Istanbul: Memories and the City

Helps you to find real Turkey and find out more about local culture

"huzun"...all about huzun...stunning!

This book comes not only with personal memories of the author of the city but beautiful, old black and white photographs of Istanbul. The honest, sometimes painful and sad nostalgia felt by the author for his hometown is splendidly recorded into words. The description of snow falling in the city with Haghia Sophia in the backdrop and the Bosphorus of Pamuk's childhood indeed evokes the inner...more

This book comes not only with personal memories of the author of the city but beautiful, old black and white photographs of Istanbul. The honest, sometimes painful and sad nostalgia felt by the author for his hometown is splendidly recorded into words. The description of snow falling in the city with Haghia Sophia in the backdrop and the Bosphorus of Pamuk's childhood indeed evokes the inner melancholia in me that Pamuk describes as 'huzun'. You don't have to be Turkish to appreciate the book, or the greatness of a city from an era long gone. I think this book is a perfect read for anyone who has been or want to go to Istanbul.   hide

worth the Nobel Prize

I know Orhan Pamuk is a Great Writer, so I blame my own flawed character and tastes for the fact that I didn't really like this book. I came back from a trip to Turkey wanting to read all about that fascinating country - Ottoman Muslim civilization layered over Byzantine Christian civilization, the meeting of Europe and Asia, Ataturk's vision for a modern, secular republic, etc. Instead I got...more

I know Orhan Pamuk is a Great Writer, so I blame my own flawed character and tastes for the fact that I didn't really like this book. I came back from a trip to Turkey wanting to read all about that fascinating country - Ottoman Muslim civilization layered over Byzantine Christian civilization, the meeting of Europe and Asia, Ataturk's vision for a modern, secular republic, etc. Instead I got scattered, dreamy musings about what its like to be Orhan Pamuk growing up in Istanbul - I probably should have realized that upon seeing a selection of chapter titles including: "Me", "Fights With My Older Brother", and "My Grandmother." Crisp delivery of facts and information is not really his thing. So it was probably a misalignment of expectations - I wanted a history textbook and instead got a memoir; don't hold that against Pamuk. (although, as an aside, I didn't really like "My Name is Red" either, OK? So maybe he's not that great? Just sayin.)   hide

Istanbul: Memories and the City is basically a compilation of the author's memories of his childhood city. It should be read for the author's beautiful way of putting down real life scenes into words. Not just that, he does a great job of creating the same emotional state in the reader's mind as he would have been into at the time of the actual happening of an event. He recounts the...more

Istanbul: Memories and the City is basically a compilation of the author's memories of his childhood city. It should be read for the author's beautiful way of putting down real life scenes into words. Not just that, he does a great job of creating the same emotional state in the reader's mind as he would have been into at the time of the actual happening of an event. He recounts the minutest of details off his memories of Istanbul and while he does that, adds a philosophical touch to it. Things that happen in our daily lives and are often ignored start seeming meaningful to you. Due to the author's rich language and more than that his philosophical way of describing simple things require the reader to pay attention while reading the book. Also, I feel that on some occasions the author has gone too deep into the details which can cause the reader to lose interest.   hide

One of the best books I've ever read. The only book where I wished to keep reading the same pages over and over again. I'm not a proponent of the idea that books should exist to showcase the author's style but this book is written in such a heartbreakingly beautiful way, it's unputdownable even when the subject matter takes a backseat to his writing genius. This is not to say that the subject...more

One of the best books I've ever read. The only book where I wished to keep reading the same pages over and over again. I'm not a proponent of the idea that books should exist to showcase the author's style but this book is written in such a heartbreakingly beautiful way, it's unputdownable even when the subject matter takes a backseat to his writing genius. This is not to say that the subject does not receive the attention it deserves; indeed Pamuk is at his best when he writes about the city that he is madly in love with - even when he is drawing up a laundry list of things he abhors about Istanbul. Too bad this passion doesn't extend to his fiction work - My Name is Red was yawn inducing at its best.   hide

The best of this book is in showing the relation between our lives and the places we live in. There is no question that to live in a place like Istanbul, rises this relation to the highest levels. Let's cite Orhan: "Was this the secret of Istanbul - that beneath its grand history, its living poverty, its outward-looking monuments and its sublime landscapes, its poor hid the...more

The best of this book is in showing the relation between our lives and the places we live in. There is no question that to live in a place like Istanbul, rises this relation to the highest levels. Let's cite Orhan: "Was this the secret of Istanbul - that beneath its grand history, its living poverty, its outward-looking monuments and its sublime landscapes, its poor hid the city's soul inside a fragile web? But here we have come full circle, for anything we say about the city's essence, says more about our own lives and our own states of mind. The city has no centre other than ourselves." Another fantastic part of the book describes specific melancholy, called "Hüzün" in modern Turkish ( ḥuzn in Arabic). This very concept, the idea of failed life, the lost of something, defines deep meaning of Istanbul's character during the most of XX and XXI century - after the demise of Ottoman Empire, and subsequent westernization, secularization and modernization. It was one of the greatest books I ever read, and I recommend it with all my heart.   hide

A four star experience - no doubt about it. I could write a lot about this book. First of all I think that Orhan Pamuk is describing 'his' city in a most interesting and captivating way. This goes for his description of the Istanbul 'hüzün', the melancholy, as for his narrative concerning different people in his family, in the city, famous writers and others. He conveys the feeling he tries to...more

A four star experience - no doubt about it. I could write a lot about this book. First of all I think that Orhan Pamuk is describing 'his' city in a most interesting and captivating way. This goes for his description of the Istanbul 'hüzün', the melancholy, as for his narrative concerning different people in his family, in the city, famous writers and others. He conveys the feeling he tries to share with us, the readers, in a most convincing way. The struggle between 'the old' Constantinople and 'the new' Istanbul is also depicted in a very interesting and suggestive manner. 'Melancholy' is the most frequent word used in this book I believe and Pamuks dissertation of the word is very interesting and clarifying. His own connection and bonds to the city is also interesting to her him write about. He is Istanbul and Istanbul is him and at least him without Istanbul wouldn't be anyone at all.   hide