"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."

Gifted to Pequete, on the occasion of the wishlist raffle.

It's been a while that I wanted to give you this book - I guess you'll love the descriptons of the illumination works - but it was hard to find.
So, here it is, used, yellowed, a little bit torn. No doubt a book full of personality.

I would say wonderfully yellowed, and looking like it has been read a few times, just as I like them.
Thank you for organising this raffle and for taking the time to find it, irus, I am sure I will love it!

I have started this book with a great deal of enthusiasm to find it fading away as I read through. This is still a good book and I am glad I’ve read it but my mass market paperback edition has 670 pages and I believe it could easily have been reduced to 400 and this would have made it better.

As much as I admire the way the author manages to transport us to 1590s Istanbul and build a very convincing historical novel around a crime mystery, his allusions to pedophilia were just too many and too uncomfortable, too say the least. I know this sort of master-apprentice relation was common practice at the time and it would be weird not to mention it while giving an accurate portrait of a XVI century Ottoman illustration workshop. However, these references were so frequent that they became almost obsessive.

Actually, the fact that the text is often very repetitive was another issue I had with this book. I think that if it wasn’t for the relatively short chapters, constant swap between narrative voices, and the beautifully nostalgic tone I’ve come to identify as genuinely Pamuksian, I might not have read it until the end.

Vai viajar para a MariaNunes em breve.

The book is on its way to Maria-Nunes, I hope you enjoy it!

Currently reading (still on the first pages )

I really liked reading this historical novel (with great art details). I find it very interesting.