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thethirdcrouch's review against another edition
4.0
I just casually picked this book to read in the office during idle times but never I imagined how deep the thoughts of Ka were! I should have known that Orhan is a Nobel Prize winner.
The questions on God, existential crisis, the universe, culture, and a lot more; it's unbelievably true to me as if I've written this book (or the conversations in the book) myself. I was wondering why would some authors win a Nobel Prize if they're writing about their own country/history but rrading this I've realized that those authors' stories, like Orhan Bey, are universal and essential reading for our times.
The questions on God, existential crisis, the universe, culture, and a lot more; it's unbelievably true to me as if I've written this book (or the conversations in the book) myself. I was wondering why would some authors win a Nobel Prize if they're writing about their own country/history but rrading this I've realized that those authors' stories, like Orhan Bey, are universal and essential reading for our times.
readalittlebitmore's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
En politisk roman son lärde mig dels att politiska romaner kanske inte är min favorit genre, dock gripande och intressant läsning full med insikter och djup, samt flera tänkvärda citat som inte egentligen nog är menade att vara citat.
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Många myter som spräcks på ett väldigt lidelsefullt och naket sätt - Skillnaden mellan västvärldens konstanta tankar om mindre utvecklade länder och människorna där, de förutfattade meningar som existerar och är lika aktuella idag, likamedtecknen mellan fattigdom och obildad dumhet i dessa länder och dessa religioner som utan att vi är stolta över det jag tror fortfarande finns och lever kvar, hur många invånare i i-länderna tror att många i u-länderna som skulle göra vad som helt för en chans att bo och leva i ett i-land och i den kulturen som finns i de länderna, medans den sanningen kanske inte är sådan egentligen.
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Den här historien har också poetiskt djupa inslag av kärlek och längtan, otroligt mycket längtan. Den här romanen är lite sådär melankoliskt 'svår' som man förväntar sig att #nobelpristagare är, men också lättsam på ett annat sätt, den blir vad man gör den till.
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Handlingen utspelar sig i en insnöad liten glömd gränsstad i Turkiet där det blir uppror, de skall snart gå till val och olika extrema grupper väljer mer och mindre väl valda sätt att synas. En poet som levt de senaste åren i exil i Tyskland kommer till den lilla staden för att bland annat leta efter sin ungdoms kärlek just i denna stund.
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"..för Ka var himlen den plats där man håller drömmarna om sina minnen vid liv."
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Många myter som spräcks på ett väldigt lidelsefullt och naket sätt - Skillnaden mellan västvärldens konstanta tankar om mindre utvecklade länder och människorna där, de förutfattade meningar som existerar och är lika aktuella idag, likamedtecknen mellan fattigdom och obildad dumhet i dessa länder och dessa religioner som utan att vi är stolta över det jag tror fortfarande finns och lever kvar, hur många invånare i i-länderna tror att många i u-länderna som skulle göra vad som helt för en chans att bo och leva i ett i-land och i den kulturen som finns i de länderna, medans den sanningen kanske inte är sådan egentligen.
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Den här historien har också poetiskt djupa inslag av kärlek och längtan, otroligt mycket längtan. Den här romanen är lite sådär melankoliskt 'svår' som man förväntar sig att #nobelpristagare är, men också lättsam på ett annat sätt, den blir vad man gör den till.
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Handlingen utspelar sig i en insnöad liten glömd gränsstad i Turkiet där det blir uppror, de skall snart gå till val och olika extrema grupper väljer mer och mindre väl valda sätt att synas. En poet som levt de senaste åren i exil i Tyskland kommer till den lilla staden för att bland annat leta efter sin ungdoms kärlek just i denna stund.
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"..för Ka var himlen den plats där man håller drömmarna om sina minnen vid liv."
dilarakrn's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
marjoleinvanderspoel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Very eye-opening read discussing the culture clashes within a country I clearly didn't know very much about. All characters felt distinctly human and were written gracefully so as to provide nuance to such a difficult topic (religion vs state). The main character wasn't always incredibly likeable but his faults made him human. Definitely an experience to have read this book!
cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
3.0
This book was very slow going for me. Only toward the end did I begin to really appreciate it. I think that a second read, as well as some more information about the current political and cultural scene in Turkey, would do wonders for my appreciation of its depth and breadth.
chipie's review against another edition
Giving up, I just don't seem to get with his style. I was interested about learning more about regional tensions in Turkey and or Radicalisation but this is like swimming in treacle and some of the dialogue is mind numbing. I'd rather read something non fiction!
bluestarfish's review against another edition
4.0
I finished reading the book on the train to the bookclub I was reading this for. I'm really glad I had a chance to discuss this book with other people after reading it as it did help me try and understand it more. I still feel like there are many more things to be thought about this book.
There was something so intense and dream-like to this story of a few snow-bound days in the town of Kars that I was surprised to find out it is a real town! The blizzard cuts off Kars from the rest of the world and for that time strange things happen in this little theatre. Religion, politics, love, happiness, betrayal, poems, death, theatre, the division of East/West... Ka the poet is temporarily a journalist sent from Istanbul to investigate and write about the headscarf girls committing suicide. More importantly to Ka he has come to Kars to fall in love with the beautiful Ipek. As a political exile living in Frankfurt and from a middle class family in Istanbul Ka is an outsider thrust into the local, mistrustful situation.
There was something so intense and dream-like to this story of a few snow-bound days in the town of Kars that I was surprised to find out it is a real town! The blizzard cuts off Kars from the rest of the world and for that time strange things happen in this little theatre. Religion, politics, love, happiness, betrayal, poems, death, theatre, the division of East/West... Ka the poet is temporarily a journalist sent from Istanbul to investigate and write about the headscarf girls committing suicide. More importantly to Ka he has come to Kars to fall in love with the beautiful Ipek. As a political exile living in Frankfurt and from a middle class family in Istanbul Ka is an outsider thrust into the local, mistrustful situation.
daladala's review against another edition
5.0
Köyhä, unohdettu Kars Kar’in (eli lumen) verhoamana Ka -nimisestä miehestä kertoen. Hupsun nimileikittelyn lisäksi kirja tarjoaa moniulotteista katsomuksellista pohdintaa, sydämellisiä oman päänsä mukaan toimivia sankareita (tai sellaisina itseään pitäviä) sekä näköalaa Turkin 2000-luvun alun poliittiseen ilmapiiriin. Edelleen ajankohtainen, mutta ennen kaikkea kirja on tunnelmallinen: tietty pohjavire säilyy alusta loppuun, mistä todella pidän tässä taideteoksessa.
poetology's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I had read this book when it was first translated and felt compelled to reread it after nearly twenty years. The snowed-in city, the many characters Ka visits on his first day there, and his poetry writing had stayed with me and pulled me in again in the first third of the book. I had forgotten much of the discussion around religion and Ka's ill-fated quest for happiness. I was frustrated by Ka's shallow impulsiveness and the strange dialogues. If I'm ever tempted to reread it once more, I might just gloss over parts of the plot.
rosyantunanog's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5