A Postmodernist Reading of Orhan Pamuk’s Black Book and My Name Is Red

The present study analyzes traces of postmodernism in Orhan Pamuk’s two novels: Black Book (1990) and My Name is Red (1998). As the theoretical framework, postmodernism which can be considered new to Turkish Literature, is a concept that the Western canon has been familiar with for a relatively long time. The movement had a significant spread after the Second World War and is now in our lives with countless examples in different fields. There are several reasons for this movement to appear differently in each country or culture. These reasons generally stem from political and social developments. When analyzing this movement in the Turkish context, the analysis of Orhan Pamuk’s works shows traces of postmodernist elements. While looking for an answer to how postmodernism emerged in Turkish culture, the comprehensive history of postmodernism with its emergence in politics and evolution in literature can help to understand how postmodernism manifests itself in Turkish literature. To find traces of postmodernism in Turkish literary works, Orhan Pamuk’s two books are analyzed to bring an approach to postmodernism in Turkish fiction.