I have not read any of his novels -- OK, I've flipped through them at the bookstore. If you were going to recommend one to read first, which would it be (in English translation)? Cynical responders not not respond, or else...

Snow - only one that I didn't nod off trying to slog through

Whatever you do, stay far away from 'The New Life'. I've been carrying it around with me for at least 2 months, I'm still only half way through it and it's put me off reading anything more taxing than this forum - possibly forever.

My Pamuk rankings:

1. Snow - the most accessible and least fantastical of his novels. There are a lot of interesting Turkish social observations to be found. Far and away my favorite of Pamuk's works and one of the best novels I've read in the last 5 years. This is definitely the book for Pamuk first-timers.
2. My Name Is Red - an intriguing murder mystery set amongst miniaturists working in 16th-century Istanbul. A complex and humorous tale where multiple characters (including a dog, a tree, the miniaturists, death, and even the color black) have their shot at narration. This novel is a bit of a bridge between the accessible nature of Snow and Pamuk's fantasy world.

3. The Black Book
4. The New Life
5. The White Castle
The 3 above are quite in the same vein as each other in that each involves a character slowly morphing into someone else entirely. Not the easiest reads - but a lot of brilliant nuggets to be found while slogging away.

6. Istanbul - Memories and the City
This book was interesting enough (I love the old Istanbul photographs), but not nearly as inspired as his fiction.

Is anybody up for a book club with Snow being the first on the list? I'd be happy to re-read it with 2 additional years of living in Turkey under my belt.

Thanks for the feedback. Fortunately, I had just been given a copy of SNOW.

I was wondering if there was anything 'significant' about the title of the book in Turkish (I assume Kar) and the name of the main character (Ka)?

Does anyone know who the RUya is who the book is dedicated to? Surely not a non-personal 'dream' but someone's name?

Rüya is his daughter

The character Ka's real name is Kerim Alakuşoğlu but he goes by his initials. If I remember correctly, in the book there will be those who ridicule this preference as 'wannabe Western', as he's rejected his given Turkish name.

I'm guessing the title is a bit of a word-play with kar (snow - which is a major theme throughout the book), Kars (the city in E. Turkey where the story takes place) and Ka (the protagonist's name).

I like the idea of a book club...

Orhan Pamuk's Beyaz Kale(white castle) is in the list of 1001 books you must read before you die.