How does one stay whole, sane, live with integrity amidst contradictions? {Snow by Orhan Pamuk} @ReadNobels

How does one stay whole, sane, live with integrity amidst contradictions?

About Snow by Orhan Pamuk: Dread, yearning, identity, intrigue, the lethal chemistry between secular doubt and Islamic fanaticism–these are the elements that Orhan Pamuk anneals in this masterful, disquieting novel. An exiled poet named Ka returns to Turkey and travels to the forlorn city of Kars. His ostensible purpose is to report on a wave of suicides among religious girls forbidden to wear their head-scarves. But Ka is also drawn by his memories of the radiant Ipek, now recently divorced. Amid blanketing snowfall and universal suspicion, Ka finds himself pursued by figures ranging from Ipek’s ex-husband to a charismatic terrorist. A lost gift returns with ecstatic suddenness. A theatrical evening climaxes in a massacre. And finding god may be the prelude to losing everything else. Touching, slyly comic, and humming with cerebral suspense, Snow is of immense relevance to our present moment.

My two cents

So here's a review that has been languishing in draft. It's because I couldn't pick up another book for maybe about a week after reading this book: it gave me such a horrendous book hangover. In the best possible way: it provoked, it triggered so much in me. It got to me, ok, pretty hard.

This book is deceiving; it doesn't look all that thick but it is actually 426 pages, and crack it open and the text is tiny! Dense. I struggled to get past that fact in the beginning but once I made it into the second chapter, I was hooked. It is a pithy novel, like someone poured their life into it, and I doubt that's not far from the truth for Orhan Pamuk.

I loved that this was such a challenging read. I find it disconcerting that reviews are polarized. But I understand where people are coming from - it's hard to get around the fact that this is about a depressingly solitary and misunderstood life in a far flung country whose realities I know little about (although sadly, plenty in the news lately). But surprisingly that's what I loved about it: learning and getting out of my comfort zone, and realizing that despite country, culture, religion, everyone is merely trying to live their lives the best they can.

Collage of Kars, Turkey. 
By Kars Church Of The Apostles 2009.JPG: Bjørn Christian TørrissenKars Kalesi1.jpg: Sabri76Kars Panorama.JPG: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen - Derived from other images, as noted under Author, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34628630

Ka's solitary life is cobbled together from the viewpoint of Orhan Pamuk who is Ka's friend. Notice the author insertion here? In that respect, this reminded me of Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco. And like Syjuco's presentation of Philippine history, Pamuk allows us a glimpse Turkey's history, one where religion, politics, and power is complicated and multifaceted. The traditional clashes with the modern; nationalism is at odds with the status quo towards assimilation; Islamic belief, secularism and traditional religion are a contradictory mix; and the Eastern and Western belief systems collide. I wonder: how does one stay whole, sane, and live with integrity amidst these contradictions?

I love how Blue, Kars's resident revolutionary, is able to make sense of the dilemma:

"I refuse to be European, and I won't ape their ways. Im going to live my own history and be no one but myself. I for one believe it's possible to be happy without being a mock European, without becoming their slave. There's a word Europhiles very commonly use when they denigrate our people: to be a true Westerner a person must first become an individual, and then they go on to say that in Turkey, there are no individuals! Well, that's how I see my execution. I am standing up against the Westerners as an individual; it's because I'm an individual that I refuse to imitate them." - p. 314

Yet another dilemma presented is the reality of being a veiled woman in Turkey (sidenote: another book that tackles this on a more personal level is Silk Armour by Claire Sydenham, a book I highly recommend). The contradictions of revolt and freedom, of tradition and constraint is something that women must contend with daily in society to determine their own sense of identity. The rash of suicides of veiled students was an intriguing way of couching this daily struggle.

Poetry throughout, music, theatrical presentations: I reveled in the power of media in informing and agitating people, presenting fact and differing opinions, and affecting change. It highlights the fact that music and the arts is never going to disappear from our lives.

