Orhan Pamuk

The Wall Street Journal had a great article last Friday: "How to Write a Great Novel" , reflections by 11 novelists on how they approach writing. Since the article is subscription only, I'll feature one writer per day here, highlighting their process with a key excerpt from the article. Today's writer is Orhan Pamuk whose novels include "Darkness and Light" and "Mr. Cedved and his Sons". Turkish novelist and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk often rewrites the first line of his novels 50 or 100 times. "The hardest thing is always the first sentence—that is painful," says Mr. Pamuk, whose book, "The Museum of Innocence," ... Read Full Story

Turkish Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk, Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa and Mexican author Carlos Fuentes will headline one of the world's largest book fairs this year. Raul Padilla, president of the Guadalajara International Book Fair, said Monday that 1,900 publishers and more than 500 authors and intellectuals will participate in the event. It runs from Nov. 28 to Dec. 6. American actor Tim Robbins is scheduled to direct a theatrical production of George Orwell's "1984" at the fair. And the city of Los Angeles will be featured as a "guest of honor" — the first time a U.S. city has received that distinction. Organizers ... Read Full Story

Turkish Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk, Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa and Mexican author Carlos Fuentes will headline one of the world's largest book fairs this year. Raul Padilla, president of the Guadalajara International Book Fair, said Monday that 1,900 publishers and more than 500 authors and intellectuals will participate in the event. It runs from Nov. 28 to Dec. 6. American actor Tim Robbins is scheduled to direct a theatrical production of George Orwell's "1984" at the fair. And the city of Los Angeles will be featured as a "guest of honor" — the first time a U.S. city has received that distinction. Organizers ... Read Full Story

I have been reading the New Yorker Fiction and have been diligently working through their archives in search of what makes a good story, good. I have thus far not succeeded in discerning this quality so that I might steal some for myself. What has become clear in my studies is that these stories seem cryptic in that what they are trying to say but yet clear about conveying a sentiment. You don’t understand why you feel this is a sad story or happy story because you don’t see a resolution, but you do feel the emotion. Its as if the stories don’t really ... Read Full Story

The series of events and coincidences that would change my entire life began on April 27, 1975, when Sibel happened to spot a purse designed by the famous Jenny Colon in a shopwindow as we were walking along Valikonagi Avenue, enjoying the cool spring evening. Our formal engagement was not . . . More: continued here Read Full Story