The journals of the Nobel Prize–winning author, beautifully illustrated with his own paintings
For many years, Orhan Pamuk kept a record of his daily thoughts and observations, entering them in small notebooks and illustrating them with his own paintings. This book combines those notebooks into one volume. He writes about his travels around the world, his family, his writing process, and his complex relationship with his home country of Turkey. He charts the seeds of his novels and the things that inspired his characters and the plots of his stories. Intertwined in his writings are the vibrant paintings of the landscapes that surround and inspire him.
A beautiful object in its own right, in Memories of Distant Mountains readers can explore Pamuk's intoxicating inner world and can have a fascinating, intimate encounter with the art, culture, and charged political currents that have shaped one of literature’s most important voices.
'One of the world's finest living writers.' Independent
'In this world of forgeries, where some might be in danger of losing their faith in literature, Pamuk is the real thing.' Savkar Altinel, Observer
'Orhan Pamuk is the sort of writer for whom the Nobel Prize was invented.' Daily Telegraph
"Pictures of a writer’s days. . . . An intimate volume revealing glimpses of his life and work. . . . Although he gave up artwork in favor of writing, he still finds pleasure in combining both, as did William Blake. . . . Some illustrations, glowing with pinks, greens, and yellows, evoke Matisse. In slashes of black and grey, Pamuk captures the dark mysteries of seascapes; in other drawings, he tries to convey the quality of his dreams. . . . A lyrical illuminated memoir." —Kirkus Reviews