Interestingly, although Enishte is seen by his ideological opponent Master Osman as a threat to tradition, he is depicted as someone with deep respect and belief for the tradition of Islam. Likewise, Master Osman’s contempt for the Venetians represents neo-Ottomanism. The Sultan’s and Enishte’s desire to emulate the Venetians as much as possible and to apply the Venetian ideologies to their Ottoman artwork represents the tension between secularism/Kemalism in modern-day Turkey. The translator of My Name is Red, Erdag Goknar, writes that “Pamuk ‘translates’ post-1980s Turkish dilemmas through the medium of an Ottoman context.” Although the connection is not explicit, that these two styles are at odds with each other in the book is representative of (or, to use Goknar’s term, “translates” to) the two main conflicting ideologies in modern-day Turkey: neo-Ottomanism and secularism (or Kemalism). The difference between the two opposing views sharpens as the novel progresses: the traditionalist view considers it sinful to copy the Venetians and disregard the style of the miniaturist “masters of old,” while the more liberal or progressive view sees no harm and in fact encourages the adoption of the new Venetian style. To do this, Enishte must work with the Sultan’s workshop of miniaturists, led by Master Osman, a strict adherer to traditional Ottoman and Persian painting methods. The Sultan commissions “Enishte,” an expert in Venetian style, to compose a secret book glorifying the Sultan and his reign.

The main conflict in My Name is Red is centered on the disagreement on whether it is legitimate for the Sultan to copy the new styles of the Venetians in miniaturist paintings or not. The entire book is an experiment based on collective memory and the politics of nostalgia, as it delicately balances cautious adherence to the past and fearless innovation for the future. In My Name is Red, Pamuk aims to educate readers about important themes in 16th century Ottoman Istanbul, and more importantly to show us how those themes can find sympathy and similitude in other historical contexts, particularly in the 12th-13th centuries, when many of the “old masters” referred to in the novel lived. While the connection between the ideologies in the 16th and 20th/21st centuries are implicit, Pamuk’s book offers a metaphoric reading on political, cultural, social, and religious interactions and ideologies of modern-day Turkey. In his book My Name is Red, Orhan Pamuk tells a story of miniaturists in sixteenth century Istanbul that provokes reflection on contemporary events in the world. A Book Review of My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

My name is red