I can't not comment about the obvious theme of snow carried throughout the book -- its coldness and sadness it evokes, the stark white landscapes that it conjures. But also its beauty. Contradictions.

There is so much more to this book that I hate the idea of breaking this review down too much (plus I fear that my not completing this review will end up in my never getting this review up at all!). The most powerful thing for me about this novel is that this got me thinking and asking more questions, of learning about Turkey's multifaceted society and knowing that history shapes the lives of its inhabitants in many ways that we would never imagine possible.

Uh-ohs

There are certain aspects of this novel that raised a red flag in my mind. The most obvious is that this dense tome is intimidating. I actually read this over an entire month, in little manageable bits. I won't deny that it's heavy reading, but so totally worth it!

Another, the snow theme became academic towards the end. It kind of fell flat for me when I saw the diagrams and I thought the author carried it tad far. I often wonder with works like this if things get lost in translation (because this is a translated work), something I can only speculate about.

Setting

Set predominantly in Kars, Turkey, the landscape for this story is a fascinating mix of old and new built upon a history of conflict. Historic accounts and folkloric stories abound in this novel but one needs to read between the lines, do their research, especially if coming in from the cold.

Kars was the capital of the medieval Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia. In the 19th century, it was battled over by the Ottoman and Russian empires, with Russia eventually gaining control. During the First World War, the Ottomans took control of the city in 1918 but relinquished it to the First Republic of Armenia following the Armistice of Mudros. In 1920, Turkish revolutionaries captured captured Kars. The Treaty of Kars was signed in 1921 between the Government of the Grand National Assembly and the Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, establishing the current north-eastern boundaries of Turkey. Learn more here: Wikipedia - Kars, Turkey

Verdict

An intimidating and challenging read about the tragically solitary life of a revolutionary in Turkey. Dense, provoking and allowing for introspection, I highly recommend this for those who'd like to learn more about the history and realities of conflict-ridden countries, and those intrigued by Pamuk's ability to encapsulate the dilemma of national self-identity vis-s-vis personal self-identity in novel form.

***

I read this book as part of the Read the Nobels 2016 Reading Challenge. This is written by Nobel Prize for Literature Laureate Orhan Pamuk.

 Join the Read the Nobels 2016 Reading Challenge anytime until December 31, 2016.

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Silk Armor by Claire Sydenham

Veiled, unveiled, I am woman.

About Silk Armor by Claire Sydenham: Her name is Didem, a young Turkish university student. Though she has left her veil behind in the provincial village she grew up in, she is still watched over closely by her father and certain friends. But when she meets Victor, an American instructor at the university, and they fall in love, Didem is propelled into an entirely new and dangerous future. The obstacles and threats they face lead Didem and Victor into plans of escape, an escape Didem must keep secret.

Silk Armor follows her adventure through her battles with her community, her culture, her traditions and conscience, leading to her realization that though these battles may be lost her war can still be won.

My two cents

Claire Sydenham (and the author of this book), is a university teacher in Turkey. One of her students, Didem, is drawn to Claire's fellow teacher, Victor. Claire unwittingly finds herself as a convenient cover for Didem's disapproving father. As Didem and Victor carefully lay out their plans to start a life together in America, we become privy to the internal struggles of a young woman seeking her voice and her place in a world, a struggle borne in a lifetime and expectations of an evolving Muslim faith in Turkey.

***

This one blindsided me. Based on the synopsis, I thought I was in for a cross-cultural romance. But this is so much better ... a book with depth, with sensitive and non-judgmental characterizations, and an insightful look into women's self-identity behind (or without) the veil.

The romance is merely a springboard from which the author juxtaposed two young women—an unveiled Didem and the veiled Sevgi—who both have their self-identity so inextricably defined, shaped, even decided upon by this "silk armor," the veil. The veil has been the subject of much discussion  and controversy across the world; a heavily laden subject, with political and cultural undertones.

