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The Turkish identity
The New York Times
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2005
Next week, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will
address the United Nations on one of the issues threatening to slow
down negotiations to admit Turkey into the European Union -
recognizing Cyprus. But he should also address the question of Orhan
Pamuk, the pre-eminent Turkish novelist who has been charged with
"public denigration" of Turkish identity.
In February, a Swiss newspaper quoted Pamuk on Turkey's long-standing
refusal to discuss the Armenian genocide and the deaths of 30,000
separatist Kurds more recently. Pamuk's remarks inflamed Turkish
nationalists, and he left the country. He faces the possibility of
three years in jail.
The charges against Pamuk violate the standards of free speech, one of
the prerequisites to Turkey's admission to the European Union. The
charges also cut to the heart of Pamuk's writing. The question of
Turkish identity informs his work. In "My Name Is Red," Pamuk never
lets the reader forget the ethnic and cultural diversity of Turkey's
past. Nor does he flinch, in "Istanbul," from reminding readers of the
"deliberately provoked" 1955 riots that destroyed several non-Muslim
neighborhoods in that city. Beneath the notion of a Turkish identity
lies a tension, still noticeable today, that has nourished Pamuk's
writing.
It has been about six months since Pamuk's comments were published, so
it is unclear why the charges are being brought just now. Whatever
the motive, they are a reminder that one of Turkey's biggest obstacles
in dealing with the West is the way it chooses to patrol its own
history.
Next week, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will
address the United Nations on one of the issues threatening to slow
down negotiations to admit Turkey into the European Union -
recognizing Cyprus. But he should also address the question of Orhan
Pamuk, the pre-eminent Turkish novelist who has been charged with
"public denigration" of Turkish identity.
In February, a Swiss newspaper quoted Pamuk on Turkey's long-standing
refusal to discuss the Armenian genocide and the deaths of 30,000
separatist Kurds more recently. Pamuk's remarks inflamed Turkish
nationalists, and he left the country. He faces the possibility of
three years in jail.
The charges against Pamuk violate the standards of free speech, one of
the prerequisites to Turkey's admission to the European Union. The
charges also cut to the heart of Pamuk's writing. The question of
Turkish identity informs his work. In "My Name Is Red," Pamuk never
lets the reader forget the ethnic and cultural diversity of Turkey's
past. Nor does he flinch, in "Istanbul," from reminding readers of the
"deliberately provoked" 1955 riots that destroyed several non-Muslim
neighborhoods in that city. Beneath the notion of a Turkish identity
lies a tension, still noticeable today, that has nourished Pamuk's
writing.
It has been about six months since Pamuk's comments were published, so
it is unclear why the charges are being brought just now. Whatever the
motive, they are a reminder that one of Turkey's biggest obstacles in
dealing with the West is the way it chooses to patrol its own history.
Next week, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will
address the United Nations on one of the issues threatening to slow
down negotiations to admit Turkey into the European Union -
recognizing Cyprus. But he should also address the question of Orhan
Pamuk, the pre-eminent Turkish novelist who has been charged with
"public denigration" of Turkish identity.
In February, a Swiss newspaper quoted Pamuk on Turkey's long-standing
refusal to discuss the Armenian genocide and the deaths of 30,000
separatist Kurds more recently. Pamuk's remarks inflamed Turkish
nationalists, and he left the country. He faces the possibility of
three years in jail.
The charges against Pamuk violate the standards of free speech, one of
the prerequisites to Turkey's admission to the European Union. The
charges also cut to the heart of Pamuk's writing. The question of
Turkish identity informs his work. In "My Name Is Red," Pamuk never
lets the reader forget the ethnic and cultural diversity of Turkey's
past. Nor does he flinch, in "Istanbul," from reminding readers of the
"deliberately provoked" 1955 riots that destroyed several non-Muslim
neighborhoods in that city. Beneath the notion of a Turkish identity
lies a tension, still noticeable today, that has nourished Pamuk's
writing.
It has been about six months since Pamuk's comments were published, so
it is unclear why the charges are being brought just now. Whatever the
motive, they are a reminder that one of Turkey's biggest obstacles in
dealing with the West is the way it chooses to patrol its own history.
Next week, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will
address the United Nations on one of the issues threatening to slow
down negotiations to admit Turkey into the European Union -
recognizing Cyprus. But he should also address the question of Orhan
Pamuk, the pre-eminent Turkish novelist who has been charged with
"public denigration" of Turkish identity.
In February, a Swiss newspaper quoted Pamuk on Turkey's long-standing
refusal to discuss the Armenian genocide and the deaths of 30,000
separatist Kurds more recently. Pamuk's remarks inflamed Turkish
nationalists, and he left the country. He faces the possibility of
three years in jail.
The charges against Pamuk violate the standards of free speech, one of
the prerequisites to Turkey's admission to the European Union. The
charges also cut to the heart of Pamuk's writing. The question of
Turkish identity informs his work. In "My Name Is Red," Pamuk never
lets the reader forget the ethnic and cultural diversity of Turkey's
past. Nor does he flinch, in "Istanbul," from reminding readers of the
"deliberately provoked" 1955 riots that destroyed several non-Muslim
neighborhoods in that city. Beneath the notion of a Turkish identity
lies a tension, still noticeable today, that has nourished Pamuk's
writing.
It has been about six months since Pamuk's comments were published, so
it is unclear why the charges are being brought just now. Whatever the
motive, they are a reminder that one of Turkey's biggest obstacles in
dealing with the West is the way it chooses to patrol its own history.
