Travel in Books - Istambul, Turkey

(Para versão em Português mudar o idioma na caixa no canto superior direito de EN para PT se estiveres num PC. No telemóvel clica no símbolo com as 3 barras horizontais no canto superior direito e depois muda de EN para PT na caixa no topo da página)

Books

• 📖 The Museum of Innocence - Orhan Pamuk | 🌍 Istambul, Turkey 1970-2000

  
  

The Museum of Innocence

by Orhan Pamuk

This museum was not easy—no obsession ever is. The book, a guide to visiting the Museum of Innocence (which really exists in Istanbul and can be visited), takes us through the streets and society of 1970s and 80s Istanbul, led by Kemal’s obsessive love for Fusun.

This intense and irrational attachment made it difficult for me to stay connected to the book, making the reading experience emotionally heavy. How many more pages could be written about the dinner table, the way she smoked, or the strands of Fusun’s hair every time the Bosphorus wind brushed past her? This same obsessive attachment pulled me into Kemal’s emotional suffering—making me feel it too.

Yet, as with all journeys, there are lessons to be learned. Despite the challenging read, this trip through Istanbul was illuminating. The book speaks not just of love and loss but also offers a subtle yet sharp critique of Istanbul's society—particularly the upper class that appeared progressive on the surface while clinging to deeply rooted traditions. The parallels with our own modern society are hard to ignore. How many of us present ourselves as open and modern, yet hesitate when asked: “So, you're not getting married? You don’t want children? You’re really not going to follow the invisible but heavy rules society imposes as norms?”

We might seem confident in our answers, but how many internal cracks start to form? And how much courage does it take to truly defy the norm?

It's easy to judge Kemal, the protagonist, and just as easy to judge Fusun, the object of his obsession. But would it be so easy if we viewed them through the lens of our own society? How many hidden obsessions are born—and sustained—because we lack the courage to break from what’s expected?

Pamuk offers us, in this journey through Istanbul, a mirror that is not always comfortable, not always beautiful — but necessary. And as with all well-polished mirrors, what we see may ultimately reveal more about ourselves than about others.

If you want to visit Istambul let me know and remember to always get out of your can!

By Yours:

Uncanned Sardine