My Name Is Red

By: Orhan Pamuk, Erdag Goknar - translator

Narrated by: John Lee

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 16th-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 Erdag Goknar.

©2008 Orhan Pamuk (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"It is neither passion nor homicide that makes Pamuk's latest, My Name is Red, the rich and essential book that it is. . . . It is Pamuk's rendering of the intense life of artists negotiating the devilishly sharp edge of Islam 1,000 years after its brith that elevates My Name is Red to the rank of modern classic. . . . To read Pamuk is to be steeped in a paradox that precedes our modern-day feuds beteween secularism and fundamentalism." (Jonathan Levi, Los Angeles Times Book Review)

"Straddling the Dardanelles sits the city of Istanbul . . . and in that city sits Orhan Pamuk, chronicler of its consciousness . . . His novel's subject is the difference in perceptions between East and West . . . [and] a mysterious killer... driven by mad theology. . .Pamuk is getting at a subject that has compelled modern thinkers from Heidegger to Derrida . . . My Name is Red is a meditation on authenticity and originality . . . An ambitious work on so many levels at once." (Melvin Jules Bukiet, Chicago Tribune)

"A murder mystery set in sixteenth-century Istanbul [that] uses the art of miniature illumination, much as Mann's Doctor Faustus did music, to explore a nation's soul. . . . Erdag Goknar 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." (John Updike, The New Yorker)

Interesting and Exhausting in it’s attention to detail

Not for the faint of heart
I loved the way different perspectives were used in this very cerebral homage to history and artistry rolled in there was a “who done it” that for me was anticlimactic by the time it was answered. Not without it’s merits I wouldn’t be quick to recommend or reread this. The narrator’s voice was lovely.

A good choice

I really enjoyed this slightly unconventional book. The narration was also excellent. there were 2 things that I didn't like about it. it was a little long and repetitive and it was confusing in parts.

A Nobel, Bravura Performance

A hysterically funny, sardonic, classic work by a magnificent writer. It's historical, moving, and wonderfully performed by the great John Lee. I read the book and listened to it twice on Audible. Gets better every time.

Poor performance

The narrator pronounces almost all the names totally wrong and with difficulty. He struggles with the Persian and Arabic words so bad that ruins the experience of listening. His sense of timing and choices of intonations are inconsistent and predictable. The performance does not elevate the text but degrades it.

Worthy of it’s Nobel

Orhan Pamuk has managed to pour all that is great and important about the history of a highly artistic, religious, and everchanging land with a great deal of elegance and mystery. The best parts of the book come to life because you understand so well how artists and religion are colliding during this time, the historical background is painted for you just enough to build up the fighting and fear and mystery and love. Excellently narrated, is there anything they got wrong? This story is a gem, as an audiobook it comes alive even more.

Great reader

I loved and enjoyed the exquisite interpretation of this amazing story.
Absolutely recommended
And looking forward to Re-listen it again

A wonderous philosophical story..

A beautiful novel set in Ancient Turkey during the height of the Ottoman empire. A story that honors the art of miniaturists, the rivalries between them, Sultan power, politics, and all the intricacies between. A journey that is both dangerous and loving. This one was hard to put down.

Interesting But Over-Written

Clearly, Pamuk is a great prose stylist. The book is atmospheric and exotic, and there are parts that were fascinating. But his long metaphysical discussions of the mystical elements of miniaturist painting in 16th century Istanbul are heavy going and take up much of the book. I was reminded of Moby Dick; a great book if you skip over the endless descriptions of whales. On the positive side, the narrator is one of the best I have heard.

Perfection

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Everything I enjoy: art history, philosophy, great storytelling, and a beautiful voice to deliver it all.

What other book might you compare My Name Is Red to and why?

Salman Rushdie's Enchantress of Florence - same combination of art history, philosophy, great storytelling and a beautiful voice to deliver it all!

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

He turns text into cinema, playing all the roles.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The details about miniature painting are seared into my memory. They have changed me.

Any additional comments?

My only complaint about the book is that it is a tough act to follow. I crave more and there are no more. I have heard other Orhan Pamuks. This one, however, was a perfect storm and I regretted its end.

Academic commitment

This book requires dedication & is not a good choice for an easy, lighthearted distraction. If you’re into historical fiction and unpacking complex themes and storylines, then this book may be for you. After the first 5 hours, I had to start over & supplement with Cliff notes but once I was oriented I found the story, setting, and writing style very compelling and didn’t want to put it down. It’s the type of book you could listen to over and over and learn as well as feel something new each time.