There are a few striking images of the veil that have stayed with me. One is of Didem's disgust when encountering heavily black veiled women she describes as "cockroaches" because she thinks the veils only serve to highlight what a woman's role is: to procreate. Another is of Claire's disappointment at Sevgi's lukewarm reaction to her gift of a beautiful forest green silk veil picked to match the colour of Sevgi's coat, and the ensuing internal dialogue of "it's not fashion, Claire."

How does this innocuous looking piece of cloth generate such deep-seated emotions and become such a hot button for heated arguments?

**

Let's flip to the other side of the romance, the other side of the tale as told by an alien Victor. As someone looking from the outside in, someone devoid of the context of culture and religion, Victor is naturally befuddled by Didem's actions, her motivations, her decisions.

Just like Victor, we revisit the childhoods of Didem and Sevgi and gain a better understanding of the familial expectations and obligations they face. We see how much more complicated it is to find love and self within, and moreso, outside of a traditional and familiar culture.

This is a complex and layered story. As we zigzag and meander dizzyingly into the past, the present, and back, we are pulled into a tale that is sad, tragic yet strangely illuminating.

***

Uh-oh: This is beautifully written and begs for a better cover... how I wished that the cover captured more the essence of the struggle, the tragedy, and the cultural richness of the tale.

Verdict: This is a tragedy and an illumination of self-identity tied in to the symbol of the veil. I highly recommend this for those who enjoy multicultural stories and those who are looking for a better understanding of the pressures modern women face within traditional cultures. This is such a satisfying read and makes my favourites for the year.

Interesting quote:

Victor was a foreigner offering her a wide and fascinating world of adventures; Mustafa was offering housework.

And yet I understood, and that's why she continued speaking with him throughout the winter. Even as she protested his plan I think she felt the rudimentary wisdom of it, the simple appeal of spending your life with someone you grew up with, who formed , as you formed, in the shape you formed [..] The needs of the heart are met in simple ways or not at all. - p. 227

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Paul!

Interesting links:

• Globe and Mail's "Behind the Veil"
• Headscarf Controversy in Turkey
• Why Americans should embrace the Veil by Clair Sydenham

 

The Black Book by Orhan Pamuk

Back Blurb of The Black Book by Orhan Pamuk: Galip is a lawyer living in Istanbul. His wife, the detective novel-loving Ruya, has disappeared. Could she have left him for her ex-husband, Celâl, a popular newspaper columnist? But Celâl, too, seems to have vanished. As Galip investigates, he finds himself assuming the enviable Celâl 's identity, wearing his clothes, answering his phone calls, even writing his columns. Galip pursues every conceivable clue, but the nature of the mystery keeps changing, and when he receives a death threat, he begins to fear the worst.

With its cascade of beguiling stories about Istanbul, The Black Book is a brilliantly unconventional mystery, and a provocative meditation on identity. For Turkish literary readers it is the cherished cult novel in which Orhan Pamuk found his original voice, but it has largely been neglected by English-language readers. Now, in Maureen Freely’s beautiful new translation, they, too, may encounter all its riches.

My take 

Whoa, what an incredible book! This is about self-awareness and self-identity. Who are we? Are we simply the product of our environment, of what we read, of what we absorb? Is there a "you" who exists apart from these influences? Is it even possible to exist without these influences?

Self identity is also tied up to nationality, as Pamuk is a Turkish writer, he has numerous references to the history and the Turkish identity; and the day-to-dayness of Turkish life.

I read this book in under a week. The storyline was gripping. There were parts that I wanted to skip whole sections because I found it dragging. But I didn't give into the temptation, and this has lent to the multi-dimensional-ness of the characters and the world in which they move in.

I loved the ending of the story of the prince. It is this book wherein it wasn't the ending per se that mattered, but how the ending reflected how the character found himself.

Great books make you think, and they make you think hard and deep about yourself, even if it hurts.

More on Orhan Pamuk:

• Orhan Pamuk, the official site
• Wikipedia
• Nobel Prize for Literature 2006