The White Castle - Orhan Pamuk
- In english. First published in 1979.
The story is about a young Italian scholar sailing from Venice to Naples who is taken prisoner by the Ottoman Empire. Soon after, he becomes the slave of a scholar known as Hoca (master), a man who is about his own age, and with whom he shares a strong physical resemblance. The events of this story take place in 17th century Istanbul. The slave is told to instruct the master in Western science and technology, from medicine to astronomy. But Hoca wonders why he and his slave are the persons they are and whether given knowledge of each other's most intimate secrets, they could actually exchange identities.
-> Nice journey into ones life in Istanbul in the 17th century and the role a new life brings to one held prisoner. Slow motion reading where behind words one can foresee the life of Pasha and Vizirs, the level of scientific belief and knowledge, and the life in Turkey at the time.
The story is about a young Italian scholar sailing from Venice to Naples who is taken prisoner by the Ottoman Empire. Soon after, he becomes the slave of a scholar known as Hoca (master), a man who is about his own age, and with whom he shares a strong physical resemblance. The events of this story take place in 17th century Istanbul. The slave is told to instruct the master in Western science and technology, from medicine to astronomy. But Hoca wonders why he and his slave are the persons they are and whether given knowledge of each other's most intimate secrets, they could actually exchange identities.
-> Nice journey into ones life in Istanbul in the 17th century and the role a new life brings to one held prisoner. Slow motion reading where behind words one can foresee the life of Pasha and Vizirs, the level of scientific belief and knowledge, and the life in Turkey at the time.