🦋 New territory in The New Life
I am now starting chapter 9 in my reread of The New Life-- if memory (aided by blog) serves, this is as far as I ever got the first time I read it. In the past month or two I've read the first eight chapters in Spanish and then in English. Going forward, I'll be reading each chapter in one language and then the other. (Not really trying to compare the two translations here, I'm just looking to (a) improve my Spanish and (b) get a deeper understanding of the text.)
It is tempting to try to imagine myself in the shoes of the narrator -- as I am reading the book, I'm trying to identify the book I'm reading with the unnamed book that the narrator is reading, so that it will take me to a new level of perception (as it does I, the narrator). But I-the-reader am having some trouble figuring out what's the allure of reading such a book, joining such a peculiar society as those-who-have-read-and-understood "the book", it seems more an onerous burden than a blessing. But as I say I'm only less than halfway through currently. Keep waiting for Pamuk to tip his hat! :) Osman and Janan are meeting Dr. Fine/Delicado, author (IIUC) of the book (not super crazy about either translation, I guess the man's name is a Turkish word with that meaning and it's going to be important somehow to understanding the text, to get that pun) -- maybe they're (we're) going to get access to the supernatural reality of the book (the book).
posted morning of Sunday, April 8th, 2018
➳ More posts about The New Life
➳ More posts about Orhan Pamuk
➳ More posts about Readings
➳ More posts about Identification
➳ More posts about Sufi Epics
But how can Dr. Fine be the author of the book? He is Mehmet's father, and Mehmet rebelled from his father to follow the book. And Dr. Fine refers to it as "a book", not "my book" or similar. I must be misreading.
posted afternoon of April 8th, 2018 by Jeremy Osner
I just feel confused about Dr. Fine's offer. My rough understanding of events leading up to this point:
- Dr. Fine's son read the book, renounced his family and his identity, "died".
- Mehmet found Janan and converted her to follow the book.
- Osman, after seeing Janan holding the book, got a copy and became a follower.
- Osman rode buses, eventually meeting up with Janan.
- Osman and Janan got documents and a destination from a couple whe died in a collision of busses, who had been followers of the book. They went to a meeting in Güdül, where everybody was talking about Dr. Fine.
- They were conveyed from there to Dr. Fine's house, where he has offered his inheritance to Osman.
I don't see how this hangs together. What is the relationship between the book and the Great Conspiracy?
posted afternoon of April 8th, 2018 by Jeremy Osner
So we find in Chapter 10 that Uncle Rıfkı is the author of the book. Not sure what to make of that... and still really no clue how the book has led Osman and Janan to Dr. Fine when it led Mehmet away from Dr. Fine. Now Dr. Fine wants to found a new country?
posted morning of April 10th, 2018 by Jeremy Osner
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