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| Istanbul: Memories and the City | 
 enlarge | Author: Orhan Pamuk
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $3.16
You Save: $12.79 (80%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (45 reviews)
Sales Rank: 11349
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 1400033888
Dewey Decimal Number: 949.61803092
EAN: 9781400033881
ASIN: 1400033888
Publication Date: July 11, 2006
Release Date: July 11, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Sharp analysis March 12, 2007
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Sharp analysis on how Instanbul's heard bits following all roots and never fearing, censoring "black holes" of nationalistic past and presence. Pamuk avoided becoming cheap romantic and although not in his main focus, confesses historical truths by taking high personal cost. Not only very advisable before visiting Turkey and Istanbul, but for everyone who tries to understand how turkish mindset consists and from where tensions, uniqueness and prejudices but also sweetness of turkish soul sources. Unfortunately for Pamuk, like every prophet in his own land, Turkey doesn't understand the cultural and political capital that could be exploited from his hot confessions.
2006 Nobel Prize Winner February 13, 2007
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Orhan Pamuk brilliantly descibes the city he was born with melancholic touches. I think he is at his best at this novel. He is definitely one of the great masters of his era. I couldn't help wiping tears.
 Disappointing February 12, 2007
15 out of 23 found this review helpful
I purchased this book in anticipation of a trip to Istanbul, well aware that Pamuk had recently been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Having read neither "Snow" nor "My Name is Red," I have no basis for assessing the relative merits of his having been awarded the prize, but I can say that I found this book to be thoroughly mediocre.
Pamuk acknowledges that his (and other Turkish authors') emphasis on melancholy is based upon their reading of French literature, which raises the question of whether it is in any way an authentic Turkish experience. To support his case, he includes numerous black and white photos, many taken in poor areas in adverse weather conditions.
It was quite a surprise to arrive in Istanbul and find a vibrant, colorful city that is the antithesis of the picture that Pamuk paints. If you look at the top of the page, you'll see some color pictures of the yalis that he describes at length in his book. His descriptions are accurate, yet are slanted to present a downbeat view of the city.
The Nobel Prize in Literature is often critized for being overly politicized. This would appear to be yet another example.
To be fair, I should mention that an Istanbul bookseller told me that Pamuk is notoriously difficult to understand in Turkish, and equally difficult to translate. In this case, the translator was Maureen Freely, daughter of John Freely, himself a fine writer on Istanbul. "John Freely's Istanbul" John Freely's Istanbul is a superb appreciation of the art and history of the city. Highly recommended.
Along those lines, I've been told that "My Name is Red," My Name Is Red a novel by Pamuk, is superior to "Istanbul," which may result from the fact that it was translated by a different (native Turkish) translator. If you're interested in Pamuk's writings as literature, "My Name is Red" might be a better choice.
If you're interested is seeing a (somewhat glamorized) view of Istanbul as it was during the period that Pamuk writes about, consider buying the DVD version of "Topkapi" (1964) Topkapi, an entertaining film in its own right in which the city is the real star.
Memorable Melancholy January 18, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
2006 Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk's "Istanbul" is a soulful memoir of a writer and his home city. OP writes about the collective melancholy of Istanbul, of its people and topography. To live there is to tap into it, to feel its history, how it has persisted in the pinch of time, geography, and cultures. And out of this collective melancholy comes the individual; in this case OP. He writes of his family history, and of his growth, as a child, a student, a son, a brother, a painter, a boyfriend, a melancholy young adult ... into a writer. He could only be a writer, in the end. He spent hours walking around the city, observing its melancholy, and wanted to write it down, to catalogue it, which he has done in his novels. It's very compelling reading, and touching at times - his first love in particular, and the conflict w/ his mother over what he was going to "be". Also, throughout the book there are photos and pictures. Normally I would find this distracting, but here they work. Many of the photos are amazing, and illustrate Istanbul's pathos.
I enjoyed this more than any of OP's fiction. If you enjoyed his fiction, this is a must read.
Istanbul:Memories and the City January 10, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The book depicts correctly the Istanbul of the late 40's and early 50's. Having resided there during that period the author reminded me and surely many other Istanbullus with nostalgia, the personal feelings, sights and sounds of that Great City
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