A Strangeness in My Mind - Softcover

Pamuk, Orhan

4.14

14,902 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0571276008 ISBN 13: 9780571276004

Publisher: Faber & Faber, 2016

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

A Strangeness In My Mind is a novel Orhan Pamuk has worked on for six years. It is the story of boza seller Mevlut, the woman to whom he wrote three years' worth of love letters, and their life in Istanbul. In the four decades between 1969 and 2012, Mevlut works a number of different jobs on the streets of Istanbul, from selling yoghurt and cooked rice, to guarding a car park. He observes many different kinds of people thronging the streets, he watches most of the city get demolished and re-built, and he sees migrants from Anatolia making a fortune; at the same time, he witnesses all of the transformative moments, political clashes, and military coups that shape the country. He always wonders what it is that separates him from everyone else - the source of that strangeness in his mind. But he never stops selling boza during winter evenings and trying to understand who his beloved really is. What matters more in love: what we wish for, or what our fate has in store? Do our choices dictate whether we will be happy or not, or are these things determined by forces beyond our control? A Strangeness In My Mind tries to answer these questions while portraying the tensions between urban life and family life, and the fury and helplessness of women inside their homes.

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Review:

Magnificent . . . a robust, affectionate chronicle . . . The book spills over with detail . . . [and] each of its sections . . . has the amplitude of most single novels . . . With the lightest of touches, [Pamuk] crosses his characters everyday routines against large-scale social and political disturbances . . . [Readers] won t forget Mevlut or Mr. Pamuk s Istanbul. Both seem too vital to exist only in the pages of a book.
Sam Sacks, "The" "Wall Street Journal"
A complex psychological drama . . . [and] a tremendous concatenation of voices and places and politics and culture, gathered around a melancholy hero . . . [written with] virtuosic craft, intellectual richness, emotional subtlety and a feeling of freedom that comes from a narrative that finds its most meaningful moments in the side streets of storytelling . . . ["A Strangeness in My Mind"] wrestles with the complexity of an ever-changing city . . . Most delightful are first-person monologues by the characters themselves . . . It s very funny, while also allowing into Mevlut s tale the colorful voices and contending perspectives of the world around him . . . For Pamuk the vision of life as a complex web of knowable things provides a terrifically interesting way to write a book.
Martin Riker, "The""New York Times Book Review
"
One of Pamuk s most enjoyable novels and an ideal place to begin for readers who want to get to know him . . . Pamuk does for Istanbul something like what James Joyce did for Dublin . . . He captures not just the look and feel of the city, but its culture, its beliefs and traditions, its people and their values . . . A love letter to modern Turkey.
Adam Kirsch, " The Washington Post"
""
Pamuk s boundless compassion . . . makes the life of a struggling street vendor become, on the page, as monumental and as worthy of our attention as a sultan s . . . [His] impulse to ennoble the most humble among us is perhaps the best reason to read Pamuk s work . . . Since becoming Turkey s first Nobel laureate for literature in 2006, [he] has written complex, ambitious books with the kind of energy one might expect from a young novelist.
Anthony Marra, ""San Francisco Chronicle"
"
A textured and rewarding narrative . . . Some of the most memorable chapters are interior monologues from women who, every day, must negotiate defiance and deferral to their men and their in-laws . . . [Pamuk] chooses multiple perspectives over moral judgment, which allows him to focus on the inner lives of his characters as they shape the city that, in turn, shapes them. "
"The Economist
"
" Filled with . . . rich specificity, creating for readers a world that feels, smells and tastes alive . . . Pamuk is such a skilled writer that he renders the most esoteric, seemingly banal topics fascinating . . . "Strangeness" is light and funny. Pamuk's perspective is generous. He takes a long view of history . . . a remarkable feat.
Trine Tsouderos, "Chicago Tribune"
The women in these pages are fabulous . . . In the midst of the massive sprawl that is Istanbul, at the juncture of West and East, Pamuk uses a bickering crowd of family and friends to tell the story of a factious, ever-changing culture and its many points of discord.
Laura Collins-Hughes, "The Boston Globe"
""
There s no finer novelist living today . . . With "A Strangeness in My Mind" the author has made Istanbul into one of the world s great literary cities . . . Reading Pamuk is like sipping a glass of fine wine or reading a late Dickens novel. Writers don t get any better.
Charles R. Larson, "Counterpunch"
Beautifully done, suffused with a nostalgic light . . . It is a big book, bristling with paraphernalia: indexes, character lists and epigraphs. But it is also an intimate one, contrasting 40 years of Istanbul s political and demographic upheaval with the quotidian experiences of some of its inhabitants . . . A study of urban modernisation and a lament for a time before the single-mindedness of reformers.
Jon Day, "Financial Times "(UK)
Magnificent . . . [a] sprawling story that Pamuk tells, and Ekin Oklap translates, with panache . . . At the same time as posing philosophical questions about the importance of intentions over outcomes, Pamuk celebrates marriage, parenthood and even quarrelsome extended family . . .
[He] is becoming that rare author who writes his best books after winning the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Max Liu, "The Independent "(UK)
Above all a love letter to the city in all its faded, messy, dusty glory . . . ["A Strangeness in My Mind" is] a vast collection of characters, events, houses, food, objects that, the reader realises at the end of 600 pages, are summed up in the name Istanbul.
Alberto Manguel, "The Guardian" (UK)
Warm and gently engrossing . . . the story of modern Istanbul, of how a decaying, mixed, cosmopolitan city has been massively expanded and transformed by poor migrants from Anatolia. It has a political dimension . . . but at its heart, this is a novel about work, love and family.
Theo Tait, "The Sunday Times" (UK)
[A] carefully detailed and compassionately told tale of life in Istanbul over the last 60 years . . . Pamuk has added another major work to his oeuvre . . . The novel s central concerns are human nature, communication, and interpersonal relationships, and this great writer explores these themes with a universal warmth, wit, and intelligence.
James Coan, "Library Journal"
Mesmerizing . . . A sweeping epic . . . The fable-like story s chief protagonist is the ruminative Mevlut Karatas . . . His walkabouts and skirmishes with his family are engrossing, but what really stands out is Pamuk s treatment of Istanbul s evolution into a noisy, corrupt, and modernized city . . . This is a thoroughly immersive journey through the arteries of Pamuk s culturally rich yet politically volatile and class- and gender-divided homeland.
"Publishers Weekly" (starred review, Review of the Day, Pick of the Week)
Rich, complex, and pulsing with urban life: one of this gifted writer's best . . . As Pamuk follows his believably flawed protagonist and a teeming cast of supporting players across five decades, Turkey's turbulent politics provide a thrumming undercurrent of unease . . . Pamuk celebrates the city's vibrant traditional culture and mourns its passing in wonderfully atmospheric passages . . . [and] recalls the great Victorian novelists as he ranges confidently from near-documentary passages on real estate machinations and the privatization of electrical service to pensive meditations on the gap between people's public posturing and private beliefs.
"Kirkus" (starred review)

