My Name Is Red
by Orhan Pamuk
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Book Summary Information
Author: Orhan PamukTranslator: Erdag Goknar
Edition: Paperback
Published: 2002-08-27
ISBN: 0375706852
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of My Name Is Red
Book Review: Blood for ink
Summary: 5 Stars
Crimson blood and crimson ink feature equally in this novel of dueling artistic traditions and dual murders, and both eventually merge (literally) at the scene of the crime. Pamuk's novel opens with an account from beyond the grave told by the first victim, Elegant, who has been slain by one of three fellow miniaturists; the mystery is which of his colleagues committed the crime, and Black, a man returned from exile, is engaged to unmask the culprit. By the time of the second murder, far more is at stake than just finding out who the killer is.
"My Name Is Red" is a novel that combines the medieval musings of Eco's "The Name of the Rose" with the whodunit plot of Mahfouz's "Miramar" (likewise a story of a death told from several points of view, including that of the victim). It is also a love story: of Black's formerly unrequited adoration of Sekure, daughter of the master Enishte, who has gathered a team of miniaturists and calligraphers to complete a secret book for the sultan.
This secrecy, rather than the killings, is central to the novel. Although the members of Enishte's team see only the parts of the book for which each is responsible, they all suspect the truth: that they are defying the prohibitions against "Frankish" innovations practiced by the Venetians, who "depict what the eye sees just as the eye sees it." The heresies of the Italian Renaissance are twofold: perspective and portraiture. The newfangled depth-and-shadow techniques depict "a horsefly and a mosque as if they were the same size--with the excuse that the mosque was in the background--thereby mocking the faithful who attend prayers." Likewise, the representation of individuals rather than their ideal forms is equally prohibited; it is an attempt to compete with what Allah has created, "so the observer has the impression not of a painting but of reality, to such a degree that this image has the power to entice men to bow down before it, as with icons in churches."
A particularly harrowing and memorable scene explores the lengths to which the master miniaturists will go to achieve perfection and individuality within the confines of their traditions--even if their dedication results in blindness. Equally memorable is the intricately woven passage depicting the second murder--but if you approach "My Name Is Red" with the expectation of reading detective fiction, you're sure to be disappointed.
I agree with those who complain that it's hard to tell apart the three suspects (Butterfly, Stork, and Olive); as a result, the unveiling of the perpetrator is not all that compelling--but surely that's as it should be. In Pamuk's fictional history, metaphysics trumps murder. Criminals kill for the basest of motives, but sometimes love, art, and faith are worth dying for.
Summary of My Name Is Red
At once a fiendishly devious mystery, a beguiling love story, and a brilliant symposium on the power of art, My Name Is Red is a transporting tale set amid the splendor and religious intrigue of sixteenth-century Istanbul, from one of the most prominent contemporary Turkish writers.The Sultan has commissioned a cadre of the most acclaimed artists in the land to create a great book celebrating the glories of his realm. Their task: to illuminate the work in the European style. But because figurative art can be deemed an affront to Islam, this commission is a dangerous proposition indeed. The ruling elite therefore mustn’t know the full scope or nature of the project, and panic erupts when one of the chosen miniaturists disappears. The only clue to the mystery–or crime? –lies in the half-finished illuminations themselves. Part fantasy and part philosophical puzzle, My Name is Red is a kaleidoscopic journey to the intersection of art, religion, love, sex and power.
Translated from the Turkish by Erda M G?knar
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