Nobel Prize for Literature 2006 goes to Orhan Pamuk Thread poster: Roomy Naqvy
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Roomy Naqvy 
India
Local time: 17:40
English to Hindi
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Özden Arıkan
Germany
Local time: 14:10
Member
English to Turkish
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| Congratulations, Roomy! | Oct 12, 2006 |
Hi Roomy,
Since I am aware of your fascination with him, I just wanted to congratulate you first
"who in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures"
Pamuk, in fact, dislikes and avoids the term 'clash of cultures,' or 'of civilizations' as it's come to be rather carelessly used. For me, the best thing he said on this issue is a direct quote from God himself in Benim Adım Kırmızı (My Name is Red): "Both the East and the West belong to me. Period!"
In fact, I want to express all my admiration and respect for his translators. Judging by the acclaim he receives, they must have done a great job. And he's no translator-friendly author. (Not even a reader-friendly one, I must admit, in the sense that his works are very demanding.) I've never read any of his translations, but I'm wondering especially the English translation of My Name is Red. It must have been a tough job to convey that atmosphere without bombarding the literary reader with encylopedic footnotes. So, congratulations to his translators, too! I must add though, despite the success of the Red, my personal favorite is Kara Kitap, the Black Book, a novel of great literary richness. Still, some elements in it might not make much sense even to Turkish readers who haven't lived through the 70s of Turkey.
He was born in 1952.
And, this makes him one of the younger Nobel laureates, I think.
Anyway, for those interested in exploring his work, here's a list with reviews from his official site. (In English)
Happy reading!
Özden
[Edited to correct the picture link.]
[Edited at 2006-10-12 19:14]
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Roomy Naqvy
India
Local time: 17:40
English to Hindi
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TOPIC STARTER
The moment I learnt, I was so excited, I called at least 5 people and shared the news...Yes, his work can be demanding but look at the sweep of his works.
Let me quote him from a profile Time did on him in 1999.
"If you try to repress memories, something always comes back. I'm what comes back."-- Orhan Pamuk, Nobel Laureate 2006.
Well, if you have an author in your personal collection, an author from another country, an author you think is really good... a... See more The moment I learnt, I was so excited, I called at least 5 people and shared the news...Yes, his work can be demanding but look at the sweep of his works.
Let me quote him from a profile Time did on him in 1999.
"If you try to repress memories, something always comes back. I'm what comes back."-- Orhan Pamuk, Nobel Laureate 2006.
Well, if you have an author in your personal collection, an author from another country, an author you think is really good... and an author about whom your University colleagues haven't heard anything [because they never read] and then if that author wins the Nobel Prize, I think it should be cause for celebration.
I take Diploma in Translation lectures tomorrow [13 Oct] and I'll take Pamuk's book to the class and give them a sample of his language and how tough it must have been for his translators to work it through. I'll also collect some important quotes by him and then take a print out of it all and circulate it among my students.
I am really excited and glad that the Nobel went to a very worthy man, not to some prevaricator....
Yes, he's young. Young in the Nobel tradition. But its good. ▲ Collapse
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Özden Arıkan
Germany
Local time: 14:10
Member
English to Turkish
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| Freely translated | Oct 15, 2006 |
Pamuk's last work of fiction Kar (Snow), as well as his childhood memories of Istanbul. (Well, I've been punning around with her name as in the title for a while, just couldn't resist again, sorry) An American grown up in Turkey, she's also a novelist herself. And her brother, Brendan Freely is a translator, too - he has translated ... See more Pamuk's last work of fiction Kar (Snow), as well as his childhood memories of Istanbul. (Well, I've been punning around with her name as in the title for a while, just couldn't resist again, sorry) An American grown up in Turkey, she's also a novelist herself. And her brother, Brendan Freely is a translator, too - he has translated -so far- two other renowned authors, Perihan Mağden and Elif Şafak.
Among other Pamuk translators there are two American Turks (or, Turkish Americans), both of whom are also novelists. Pamuk is known for his meticulousness in the selection of his translators and for collaborating with them, closely monitoring their work throughout. Erdağ Göknar, the translator of My Name is Red had submitted test translations with four other candidates (they must have been much longer than 300 words ) and upon being selected, he completed the translation in one year and a half. He says the toughest part of his task was finding cultural equivalents for miniature terms, family relations (which have a very detailed vocabulary in Turkish), and religious concepts.
And at first both him and Pamuk opted for translating the color that gave its name to the book as "crimson," because it was closer to the hue used in miniatures. (And it shares the same etymology as "kırmızı," as the phonetical similarity suggests.) But the American editor convinced them that "red" would be a better choice due to its richer symbolism, for it is the color of blood, the building stone of the living universe (âlem) depicted in the miniatures and the book, as well as being more suitable for a crime theme.
[Edited at 2006-10-15 14:09] ▲ Collapse
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Adrian MM. (X)
Local time: 14:10
French to English
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| Hope yet for Turkish expats in German-speaking countries | Oct 15, 2006 |
Post-announcement, I mentioned this author to some literate and educated young Turks living in Vienna.
Instead of being really proud and given an expatriate uplift, as when a local or the national Turkish soccer team does well in a European or international competition, alas! the reply came back: 'Orhan who?'.
This made me ponder: are some Turkish expats so 'Swissified, Germanified or Austrianised' that they are no longer interested in what goes on back in their homel... See more Post-announcement, I mentioned this author to some literate and educated young Turks living in Vienna.
Instead of being really proud and given an expatriate uplift, as when a local or the national Turkish soccer team does well in a European or international competition, alas! the reply came back: 'Orhan who?'.
This made me ponder: are some Turkish expats so 'Swissified, Germanified or Austrianised' that they are no longer interested in what goes on back in their homeland - or aren't they interested in literature - full stop, period und Schluß? ▲ Collapse
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