White Castle

Author: Orhan Pamuk
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: Winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature, Orhan Pamuk's historical novel. A group of pirates, an Ottoman Pasha, and an astrologer in Eastern civilization come together to tell a fable of Eastern-Western identity. A work that is perfectly fitting and full of exotic charm. It excellently balances the overly assertive West and the overly conventional Middle East as perceived by Mr. Pamuk. In an instant, the two meet. — The New York Times White Castle is a masterpiece not because it evokes the era, but because it explores the myth of the individual, and because Pamuk encompasses such profound thoughts within such a simple story. — The Guardian Where cold and hot air merge in the sky, rain and dew will inevitably fall; where cold and warm currents meet in the ocean, fish will thrive; where multiple cultures collide in human society, outstanding writers and works are always produced. Therefore, it can be said that the city of Istanbul came first, and then came Pamuk's novel. — Mo Yan A young Venetian scholar is captured and becomes a slave to the Turkish Hoca. The two are astonishingly physically similar. Over time, they become even more familiar with each other's life experiences and habits than the other. They team up to combat a plague sweeping across the Turkish homeland. Hoca is promoted to an astrologer at the imperial palace, while the Venetian becomes the sultan's confidant. They even invent a weapon for the sultan to use against Poland and its Western allies. The weapon is deployed during the siege of the "White Castle," of course, and they inevitably fail. At this moment, under the shadow of the castle and in the thick fog, Hoca chooses to flee, heading toward his imagined city of Venice, while the Venetian remains as a substitute to continue Hoca's life.