Orhan Pamuk
Orhan Pamuk
Ferit Orhan Pamukis a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, his work has sold over thirteen million books in sixty-three languages, making him the country's best-selling writer...
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth7 June 1952
CityIstanbul, Turkey
goal childhood lines
In fact, my entire childhood consisted of looking at photographs in which the viewer sees the ball behind the line, looking through the goal net, and the poor goalkeeper in front of the net.
believe victory defeat
I believe that it isn't victories but defeats that promote nationalism.
football causes turkish
Turkish football serves the cause of nationalism, but not of the nation.
football depressing team
Football can teach us that although a team's individual players may be weak, it can still be successful if it uses common sense. Or that we should not attack anyone physically when we suffer a depressing defeat.
football childhood community
My childhood proved to me that there could be no enjoyment of football without community. But it becomes difficult when this community is having problems with its identity. That's when we experience all possible forms of nationalist exaggeration.
morning writing two
I am a highly disciplined person. I get up at seven every morning and, still in my pajamas, sit down at my desk where my checkered ring binders and my fountain pen are ready for use. I try to write two pages every day.
morning reading turkeys
I don't read newspapers in the morning. I take a look at the dailies in the afternoon, but only when I've finished my work for the day. Reading about what is happening in Turkey once again would only be demoralizing for me.
exile
No one drives me into exile, not even the nationalists.
war dark turkeys
When Turkey began approaching the EU, I wasn't the only one who worried that the dark stain in Turkey's history - or rather the history of the Ottoman Empire - could become a problem one day. In other words, what happened to the Armenians in World War I. That's why I couldn't leave the issue untouched.
relief nobel ask-me
It's a great relief for me that no one will ask me anymore: "Orhan, when will you get the Nobel Prize?"
tension explosives
When something explosive is kept hidden away, a tension builds within that must ultimately be released.
book believe responsibility
I believe strongly in an author's moral responsibility. But his first obligation is to write good books.
turkeys people culture
It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people and their emotions closer to my readers, not explain Turkish politics.
country people
It's very gratifying to me to see my works bringing people closer to my country.