Pamuk's Istanbul: The Self and the City
This book reconstructs Istanbul through the prism of Orhan Pamuk’s fiction. It navigates the multiple selves and layers of Istanbul to present how the city has shaped the writings of Pamuk and has, in turn, been shaped by it. Through everyday objects and architecture, it shows how Pamuk transforms the city into a living museum where different objects converse along with characters to present a rich tapestry across space and time.
Further, the monograph explores the formation of communal and literary identity within and around nation-building narratives informed by capitalism and modernization. The book also examines how Pamuk uses the postmodern city to move beyond its postmodern confines, and utilizes the theories and universes of Bakhtin, Benjamin, and Foucault to open up his fiction and radically challenge the idea of the novel.
The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of literature, literary theory, museum studies, architecture, and cultural studies, and especially appeal to readers of Orhan Pamuk.
Panelists
Pallavi Narayan is Associate Professor of Practice, School of Arts and Sciences and is establishing the Ahmedabad Writing Programme and University Press as their Director. She has authored a monograph, Pamuk's Istanbul: The Self and the City (2022) and edited an anthology of short stories, Singapore at Home: Life across Lines (2021).
Divya Ravindranath is faculty and researcher at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bangalore. Her work is at the intersection of labour, gender and urban health. She is the co-founder of Cities in Fiction - an archival project that seeks to locate real-world and imaginary places in literature.
Safwan Amir is Assistant Professor at the School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University. His research interests include anthropology of religion and caste. He engages with vernacular literature to better understand his interlocutors in the field.
Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Time: 5:00 PM IST
Venue: Ahmedabad University Bookstore, University Centre, Central Campus, Navrangpura
