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Istanbul: Memories and the City
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Istanbul: Memories and the City |
Since Orhan Pamuk is one of my favorite authors (and because he recently won the Nobel Prize), it's about time I reviewed one of his books for 'Aqoul. Pamuk is no stranger to controversy and has been charged with "insulting Turkishness, the republic, and the institutions and organs of the state" for statements made to a Swiss publication about the Armenian genocide. In the post Rushdie-fatwa age, this is a great hook for getting the attention of Western media, but don't let that detract from Pamuk's work. He is a brilliant and evocative writer and his books are hauntingly beautiful. I was first introduced to him by a good friend, an ex-officer in the Turkish military and a strident Kemalist. Fully aware that Pamuk's views did not always sit well with the Turkish government, he still considered the author a national treasure.
Pamuk's best-known works, My Name is Red and Snow are excellent, but I highly recommend Istanbul because it is both a memoir and a travelogue/commentary on his beloved city. Filled with black and white photos, the book is a collection of personal memories and reflections about empires long gone. Istanbul in all its glory and decay is described using anecdotes, images, letters and poetry. The overall tone is melancholy, but he peppers his narrative with silly childhood stories and observations on the absurdity of daily life in the city. I might even place it ahead of his best fictional works, but that is likely due to my perpetual infatuation with ancient cities and lost empires.
Posted by eerie at 05:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
