2007-9-13

The Nobel Literature Prize Laureate Orhan Pamuk, a Turkish Writer

Sohu Culture: According to sources from official website of Nobel Committee, Orhan Pamuk, a writer from Turkey, was awarded Nobel Literature Prize in 2006 for his uncovering the impaction and parity of cultures, and would be endowed with high premium SEK10 million ($1.37 million, or 1.07 million Euro).

Orhan Pamuk was born in Istanbul in 1952. When he was at university, his major was architecture; however, he is the most important, also most popular writer in Turkey today. Since his first novel Cevdet Bey ve Ogullari was published in 1979, Pamuk has taken many credits for his writings. He ever won many honors such as Prix de la D¨¦couverte Europ¨¦enne, Independent Novel Award of U.S.A, Prix France Culture and Peace Prize of the German Book Trade etc.

In 1985, his first history novel White Castle was published, which made him well-known in the world, New York Times ever commended him in the book review: "a new star is rising from Orient---the Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk."

In 1998, My Name is Red written by Orhan Pamuk was published, which established his standing in international literary world and won International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 2003 for him. This was the highest premium literature award in the world that had a premium of Euro 100000. At the same time, it also won Prix France Culture and Italy Premio Grinzane Cavour. He became a contemporary literature master who had won three major literature awards in Europe. Geographically, Istanbul is in the farthest brim of Europe, however, Pamuk's novel holds the mainstream position in European literature world.