Orhan Pamuk: Biography, Books, & Facts
                     Orhan 
Pamuk : 
Biography, 
Books, & 
Facts
Introduction
Orhan Pamuk, (born June 7, 1952, Istanbul, 
Turkey), Turkish novelist, best known for works 
that probe Turkish identity and history. He was 
awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006.
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Source: www.britannica.com
Who is 
Orhan 
Pamuk?
Books like ‘My Name is Red’, ‘The Museum of 
Innocence’ and ‘Snow’ carved a niche in the 
literary world and earned Orhan Pamuk the 
rightful Nobel Prize for Literature. 
Among numerous other illustrious writers of 
Turkey, Pamuk became the first ever author to 
have sold over eleven million books in over 
sixty different languages and to receive the 
highest literary accolade. 
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Source: www.thefamouspeople.com
Career
His successful career was not short-of its 
snares and hazards. He was put on trial for 
expressing his opinion about the Armenian 
Genocide, which led to a number of his works 
and publications being burnt and he also 
became a target for numerous assassination 
attempts. 
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Source: www.thefamouspeople.com
Controversia
l personality
A controversial personality in his native, 
Turkey, he seems to have a desire to expose 
the degradation of the Turkish society, publicly 
stirring issues like ethnicity, history, race and 
other elements that are considered distasteful 
in Turkey.
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Source: www.thefamouspeople.com
Childhood
Orhan Pamuk was born in Istanbul and was 
raised in a wealthy family. He was educated at 
Robert College secondary school and then 
went on to study architecture at the Istanbul 
Technical University.
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Source: www.thefamouspeople.com
Early Life
After three years, he left architecture school 
and focused his energies on writing. 
Thereafter, he shifted to the Institute of 
Journalism at the University of Istanbul and 
graduated from there in 1976. Soon, he began 
writing his first novel, ‘Darkness and Light’, 
while living with his mother.
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Source: www.thefamouspeople.com
First novel
His first novel, ‘Darkness and Light’ went on to 
become a co-winner of the 1979 Milliyet Press 
Novel Contest, along with Mehmet Eroglu. He 
won a number of critical prizes for his early 
work, which motivated him to write more.
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Source: www.thefamouspeople.com
Major Works
‘Yeni Hayat’, translated as ‘The New Life’ in 
English, was one of Pamuk’s best-sellers and 
was published in 1994. It has been rated as 
one of his most ‘poignant’ works and sold over 
2,00,000 copies in the first week of its 
publication.
‘My Name is Red’ is a blend of mystery, 
romance and philosophy and is set in 16th 
century Istanbul. The book has been translated 
in three different languages and has also been 
the recipient of a number of lucrative awards.
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Source: www.thefamouspeople.com
Awards & 
Achievement
s
• Orhan Pamuk was conferred the prestigious 
‘International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award’ 
in 2003.
• He was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in 
Literature.
• He was awarded the Sonning Prize for his 
literary contributions in 2012.
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Source: www.thefamouspeople.com
Personal Life 
& Legacy
On March 1, 1982, he married Aylin Turegun, a 
historian and they have a daughter, Ruya. 
However, their marriage ended in a divorce in 
2001.
In 2010, he publicly announced that he was in 
a relationship with the Man Booker Prize-
recipient, Kiran Desai.
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Source: www.thefamouspeople.com