"From the Hardcover edition.""

One of the Best Books of the Year
" The Washington Post" "The Wall Street Journal" "San Francisco Chronicle" "Financial Times" "Los Angeles Times" "The Boston Globe" "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"
A magnificent novel. "The Wall Street Journal"
Pamuk does for Istanbul something like what James Joyce did for Dublin. He captures not just the look and feel of the city, but its culture, its beliefs and traditions, its people and their values. "The Washington Post"
Delightful. . . . Tremendous. . . . [Written with] virtuosic craft, intellectual richness, emotional subtlety and a feeling of freedom. "The New York Times Book Review"
Complex, ambitious. . . . It is Pamuk s boundless compassion that makes the life of a struggling street vendor become, on the page, as monumental and as worthy of our attention as a sultan s. Anthony Marra, "San Francisco Chronicle"
An unconventional love story. . . . A hymn to life s physical and mental chaos. "The New York Times Book Review"
Reading Pamuk is like sipping a glass of fine wine or reading a late Dickens novel. Writers don t get any better. . . . With"A Strangeness in My Mind"the author has made Istanbul into one of the world s great literary cities. "Counterpunch"
A glorious and teeming everyman epic. "The Boston Globe"
A remarkable feat. . . . Light and funny. Pamuk s perspective is generous. He takes a long view of history. The intermingling, and clashes, of cultures and peoples are part of what makes a city great, he suggests. "Chicago Tribune"
Poignant. . . . There are no uncomplicated human beings for Pamuk, who takes as one of his principal themes here the gulf between what people say publicly and think privately. "Los Angeles Times"
A textured and rewarding narrative. "The Economist"
Warm and gently engrossing. . . . At its heart, this is a novel about work, love and family. "The Sunday Times"(London)
Beautifully done, suffused with a nostalgic light. "Financial Times"
Passages recall Wordsworth, that champion walker from whose greatest poem Pamuk takes this novel s title. . . . [A] humble boza seller and his transfiguring imagination underscore why we re drawn to the Nobel-winning double who has imagined him. "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"
Magnificent. . . . Pamuk is becoming that rare author who writes his best books after winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. "The Independent"(London)
A fictional continuation of "Istanbul." . . . A nuanced novel that asks questions many are too afraid to utter: What if we are left behind, unable to adapt to a rapidly changing world? What if we dedicate our life to something that doesn t matter? "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"
Mesmerizing. . . . A thoroughly immersive journey through the arteries of Pamuk s culturally rich yet politically volatile and class- and gender-divided homeland. "Publishers Weekly"(starred)
"A Strangeness in My Mind" is more than a coming-of-age story. It is also about the transformation of a city and a fascinating one at that. "Portland Press Herald"
Rich, complex, and pulsing with urban life: one of this gifted writer s best. "Kirkus""Reviews"(starred)
Pamuk captures the rapid growth and change of his beloved city. NPR
[A] carefully detailed and compassionately told tale. . . . [Pamuk writes] with a universal warmth, wit, and intelligence. "Library Journal""

