Thisis a rare opportunity to hear from one of the most articulate andintelligent writers of our time speaking about his homeland, Turkey,which is currently at the center of an unfolding international drama.Just this week the Turkish parliament voted overwhelmingly to approvemilitary incursions into northern Iraq against Kurdish forces. Becauseof fears that fighting could interrupt oil flows, worldwide oilfutures have risen 11 percent.
Turkeyis also in the news because of the U.S. House of Representatives’upcoming vote on whether events in Turkey in 1915 should or should notbe termed the “Armenian Genocide.” Pamuk himself was the target ofintense criticism in Turkey for mentioning in a European magazineinterview that 1 million Armenians had been killed in Turkey. Acriminal trial launched against him in 2005 for his outspokenness wasultimately dismissed.
Pamukis the author of seven novels, a screenplay and several nonfictionworks. He has received more than 15 international literary awards,including the Nobel Prize for literature in 2006.
Pamuk is above all an observer of the sorrows of empire. His book, “Istanbul: Memories and the City,” chroniclesthe decline and fall of the Ottoman Empire as it affected his familyand his great city. Crumbling infrastructure, melancholic longing forthe brighter past, and doubt about the future are his themes. His voiceis a universal one and his emotions will strike a chord with manyAmericans.
Tickets are $15, $10 for students. For tickets and information, call (805) 893-3535.