MixedThe San Francisco Chronicle...a huge and ambitious novel that is by turns charming and pedantic … Pamuk sketches a lively Istanbul at the end of the 16th century. It is a time of plagues, fires and war, where religious repression coexists with decadent social and sexual behavior … All of this allows Pamuk to explore the aesthetics of representation in great and sometimes exhausting detail. We learn about the significance of gilded borders, prescribed ways for drawing eyes and nostrils and the tension between innovation and imitation … At its best, My Name Is Red contains chapters of stunning artistry and drama, and it offers a fascinating view of life in a historic Istanbulite artist community.
