Nights of Plague
'A masterpiece of evocation' Sunday Times
-
- 11,99 €
-
- 11,99 €
Publisher Description
'Orhan Pamuk is the sort of writer for whom the Nobel Prize was invented.' Daily Telegraph
'Pamuk is the real thing.' Observer
'One of the world's finest living writers.'Independent
'Essential reading for our times.' Margaret Atwood
'Everyone should read Pamuk.' New Statesman
An epic and playful mystery of passion, fear, scandal and murder, from one of history's master storytellers.
1901. Night draws in.
With the stealth of a spy vessel, the royal ship Aziziye approaches the famous vistas of Mingheria, the twenty-ninth state of the ailing Ottoman Empire. The ship carries Princess Pakize, the daughter of a deposed sultan, her doctor husband, and the Royal Chemist, Bonkowski Pasha. Not all of them will survive the weeks ahead. There are rumours of plague - rumours some in power will try to suppress.
But plague is not the only killer. Mingheria is on the cusp of catastrophe, and the future of a fragile empire is at stake.
'A wry meditation on nationalism and identity, on history and myth, on science and superstition, delivered with Orhan Pamuk's trademark storytelling flair.' Financial Times
'A tale of spies, conspiracy and murder... full of vivid characters.' Independent
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the ambitious latest from Nobel Prize winner Pamuk (My Name Is Red), a plague has swept through Mingheria, a fictional island in the Ottoman Empire. The 1901 calamity was chronicled by Princess Pakize, whose letters historian Mina Mingher is preparing for publication in 2017. But struck by the princess's "descriptive flair" and weary of writing another "dreary" history book, Mina decides to turn the letters into a novel. Indeed, there's flair to Mina's text, which forms the bulk of a narrative that includes the murder of Istanbul's royal chemist, sent to the island to implement quarantine protocol; political upheaval that results in Mingheria declaring its independence; and romances among a slew of characters. Via Mina, a descendent of Mingherians, Pamuk ascribes importance to players from all social strata: politicians, religious leaders, and ordinary citizens alike. Though Mina's romanticizing of her ancestors and her nation's history can sometimes be overwrought, the story she shapes is consistently captivating. As a result, the grandiose statements—"emotions and decisions of individuals could often change the course of history"—wind up ringing true. Though it doesn't stand with the author's best work, the cracking narrative will keep readers in for the long haul.
