My Name is Red
Encyclopedia
My Name Is Red is a 1998 Turkish
novel
by Nobel laureate author Orhan Pamuk
. The English translation won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
in 2003,. The French version won the French Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger
and the Italian version the Premio Grinzane Cavour in 2002. The novel and its English translation established Pamuk's international reputation and contributed to his winning of the Nobel prize. In recognition of its exceptional status in Pamuk's oeuvre, the novel will be re-published in Erdağ Göknar's translation as part of the Everyman's Library
Contemporary Classics series in 2010. The influences of authors Joyce
, Kafka
, Mann
, Nabokov
and Rushdie can be seen in Pamuk's work. BBC Radio 4
broadcast an adaptation of the novel in 2008.
in the Ottoman Empire
, one of whom is murdered in the first chapter. From this point, Pamuk — in a postmodern style reminiscent of Jorge Luis Borges
— plays with the reader and with literary conventions. The last paragraph of the English translation involves metafiction
.
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.
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
, 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
.
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, Richard Eder
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 light-ness and gaiety of the writing, by the wonder- fully 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".
'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
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 IMPAC award 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.
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Nobel laureate author Orhan Pamuk
Orhan Pamuk
Ferit Orhan Pamuk , generally known simply as Orhan Pamuk, is a Turkish novelist. He is also the Robert Yik-Fong Tam Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, where he teaches comparative literature and writing....
. The English translation won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is an international literary award for a work of fiction, jointly sponsored by the city of Dublin, Ireland and the company IMPAC. At €100,000 it is one of the richest literary prizes in the world...
in 2003,. The French version won the French Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger
Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger
The Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger is a French literary prize created in 1948. It is awarded yearly in two categories: Novel and Essay for books translated in to French.- Prix du Meilleur livre étranger — Novel :* 2010: Gonçalo M...
and the Italian version the Premio Grinzane Cavour in 2002. The novel and its English translation established Pamuk's international reputation and contributed to his winning of the Nobel prize. In recognition of its exceptional status in Pamuk's oeuvre, the novel will be re-published in Erdağ Göknar's translation as part of the Everyman's Library
Everyman's Library
Everyman's Library is a series of reprinted classic literature currently published in hardback by Random House. It was originally an imprint of J. M. Dent , who continue to publish Everyman Classics in paperback.J. M. Dent and Company began to publish the series in 1906...
Contemporary Classics series in 2010. The influences of authors Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
, Mann
Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual...
, Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
and Rushdie can be seen in Pamuk's work. BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
broadcast an adaptation of the novel in 2008.
Outline
The main characters in the novel are miniaturistsOttoman miniature
Ottoman Miniature or Turkish miniature was an art form in the Ottoman Empire, which can be linked to the Persian miniature tradition, as well as strong Chinese artistic influences. It was a part of the Ottoman Book Arts together with illumination , calligraphy , marbling paper and bookbinding...
in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, one of whom is murdered in the first chapter. From this point, Pamuk — in a postmodern style reminiscent of Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
— plays with the reader and with literary conventions. The last paragraph of the English translation involves metafiction
Metafiction
Metafiction, also known as Romantic irony in the context of Romantic works of literature, is a type of fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction, exposing the fictional illusion...
.
Each chapter of the novel has a different narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
, 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
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. The novel blends mystery, romance, and philosophical puzzles, illustrating the reign of Ottoman Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
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
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, 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
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
.
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 PamukOrhan PamukFerit Orhan Pamuk , generally known simply as Orhan Pamuk, is a Turkish novelist. He is also the Robert Yik-Fong Tam Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, where he teaches comparative literature and writing....
'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 OsmanNakkas OsmanNakkaş Osman was the chief miniaturist for the Ottoman Empire during the later half of the sixteenth century. The dates of his birth and death are poorly known, but most of his works are dated to the last quarter of the sixteenth century...
. - Butterfly, one of three miniaturists suspected for the murders. Paints figures in the book representing Death, and the Melancholy Woman.
- Stork, one of three suspect miniaturists. Paints the Tree and the Dog.
- Olive, one of three suspect miniaturists. Paints Satan and the two Dervishes.
- Esther, A Jewess peddler, a matchmakerMatchmakingMatchmaking is any process of matching two people for the purpose of marriage or a sporting contest.-Practice:In some cultures, the role of the matchmaker was and is quite professionalized...
, 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 given by 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
- Book of Festivities or An Imperial Celebration by Surname-I Hümayun, in the story still under completion
- ShahnamehShahnamehThe Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
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, brother of Shah Ismail
- Hüsrev and ShirinChosroes and Shirin"Khosrow and Shirin", also spelled Khosrau and Shirn,Chosroes and Shirin, Husraw and Shireen and Khosru and Shirin, is the title of a famous Persian tragic romance...
by PersianPersianPersian means of, from, or related to Persia , or the Persian-speaking world. See:* Persian people, the majority ethnic group of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan* Persian language, an Iranian language of the Indo-European family...
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 FadlanAhmad ibn FadlanAhmad ibn Fadlān ibn al-Abbās ibn Rāšid ibn Hammād was a 10th century Arab traveler, famous for his account of his travels as a member of an embassy of the Arab Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad to the king of the Volga Bulgars...
(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 SadiSaadi (poet)Abū-Muḥammad Muṣliḥ al-Dīn bin Abdallāh Shīrāzī better known by his pen-name as Saʿdī or, simply, Saadi, was one of the major Persian poets of the medieval period. He is not only famous in Persian-speaking countries, but he has also been quoted in western sources...
- Book of Victories with the funeral ceremonies of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent
- Book of Skills
Reception
My Name is Red received favourable reviews. 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 ReviewsKirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
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, Richard Eder
Richard Eder
Richard Eder was for 20 years variously a foreign correspondent, a film reviewer and the drama critic for the New York Times. Subsequently he was book critic for the Los Angeles Times, winning a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism and the National Book Critics Circle annual citation...
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 light-ness and gaiety of the writing, by the wonder- fully 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. GöknarErdag M. Göknar
Erdağ Göknar, a scholar and literary translator, is Assistant Professor of Turkish Studies at Duke University. He is the award-winning translator of Orhan Pamuk's best-selling novel, My Name is Red , which ushered Pamuk onto the international stage and contributed to his selection as Nobel laureate...
'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 Updike
John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic....
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 IMPAC award 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.
Release details
- 1998, Turkey, Iletisim Yayincilik (ISBN 975-470-711-1), Pub date ? ? 1998, hardback (First edition - in Turkish)
- 2001, USA, Alfred A Knopf (ISBN 978-0375406959), Pub date ? August 2001, hardback (1st English edition)
- 2001, UK, Faber & Faber (ISBN 978-0571200474), Pub date 2 November 2001, paperback
- 2002, UK, Faber & Faber (ISBN 978-0571212248), Pub date 31 July 2002, paperback
- 2002, USA, Vintage Books (ISBN 978-0375706851), Pub date ? September 2002, paperback (Erdag Goknar translator)
- 2008, UK, Dramatised on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
in 2 parts by Ayeesha Menon, directed by John Dryden, August 2008.
External links
- Orhan Pamuk discusses My Name is Red on the BBC World Book ClubWorld Book ClubWorld 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 books, often the most well-known one, with the public...
- John Updike on "My Name is Red"
- Richard EderRichard EderRichard Eder was for 20 years variously a foreign correspondent, a film reviewer and the drama critic for the New York Times. Subsequently he was book critic for the Los Angeles Times, winning a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism and the National Book Critics Circle annual citation...
's review at New York Times - Extensive excerpts at Book Excerptise
- Pamuk/Göknar win 100,000 Euro Award
- Medieval Sourcebook - Khosru and Shireen
- Pamuk on the Nobel Prize site