Orhan Pamuk

Orhan Pamuk (born on June 7, 1952 in Istanbul, Turkey) is a leading Turkish novelist of post-modern literature. He is hugely popular in his homeland, but also with a growing readership around the globe. As one of Europe's most prominent novelists, his work has been translated into more than twenty languages. He is the recipient of major Turkish and international literary awards.

Pamuk was born into a wealthy family of an engineer father. He was educated at the American high school Robert College in Istanbul. Then he attended an architectural program at the Istanbul Technical University, because he was supposed to be an engineer or architect. He dropped out however after three years to become a full-time writer. Pamuk graduated from the Institute of Journalism at the University of Istanbul in 1977. After three years in the USA from 1985 to 1988, including a stint as visiting fellow at the University of Iowa, he returned to Istanbul.

He started writing regularly already in 1974. His first novel, Karanlık ve Işık (Darkness and Light) was awarded the first prize in the 1979 Novel Contest of the Milliyet Press, which he shared with Mehmet Eroğlu. Orhan Pamuk's first novel Cevdet Bey ve Oğullari (Mr. Cevdet and His Sons) was published seven years later in 1982. It won the Orhan Kemal Novel Prize in 1983. The novel is the story of three generations of a wealthy Istanbul family living in Nisantasi, Pamuk's own home district. Pamuk received the 1984 Madarali Novel Prize with his second novel Sessiz Ev (The Silent House) published in 1983. He received the 1991 Prix de la Découverte Européenne with the French translation of this novel. Pamuk’s historical novel Beyaz Kale (The White Castle) published in 1985, won the 1990 Independent Award for Foreign Fiction and extended his reputation abroad. The New York Times Book Review wrote "A new star has risen in the east - Orhan Pamuk, a Turkish writer." His 1990 landmark novel Kara Kitap (The Black Book (novel)) became one of the most controversial and popular readings in Turkish literature, due to its complexity and richness. In 1992, he wrote the script of the movie Gizli Yüz (Secret Face), derived from Kara Kitap, directed by a prominent Turkish director, Ömer Kavur. His novel, Yeni Hayat (New Life), has been a best-seller in Turkey in 1995. It caused a sensation in his native land, becoming the fastest-selling book in Turkish history. Pamuk published in 1999 his story book Öteki Renkler (The Other Colors). In 2003 he won international literature's most lucrative prize, the IMPAC Dublin Award, for his novel, Benim Adım Kırmızı (My Name Is Red) which was published in 2000. It has been translated into 24 languages. His most recent novels are Kar (Snow) in 2002 and İstanbul-Hatıralar ve Şehir (Istanbul (novel)) in 2003. The New York Times listed Snow in its "The 10 Best Books of 2004" as one of the six fictions and that not originally written in English language.

Success did not come at once and he had to rely on his father for financial help. Early naturalistic novels gave way to more postmodern, tricky works, and his breakthrough came in 1994 when his fourth novel, The New Life, became a best-seller. A high profile figure at home, he has been denounced for his support for Kurdish political rights. In 1995 Pamuk was among a group of authors tried for criticizing the Turkey's treatment of the Kurds in a book of essays exercising the freedom of speech.

Pamuk reached an international audience in 2001 with My Name is Red – part mystery, part love story, and part philosophical puzzle, set in 16th century Istanbul. It opens a window into the reign of Ottoman Sultan Murat III in nine snowy winter days of 1591, inviting the reader to experience the tension between East and West from a breathlessly urgent perspective.

Asked the question “What impact did winning the IMPAC award (currently $127,000) have on your life and your work?“, he replied “Nothing changed in my life since I work all the time. I've spent 30 years writing fiction. For the first 10 years, I worried about money and no one asked how much money I made. The second decade I spent money and no one was asking about that. And I've spent the last 10 years with everyone expecting to hear how I spend the money, which I will not do.”

His books are characterized by a confusion or loss of identity brought on in part by the conflict between European and Islamic values. They are often disturbing or unsettling, but include complex, intriguing plots and characters of great depth. His works are also redolent with discussion and fascination with the creative arts, such as literature and painting.

He lives with his wife and daughter in Istanbul.

External links

• The Comprehensive Orhan Pamuk Site (http://www.orhanpamuk.net)

de:Orhan Pamuk fr:Orhan Pamuk it:Orhan Pamuk tr:Orhan Pamuk fi:Orhan Pamuk tr:Orhan Pamuk