My Name is Red

Black Effendi is a miniaturist artist living in 16th century Turkey. He is in love with his maternal cousin. One of his mentors has recently been murdered. He has been commissioned with writing a highly controversial book that examines the Western style of art.

Black Effendi is the protagonist in Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk's My Name is Red. A book that follows a love story and murder mystery against the backdrop of the waning power of the Islamic Ottoman Empire and the encroaching cultural impact of the West.

In an innovative writing style that sees the narrator change with each chapter, taking the form of a corpse, merchant, coin, and even the color red (thus the name), Pamuk examines cultural turmoil and its impact on society and humanity. Pamuk also examines the philosophical underpinnings of art and its role in society.

My Name is Red is the English name of the original Turkish title Benim Adim Kirmizi. Erdag M. Göknar translated the novel from Turkish to English.