Good day! Thanks for joining the A Riot of Reading blog. As we enter the beginning of our book, My Name is Red, let's take a moment to meet the author Orhan Pamuk.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/conversation/july-dec02/pamuk_11-20.html
Our assignment for this first week:
1) Sign in as follower to A Riot of Reading blog
2) Introduce yourself to the group by entering some information about yourself in the profile section
3) Read chapters 1-3
4) Post your comment about the reading and/or answer the following question:
"What are some of my perceptions of the country of Turkey as I begin my exploration of this novel?"
Remember to complete your assignment before Monday August 8th and if you have discovered any interesting articles, photos, maps, interviews, websites, etc. related to our reading in general or more specifically relating to chapters 1-3, please share the links with the group.
Teşekkürler!
10 comments:
My understanding of the country of Turkey is very limited. I remember hearing about Turkey during the Iraq War as being a possible place where the Taliban could travel across the border from one country to another. I really don't know much about the culture or the history of Turkey except for what I read in the introduction to this book at the World Literature site that Jan linked. I'm looking forward to leaning a lot from this reading group.
From what little I have read in this novel it seems to be a little morbid in a couple different places. For example the part where he is thinking about his body decomposing so people would smell the stench and eventually find his body.
Hi there I have just joined this group in the most impolite of ways.
Unfortunately I cannot join in reading this book as by the time it arrives from Amazon you will be half way thr ,but perhaps as a European living in England I can at least contribute to our perceptions of Turkey .At school "I met Constantine !" an developed an awareness of Christian Art .This was a place where cultures met and contrasted and now in the recession there is debate here about Turkey joining the E.U .Many Brits spend holidays in Turkey and I have yet to meet one who does not find it a fascinating place.I shall follow your journey thr this book listening carefully and hope to join you in your next choice.
Jackie: I too, don't know much at all about Turkey, except that it is a place that intrigues me because of it's ancient and varied history. So I too am looking forward to learning more about Turkey.
Ray: Yes! To open your novel with a chapter spoken by a corpse is indeed morbid. But, it did get our attention, didn't it!
Dear Jackie, Ray, and SilverHoody (Gilly): Thank you for your honest and sincere introductions. I will enjoy exploring this book with each of you.
Well, I finally found this comments section. I'm not sure exactly how I got here though and hope I can find it again after we read the next 3 chapters.
Silver Hoody, the chapters are very short so if your book arrives soon I am sure you can catch up with the readings. I hope you will join us. Perhaps we can slow down a bit if that will help and Jan and Ray don't object. Jan, is that a possibility?
Yes, no problem! We will slow down the reading until Gilly (Silverhoody) let's us know she received her book.
Hi every ,
The book arrived today and I have read Chapters 1-3.
At the moment here in the UK we are experiencing riots and in researching Jan's notes I found this reference from the author of this book
"If you want a peaceful world, those who are not benefiting from the way it is run, their anger, the way they feel that they are mistreated, their fury, their frustration should definitely be addressed. They should not be called, you know, fundamentalists, radicals, Islam... whatever religion they belong to. These things should not be despised in a condescending language, should not be looked down upon." he goes on to say that literature helps us explore these things "
It seems that this book is exploring both difference and identity e.g East meets West Christianity meets Islam .I enjoyed the first chapter where we have an invitation to view this soul caught in the layers between life death and eternity giving a "spiritual" pespective to thinking .What things are important to this "soul " whilst it awaits for his death to be discovered . In this place emotioms here seem dulled because we see things at a step removed .
For me the references to snow falling were a means of covering bad memory and replacing it with the refreshing new light of snow . As for the miniaturists who record in detail images forbidden by their faith I find the book is asking us to understand how our attitudes to life and change influence our response to it.It raises my awareness of the way institutions have the capacity to shape that response too.
Silverhoody's quote by author Pamuk is perhaps the best reason for reading this book and it makes the ready very timely. Personally, I hope to learn about and understand a culture very different from my own. Learning to respect differences and identifying similarities will guide me to treat people with more compassion.
A beautiful description Silverhoody, of a "soul caught between life, death and eternity."
Yes, we will be watching for the meaning of "snow" in this novel and the image of the black dog.
Thank you for your comments
Silverhoody, I am happy that you have received the book and are joining this book discussion. Your point of view is very enlightening. I also like your beautiful description of a "soul caught between life, death and eternity." I also hope things are quieting down in the UK.
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