The White Fortress | Orhan Pamuk

A historical and philosophical thinking carefully and cleverly crafted about the relationship between the East and the West. Independant Newspaper Bamuk's skill lies in the comprehensiveness and abundance of ideas he incorporated into this short novel, and in its simplicity. The Guardian Newspaper In the 17th century, an Italian young man is captured by the Turks after their seizure of the ship carrying him from Venice to Naples. When he is interrogated by one of the Turkish Pashas, it becomes clear that the captive Italian possesses knowledge of astronomy and medicine; sciences that interest the Turkish Pasha. He then develops a desire to learn more about Western civilization through his Italian prisoner. At that point, the two collaborate to create many new devices and invent entertaining stories for the Sultan. White Castle is Orhan Pamuk's third novel, which marks the beginning of his path toward global recognition. Even The New York Times wrote about the author after the novel's publication: "A new star has risen in the sky of the East." In it, the author delves deeply into the intricacies of the relationship between Western and Turkish cultures, through the stories of the two protagonists – the prisoner and the Pasha – and their wandering through the streets of Istanbul. They discover a strange similarity in their personalities, which helps them answer a fundamental question: "Why am I who I am?"