Title: A Strangeness in My Mind
Author: Orhan Pamuk
First published December 12, 2014
624 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780571275977 (ISBN10: 0571275974)
Rating: 4.14
Overview
For six years, Orhan Pamuk has crafted a fascinating novel that delves into the life of Mevlut, a boza seller in Istanbul. Mevlut has spent four decades working on the bustling streets of the city, selling everything from yoghurt to guarding a car park.
As he navigates through the crowds, he observes the transformative moments that shape the country, from political clashes to military coups. Despite witnessing these changes, Mevlut always feels a sense of strangeness in his mind, wondering what sets him apart from everyone else.
Along the way, he writes three years’ worth of love letters to a woman he adores, trying to understand the true nature of their relationship. Through Mevlut’s story, this novel explores the complexities of love and fate, and how our choices may or may not determine our happiness.
Pamuk also portrays the tensions between urban life and family life, and the struggles that women face within their homes. A Strangeness in My Mind is a captivating tale that will leave readers questioning the forces that shape our lives.
About the Author
Orhan Pamuk was born in Istanbul in 1952 and grew up in a large family in the wealthy neighborhood of Nisantasi, which he later wrote about in his novels Cevdet Bey and His Sons and The Black Book. As a child, he was passionate about painting and dreamed of becoming an artist.
After studying architecture for three years at Istanbul Technical University, he decided to pursue a career in writing and graduated in journalism from Istanbul University.
At the age of 23, Pamuk retreated into his apartment to focus on writing and seven years later, his first novel was published. The novel, which tells the story of three generations of a wealthy Istanbul family, won both the Orhan Kemal and Milliyet literary prizes.
Pamuk’s international fame came with the publication of his novel The White Castle, which tells the story of a Venetian slave and an Ottoman scholar. He wrote most of his novel The Black Book while he was a visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York from 1985 to 1988.
In 1991, Pamuk’s daughter Rüya was born, and he took a critical stance towards the Turkish state in articles about human rights and freedom of thought. His novel Snow, which explores the tension between political Islamists, soldiers, secularists, and Kurdish and Turkish nationalists, was published in 2002 and was selected as one of the best 100 books of 2004 by The New York Times.
Pamuk’s most recent book, Istanbul, is a mix of memoir and essay about the city of Istanbul, illustrated with photographs and paintings. In 2006, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his ability to write about the past and present with the same intensity, and for his contributions to the art of the novel.
Editoral Review
A Strangeness in My Mind by Orhan Pamuk is a stunning novel that tells the story of a street vendor named Mevlut Karatas, who wanders the streets of Istanbul with his hors-d’oeuvre cart for forty years. The novel was first published on December 12, 2014, and it represents a significant work of modern literature.
Orhan Pamuk is a Nobel Prize-winning Turkish novelist who has created several bestselling novels, including My Name is Red and Snow. A Strangeness in My Mind is another great literary work that showcases Pamuk’s mastery of storytelling and his ability to interweave the narratives of different characters in a complex and satisfying way.
The genre of the novel is historical fiction, and Pamuk’s writing style is characterized by his ability to capture the mood and atmosphere of the places and characters he writes about. He creates a sense of nostalgia for the old Istanbul, which he describes in detail through the eyes of his main character.
The plot of A Strangeness in My Mind revolves around Mevlut Karatas, a food vendor who wanders the streets of Istanbul for forty years, selling Turkish delicacies such as boza and skewered mutton. The novel spans four decades, starting from the 1950s when Mevlut is a young boy from a village, to the early 2000s when he finally finds a sense of belonging in the city he loves.
The main characters in the novel are Mevlut Karatas, his wife Rayiha, his childhood sweetheart Samiha, and his brothers, Ali and Mustafa. The setting is Istanbul, a city that Pamuk knows intimately, and he provides a rich and detailed portrayal of its streets, neighborhoods, and landmarks.
The conflicts in the novel stem from Mevlut’s struggle to find a sense of purpose and belonging in a rapidly changing city. He is a man who feels out of place in Istanbul, but he is also a man who cannot leave the city he loves.
He is forced to confront the limitations of his life and to come to terms with the consequences of his choices. One of the significant historical and cultural significance of A Strangeness in My Mind is that it captures the social and political changes that occurred in Turkey during the second half of the 20th century.
The novel chronicles the rise of urbanization, the emergence of a new middle class, and the impact of modernization on traditional Turkish society. It also explores the themes of culture, identity, and belonging in a country that is struggling to find its place in the world.
The strengths of the novel lie in Pamuk’s ability to create an immersive and engaging narrative that draws the reader into the world of Mevlut Karatas. He creates a sense of empathy and compassion for his characters that makes readers care deeply about their struggles and triumphs.
The pacing of the novel is excellent, and the plot structure is well crafted, with several interweaving storylines that come together in a satisfying and meaningful way. The weaknesses of the novel are few and far between.
Some readers may find the novel’s length to be a bit daunting, and others may feel that certain characters are underdeveloped. However, these are minor criticisms that do not detract from the overall quality of the novel.
In conclusion, A Strangeness in My Mind is a brilliant and deeply moving novel that deserves a place among the great works of modern literature. It is a book that captures the complexities and contradictions of human experience in a way that is both profound and engaging.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, character-driven novels, or simply great storytelling. I give A Strangeness in My Mind a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
