Orhan Pamuk
Orhan Pamuk
Ferit Orhan Pamukis a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, his work has sold over thirteen million books in sixty-three languages, making him the country's best-selling writer...
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth7 June 1952
CityIstanbul, Turkey
children writing needs
I need a moment of time for myself every day, like a child playing with his things. When I travel, I routinely find a quiet place, open my diary and write something in it.
writing remembrance needs
Writing my own diary is the best form of remembrance, but only for my own use. I need these notes; it's like an impulse.
reading thinking diaries
I very much enjoy reading other writers' diaries, mainly because it makes me ask myself: Are they like you? How do they think?
islands intellectual culture
I identify with my culture, but I am happy to be living on a tolerant, intellectual island where I can deal with Dostoyevsky and Sartre, both great influences for me.
giving feelings magic
My diary has its own kind of magic. It gives me the feeling of having accomplished something. On days when I don't have time for this, I feel tortured.
tension explosives
When something explosive is kept hidden away, a tension builds within that must ultimately be released.
writing turkeys want
I am proud to be a Turk, and to write in Turkish about Turkey - and to have been translated into about 40 languages. But I don't want to politicize things by dramatizing them.
atheist historical culture
I consider myself a person who comes from a Muslim culture. In any case, I would not say that I'm an atheist. So I'm a Muslim who associates historical and cultural identification with this religion.
religious literature complicated
My religion is complicated. Literature is my true religion. After all, I come from a completely non-religious family.
home turkeys istanbul
National consciousness is truly a miraculous thing. When I am not in Turkey I feel even more Turkish than in Istanbul. But when I'm home my European side becomes more apparent.
artist craftsman
I certainly see myself more as a craftsman than as an artist.
skills talent craftsman
Without patience and the skill of a craftsman, even the greatest talent is wasted.
exile
No one drives me into exile, not even the nationalists.
blue views cities
I sometimes joke that I am the first writer of historical fiction who can look out his window and point to the objects in his novels. I have a view of the entrance to the Bosporus, the old city, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque.