Sevil and Can, Fazli. ''Türk Kütüphaneciliği'', Vol. 32, No. 4, Dec. 13, 2018, p.251-286.


Release details

*1998, Turkey, Iletisim Yayincilik (), Pub date ? ? 1998, hardback (First Turkish edition) *2001, USA, Alfred A Knopf (), Pub date ? August 2001, hardback (First English edition) * 2001, UK, Faber & Faber (), Pub date 2 November 2001, paperback * 2002, UK, Faber & Faber (), Pub date 31 July 2002, paperback * 2002, USA, Vintage Books (), Pub date ? September 2002, paperback (Translated by Erdag Goknar) * 2008, UK, Dramatised on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...
in 2 parts by Ayeesha Menon, directed by John Dryden, August 2008


References


External links


Orhan Pamuk discusses ''My Name is Red''
on the BBC ''
World Book Club ''World Book Club'' is a radio programme on the BBC World Service. Each edition of the programme, which is broadcast on the first Saturday of the month with repeats into the following Monday, features a famous author discussing one of his or her ...
''
Murder in miniature: A sixteenth-century detective story explores the soul of Turkey: John Updike writes about ''My Name Is Red''
at ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' *
Richard Eder Richard Gray Eder (August 16, 1932 – November 21, 2014) was an American film reviewer and a drama critic. Life and career For 20 years, he was variously a foreign correspondent, a film reviewer and the drama critic for '' The New York Times''. ...
'
review
at ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' * Extensive excerpts a
Book Excerptise



Orhan Pamuk
at Nobelprize.org {{Orhan Pamuk Fiction set in the 1590s 1998 novels Alfred A. Knopf books Historical novels Nobel Prize in Literature Novels by Orhan Pamuk Novels set in the Ottoman Empire Novels set in Istanbul Metafictional novels Postmodern novels