| In February 2005, at nearly the last minute to submit | | | | "Orhan Pamuk is a very ordinary writer. He didn't win |
| nominations for the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature, | | | | the award for literature. He got it because he publicly |
| Turkish fiction-writer Orhan Pamuk made a surprise | | | | accepted the so-called Armenian Genocide claims. He |
| declaration in the Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger. | | | | put Turkish history on the auction block. What a |
| He said, "30,000 Kurds have been murdered [in | | | | shame." |
| Turkey] and 1 million Armenians and nobody dares to | | | | Opinions of influential Turkish politicians -- |
| mention that. So I do it." | | | | Zeki Sezer (DSP Party Leader) |
| It was a remark out of the blue...something that Pamuk | | | | "We just wish that he could have won the award for |
| had never hinted at before -- not in interviews, not in | | | | his novels, not for statements that hurt his country." |
| his novels, nor in his autobiographical writings. To a lot | | | | Bülent Arınç (President of the |
| of people, it appeared that Pamuk was blatantly | | | | Turkish Parliament) |
| lobbying the Nobel Academy -- which has become | | | | "What does Pamuk think about the coincidental |
| known in recent years for its politically tainted literary | | | | passage of the French Law, just hours before his |
| awards. And now that he has actually won the 2006 | | | | Nobel Prize announcement?" |
| Prize, a lot more heads are nodding in agreement. | | | | Opinions of 'the man in the street' -- |
| So, despite Pamuk's attempt at a gracious press | | | | "They say that Pamuk is the first Turk to ever win a |
| statement after being named the Nobel prize-winner ("I | | | | Nobel Prize. He's no Turk. Not in my book." (Halil |
| see the Academy's decision as an award given to the | | | | Düzgün) |
| Turkish Culture, the Turkish language, and to Turkey") | | | | "I wonder whether he got the award for his marketing |
| and... | | | | promotion skills or for cow-towing to foreign interest |
| Despite his rapid condemnation of the | | | | groups or for the power of his writing." (Unidentified |
| far-from-coincidental French parliament's same-day | | | | man) |
| passage of the so-called Armenian Genocide Bill ("The | | | | "Pamuk won the Nobel Prize by selling his country's |
| Bill is a very unpleasant and inappropriate development. | | | | honor. Let him go celebrate his award with the French |
| It's not in the French tradition of Zola and Sarte") and... | | | | politicians and the Armenian lobbyists." (Ugur |
| Despite an official congratulatory call from Turkish | | | | Osmanoglu) |
| Prime Minister Erdogan (that Pamuk described as 'very | | | | "It's obvious that this once-literary award has become |
| nice') and... | | | | very politicized. Under such conditions I would have |
| Despite the natural pride the country feels on Pamuk's | | | | been surprised if Pamuk hadn't won it." (Alperen |
| winning its first-ever Nobel Prize... | | | | Öztürk) |
| Despite these things, the Turkish public has very | | | | Opinion of the news media -- |
| ambivalent feelings about the Pamuk award. | | | | Rahmi Turan (Editor in Chief - The Sentinel |
| Consider this cross-section of Turkish public opinion... | | | | Newspaper) |
| Opinions of respected Turkish literary figures -- | | | | "Yasar Kemal (renowned Kurdish-Turk author of the |
| Pınar Kür (Novelist and playwright in 3 | | | | 'Ince Mehmed' series of novels) is 10 times the writer |
| languages - b.1943) | | | | that Orhan Pamuk is. But, although he's been a Nobel |
| "One has to say congratulations, naturally. But it's | | | | Prize candidate for decades, he hasn't gotten the nod. |
| astonishing because he's not reached maturity as a | | | | Kemal has never spoken out against his country, like |
| writer yet. Coming this way, the award looks | | | | Pamuk has -- and that made the difference this year. |
| disturbingly like a political statement, not a literary one. | | | | Well, Pamuk certainly can't be faulted -- at least not as |
| And because it was announced on the same day, at | | | | a self-promoter. Still...in spite of everything, here's a |
| nearly the same time as the passage of the so-called | | | | toast to our first Nobel Prize!" |
| Armenian Genocide Law in France... Well, it's a very | | | | And, we certainly join in Rahmi Bey's toast... |
| unfortunate coincidence." | | | | Hayirli olsun! (Congratulations!) |
| Özdemir İnce (Poet in 2 languages - b. | | | | [Click following to access a fully illustrated HTML |
| 1936) | | | | version of Bittersweet Award. |