The New York Times
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2005
Next week, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will
address the United Nations on one of the issues threatening to slow
down negotiations to admit Turkey into the European Union -
recognizing Cyprus. But he should also address the question of Orhan
Pamuk, the pre-eminent Turkish novelist who has been charged with
"public denigration" of Turkish identity.
In February, a Swiss newspaper quoted Pamuk on Turkey's long-standing
refusal to discuss the Armenian genocide and the deaths of 30,000
separatist Kurds more recently. Pamuk's remarks inflamed Turkish
nationalists, and he left the country. He faces the possibility of
three years in jail.
The charges against Pamuk violate the standards of free speech, one of
the prerequisites to Turkey's admission to the European Union. The
charges also cut to the heart of Pamuk's writing. The question of
Turkish identity informs his work. In "My Name Is Red," Pamuk never
lets the reader forget the ethnic and cultural diversity of Turkey's
past. Nor does he flinch, in "Istanbul," from reminding readers of the
"deliberately provoked" 1955 riots that destroyed several non-Muslim
neighborhoods in that city. Beneath the notion of a Turkish identity
lies a tension, still noticeable today, that has nourished Pamuk's
writing.
It has been about six months since Pamuk's comments were published, so
it is unclear why the charges are being brought just now. Whatever
the motive, they are a reminder that one of Turkey's biggest obstacles
in dealing with the West is the way it chooses to patrol its own
history.
Next week, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will
address the United Nations on one of the issues threatening to slow
down negotiations to admit Turkey into the European Union -
recognizing Cyprus. But he should also address the question of Orhan
Pamuk, the pre-eminent Turkish novelist who has been charged with
"public denigration" of Turkish identity.
In February, a Swiss newspaper quoted Pamuk on Turkey's long-standing
refusal to discuss the Armenian genocide and the deaths of 30,000
separatist Kurds more recently. Pamuk's remarks inflamed Turkish
nationalists, and he left the country. He faces the possibility of
three years in jail.
The charges against Pamuk violate the standards of free speech, one of
the prerequisites to Turkey's admission to the European Union. The
charges also cut to the heart of Pamuk's writing. The question of
Turkish identity informs his work. In "My Name Is Red," Pamuk never
lets the reader forget the ethnic and cultural diversity of Turkey's
past. Nor does he flinch, in "Istanbul," from reminding readers of the
"deliberately provoked" 1955 riots that destroyed several non-Muslim
neighborhoods in that city. Beneath the notion of a Turkish identity
lies a tension, still noticeable today, that has nourished Pamuk's
writing.
It has been about six months since Pamuk's comments were published, so
it is unclear why the charges are being brought just now. Whatever the
motive, they are a reminder that one of Turkey's biggest obstacles in
dealing with the West is the way it chooses to patrol its own history.
Next week, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will
address the United Nations on one of the issues threatening to slow
down negotiations to admit Turkey into the European Union -
recognizing Cyprus. But he should also address the question of Orhan
Pamuk, the pre-eminent Turkish novelist who has been charged with
"public denigration" of Turkish identity.
In February, a Swiss newspaper quoted Pamuk on Turkey's long-standing
refusal to discuss the Armenian genocide and the deaths of 30,000
separatist Kurds more recently. Pamuk's remarks inflamed Turkish
nationalists, and he left the country. He faces the possibility of
three years in jail.
The charges against Pamuk violate the standards of free speech, one of
the prerequisites to Turkey's admission to the European Union. The
charges also cut to the heart of Pamuk's writing. The question of
Turkish identity informs his work. In "My Name Is Red," Pamuk never
lets the reader forget the ethnic and cultural diversity of Turkey's
past. Nor does he flinch, in "Istanbul," from reminding readers of the
"deliberately provoked" 1955 riots that destroyed several non-Muslim
neighborhoods in that city. Beneath the notion of a Turkish identity
lies a tension, still noticeable today, that has nourished Pamuk's
writing.
It has been about six months since Pamuk's comments were published, so
it is unclear why the charges are being brought just now. Whatever the
motive, they are a reminder that one of Turkey's biggest obstacles in
dealing with the West is the way it chooses to patrol its own history.
Next week, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will
address the United Nations on one of the issues threatening to slow
down negotiations to admit Turkey into the European Union -
recognizing Cyprus. But he should also address the question of Orhan
Pamuk, the pre-eminent Turkish novelist who has been charged with
"public denigration" of Turkish identity.
In February, a Swiss newspaper quoted Pamuk on Turkey's long-standing
refusal to discuss the Armenian genocide and the deaths of 30,000
separatist Kurds more recently. Pamuk's remarks inflamed Turkish
nationalists, and he left the country. He faces the possibility of
three years in jail.
The charges against Pamuk violate the standards of free speech, one of
the prerequisites to Turkey's admission to the European Union. The
charges also cut to the heart of Pamuk's writing. The question of
Turkish identity informs his work. In "My Name Is Red," Pamuk never
lets the reader forget the ethnic and cultural diversity of Turkey's
past. Nor does he flinch, in "Istanbul," from reminding readers of the
"deliberately provoked" 1955 riots that destroyed several non-Muslim
neighborhoods in that city. Beneath the notion of a Turkish identity
lies a tension, still noticeable today, that has nourished Pamuk's
writing.
It has been about six months since Pamuk's comments were published, so
it is unclear why the charges are being brought just now. Whatever the
motive, they are a reminder that one of Turkey's biggest obstacles in
dealing with the West is the way it chooses to patrol its own history.