One of the Best Books of the Year
The Washington Post The Wall Street Journal San Francisco Chronicle Financial Times Los Angeles Times The Boston Globe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A magnificent novel. The Wall Street Journal
Pamuk does for Istanbul something like what James Joyce did for Dublin. He captures not just the look and feel of the city, but its culture, its beliefs and traditions, its people and their values. The Washington Post
Delightful. . . . Tremendous. . . . [Written with] virtuosic craft, intellectual richness, emotional subtlety and a feeling of freedom. The New York Times Book Review
Complex, ambitious. . . . It is Pamuk s boundless compassion that makes the life of a struggling street vendor become, on the page, as monumental and as worthy of our attention as a sultan s. Anthony Marra, San Francisco Chronicle
An unconventional love story. . . . A hymn to life s physical and mental chaos. The New York Times
Reading Pamuk is like sipping a glass of fine wine or reading a late Dickens novel. Writers don t get any better. . . . WithA Strangeness in My Mindthe author has made Istanbul into one of the world s great literary cities. Counterpunch
A glorious and teeming everyman epic. The Boston Globe
A remarkable feat. . . . Light and funny. Pamuk s perspective is generous. He takes a long view of history. The intermingling, and clashes, of cultures and peoples are part of what makes a city great, he suggests. Chicago Tribune
Poignant. . . . There are no uncomplicated human beings for Pamuk, who takes as one of his principal themes here the gulf between what people say publicly and think privately. Los Angeles Times
A textured and rewarding narrative. The Economist
Warm and gently engrossing. . . . At its heart, this is a novel about work, love and family. The Sunday Times(London)
Beautifully done, suffused with a nostalgic light. Financial Times
Passages recall Wordsworth, that champion walker from whose greatest poem Pamuk takes this novel s title. . . . [A] humble boza seller and his transfiguring imagination underscore why we re drawn to the Nobel-winning double who has imagined him. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Magnificent. . . . Pamuk is becoming that rare author who writes his best books after winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Independent(London)
A fictional continuation of Istanbul. . . . A nuanced novel that asks questions many are too afraid to utter: What if we are left behind, unable to adapt to a rapidly changing world? What if we dedicate our life to something that doesn t matter? Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mesmerizing. . . . A thoroughly immersive journey through the arteries of Pamuk s culturally rich yet politically volatile and class- and gender-divided homeland. Publishers Weekly(starred)
A Strangeness in My Mind is more than a coming-of-age story. It is also about the transformation of a city and a fascinating one at that. Portland Press Herald
Rich, complex, and pulsing with urban life: one of this gifted writer s best. KirkusReviews(starred)
Pamuk captures the rapid growth and change of his beloved city. NPR
[A] carefully detailed and compassionately told tale. . . . [Pamuk writes] with a universal warmth, wit, and intelligence. Library Journal"

From the Author:

Orhan Pamuk, is the author of many celebrated books, including The White Castle, Istanbul and Snow. In 2003 he won the International IMPAC Award for My Name is Red, and in 2006 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. His most recent novel, The Museum of Innocence, was an international bestseller, praised in the Guardian as 'an enthralling, immensely enjoyable piece of storytelling.' Orhan Pamuk lives in Istanbul.

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